There is good coffee and there is bad. But Turkish coffee is also talented.  It can tell you the future.   Reading the coffee grinds left in a Turkish coffee cup is a tradition in Turkey.  Whenever I was at a turning point in my life, or simply trying to figure out whether to accept a new job or change directions, my mom would prepare me a cup of Turkish coffee, nice and foamy, and read my fortune during our morning chats.  I would first enjoy the cup of coffee through an intense conversation with her and then, I would turn it upside down onto the saucer.   A few minutes later when the bottom of the cup was cooler, I would ask her to read it. As Turkish coffee is made with the coffee grinds boiled in the water, and not filtered out, the bottom of each finished cup would have the remainder of the grinds sliding down and creating mysterious shapes when the cup was put upside down.  Reading those shapes takes a lot of intuition and definitely a connection with the person whose cup you are about to read. 

My mom would sometimes tell me a good fortune, perhaps good news or money, was on its way to my home.  She later taught me that a spot shaped like a fish or bird would indicate good fortune.  And there were the “roads” with grinds making snake like shapes, long or short.  They could be actual trips or symbols of roads to be taken.  Whether I needed advice with a boyfriend situation or changing jobs,  she would always find a way to give me hope and encouragement.  Her readings never sounded made up, as she would take the ritual very seriously and so would I.  I believed everything she said and predicted, as almost every time, these predictions would come true shortly after our session.  I am not sure if this was a mother’s intuition or the magic of Turkish coffee. Whenever I drink a nice, well made cup of Turkish coffee, I always think of my mother. Perhaps she can read President Obama’s cup when he has a moment. You never know, it might help with the economy.

Meltem

2009 Copyright. Foods of Turkey