Romanians love their coffee and the chat around it. Many people do not even have breakfast (if ever) before their coffee joined - if applicable (most times yes) - by a cigarette. Espresso and filter coffee are the norm nowadays, with the label being more important than the contents, but it has not always been like that. Coffee used to mean Turkish coffee and when at home, for many people it still stands for that. Coffee arrived in Constantinople in mid 16th century and spread to the Turkish-influenced or occupied part of Europe soon afterwards. Traditionally, a copper, trapezoidal coffee pot was used (Ro. ibric, Tk. cezve), but the enameled iron, cylindrical version prevails nowadays. Coffee was boiled together with sugar, calculating two full teaspoons of finely grounded coffee and two teaspoons of sugar for every (small) cup of water. When it was just about to boil, the pot was removed from the fire and the foam created was carefully put in the cup, followed by about half of the coffee. The pot was then placed on the stove and, after it boiled again, the remaining coffee was poured in the cup. As it was usually strong and sweet, this kind of coffee was served together with a glass of water. An old Turkish saying goes that coffee should be “black like hell, strong like death and sweet like love”. Sweets (especially cakes) and jams (most times walnut, rose or wild cherry jam, even though I would not give up my strawberry jam in the picture above) or sherbet joined by a glass of water or freshly made lemonade used to be a great addition to a cup of coffee and this created the perfect context for long Sunday afternoon chatting seances. Once the coffee finished, one would often do fortune telling, by turning the cup upside down on the plate and, after leaving it like that for a few minutes, he / she would look in the shapes created by the dregs at the bottom of the cup.

This tradition was carried on during the Communist period as well, with women often linking their prestige to the quality of the coffee and jams they prepared, respectively the cakes they baked to join the coffee. Next to every household had a nice set of coffee cups, small jam plates, fine teaspoons and the necessary coffee pot. Given the Romanian Government’s post 1979 policy of cutting off imports, the beginning of the 1980s saw more and more difficult to get real coffee, while people got used to the substitutes they could find, like the “nechezol” (which contained 20% coffee and 80% cereals, among which the most widespread was oats) or the Inka (Polish cereal drink); real coffee was often only available on the black market and it was - together with foreign cigarettes - among the best presents one could get and give. However, even so, tradition (and the adjoining habits) carried on. With the opening after 1989, people had once again access to real coffee, but the trend soon started to shift towards espresso and filter coffee.

While Turkish coffee is losing ground nowadays, it still plays an important role in Bucharestians’ lives, even if this is mainly at home. Out in the city, Turkish coffee - or similar variants - can be found especially in Turkish, Lebanese or Arabian restaurants. The best one I had was at Valea Regilor Cafe (even though its quality is variable there), at the Divan (a Turkish restaurant on Franceză Street), while for the best Arabian version, I always like the one at the Capitan, a Lebanese restaurant down the Dâmbovița Quay where they also have some great qadaif and knafeh. As for the best jams, I find them at Ceai la Cotroceni or Vasiliada teahouses (pity they do not have coffee there though). For other sweets, you might check out the prăjituri article, while the finest Turkish pastry in town can be found at a small shop marked “Baclava turcească” on Vatra Luminoasă Street, served by a very charismatic old lady. However, if in desperate need, one can find Yuksel baklava at Billa and Megaimage supermarkets throughout the city (even though the Yuksel baklava is of average quality, it is cooked with sugar as opposed to honey etc.). The larger Mega Image supermarkets (yet not all) sell Mehmet Efendi ground Turkish coffee, as well as some great Colombia blend.

GPS - Ceai la Cotroceni - N44 26.024 E26 04.028

GPS - Capitan Restaurant - N44 24.605 E26 07.245

GPS - Divan Restaurant - N44 25.806 E26 06.000

GPS - Valea Regilor Cafe - N44 25.983 E26 05.925

GPS - Vasiliada Teahouse - N44 25.990 E26 06.180

GPS - Baclava turcească - N44 26.321 E26 08.411