15 + 1 thing you may don't know about Greek Coffe !

Until the post-war years, it was the most beloved coffee in Greece, before it was overshadowed by frappe at first and later by Espresso & Cappuccino : Greek coffee remains still popular, even among the younger ages.

Greek Coffee is difficult to cook, but aromatic and delicious if prepared properly. It is a piece of Greek everyday life that seems to regain its ground, both among tourists who want to taste a coffee different from the coffees they are used to , and among the younger greeks, who are rediscovering the taste of their grandfather's coffee.

We gathered 15+1 trivia about Greek coffee: they form a trip that starts from the Middle Eastern deserts, passes to the Ottoman sultans and big Istanbul cafes, crosses the Balkans, meets witches and "tampides" to end up in the Czech Republic!

• The uniqueness of the Greek coffee is the absence of filtering: the ground grains are kept in the cup - it is the so-called "katakathi" of the coffee.
• Greek coffee is traditionally served with a glass of cold water and a Greek delight called “loukoumi” - European travelers refer to this tradition as early as the 18th century.
• There used to be lots of Greek coffee varieties, having to do with the amount of sugar and the foam, called “kaimaki” - 48 different types of Greek coffee are recorded.
• A lot of time is needed in order to prepare the “kaimaki” foam properly: coffee had to come out of the fire and boil again for eight times, with each time lasting slightly less than the previous one – the total preparation time was around 20 – 25 minutes.
• Moreover, coffee was prepared by covering the pot in hot sand or hot ashes – this required special skills.
• The barista of the time was called "tambis" - and he was supposed to be very talented, since the preparation of the coffee was difficult and demanding.
• Many countries argue about the origins of Greek coffee, which is why it name varies around the Balkans and the Middle East: Greek, Turkish, Albanian, Bosnian, Cypriot, Arabic, Armenian and so on - a long journey!
• The northernmost point where we find a coffee similar to Greek Coffee is Czech Republic and Slovakia – it is called turek and it is now considered a little old-fashioned.
• Its origins are definitely Arabic and are traced to Middle Eastern Bedouins - after the conquest of Egypt, it became popular in the Ottoman Empire and from there it spread through Southeastern Europe.
• In almost every country, Greek coffee has small differences, both in terms of roasting and the spices used - in every country, its flavor is slightly different.
• In Arabic countries the taste of coffee is often enriched with cardamom - coffee tastes “heavy”, but its flavor is very intense, with a nice scent.
• It is the only coffee in the world that is considered to have magical quality - the well-known “telling of the cup” (see one’s future in the coffee’s “katakathi”) is an ancient mystical heritage of the Oriental origins of the Greek coffee.
• In Greece it was known as "Turkish Coffee" until the post-war years - when tense relations with the neighboring country established the name "Greek Coffee".
• Greek coffee is very healthy - every (sugar-free) cup has just one calorie, and because of its production it is richer in antioxidant.
• The preparation of Turkish coffee is considered to be intangible cultural heritage of the neighboring country – according to a 2013 Unesco decision.