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Turkish coffee, one of the country's symbols, now has its ''first museum'' where visitors can learn how to make it correctly and have the opportunity to receive a certificate.
The newspaper Hurriyet reports that the museum, opened in cooperation with Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry, is considered the ''first place where Turkish coffee is cooked and served in the most prominent way'', as described by the Turkish Coffee Culture and Research Centre. The ceremony was conducted on Saturday in the presence of Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay.
The Minister, underlining the interest from abroad for Turkish coffee which became clear during the recent presentation of the project in the Far East, stressed the importance of the beverage for Turkish culture and pointed out that this importance was not officially reflected through any initiative, before the museum was opened.
''A cup of coffee is remembered for 40 years,'' according to a Turkish way of saying, quoted by the Minister. Turkish coffee is made by putting very finely ground coffee in an ''ibrik'', a small kettle usually made of brass, together with water, sugar and sometimes spices like cardamom depending on tradition. The ingredients are boiled three times, making the final result syrupy. Before drinking, it must be left to settle for a few minutes. What remains at the bottom is used for a king of prophecy-making, practiced in Turkey and in the former Ottoman properties in the Balkan area.
CEO Orhan Hallik of the BKG company that has promoted this and other similar initiatives with Gunay's Ministry said: ''Here we will serve tourists traditional Turkish coffee. We will enable them to drink the 'real' Turkish coffee and experience the way it is cooked and served."
There will also be an ''education programme,'' in which will be explained ''how Turkish coffee first came to the Ottoman Empire, the opening of the first coffee house, and how it became popular in Europe. We also tell visitors about the unique ritual of cooking and serving Turkish coffee. Those who finish the education program will be given a certificate,'' Hallik announced to Hurriyet, though the article does not specify the length of the programme.
The first certificate was handed out to the Minister who, after the opening ceremony, made a Turkish coffee in the venue's kitchen. Turkey is proud of its traditions and of everything Turkish and has protected its national culture by law. Another symbol of Turkey in the eyes of the West, smoking, is on its way back on the other hand due to new regulations and campaigns against smoking.
The Turkish government has issued new health rules that make it even necessary to cover the cigar Clint Eastwood is smoking in a western from the '60s on television, using a stylised orange flower.
From: emg.rs
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