Ottoman Coffee: Love and Hate

Coffee Houses in the Ottoman Empire

The Arabs contributed tremendously to the spread of knowledge about coffee. From the Ethiopian province of Kaffa to the cultivation of coffee in Yemen, then through the whole of the Islamic world. In the 14th century, its reach expanded further and found its way to the courts of Europe. However, the spread of coffee came not without bitterness, the controversy of coffee having the same effects as alcohol was still not over.

The arrival of coffee to the capital of the powerful and wealthy Ottoman Empire had several versions. However, the Ottoman invasion of Yemen in 1536 contributed to the arrival of coffee in Istanbul. A story stated that the governor of Yemen, Ozdemir Pasha brought some roasted coffee beans to the court of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The introduction to the sultan led to a coffee craze within the court. Another story narrated that the arrival of coffee to Istanbul through 2 Arab traders, Schems of Damascus and Hekin of Aleppo. The two traders came to Istanbul to make a living by opening a small coffee house in 1554 named Kivan Han, in the Tahtakate District. The coffee shop became popular with the locals and many more opened across the city and throughout the Empire. The Sultan took notice and after a sip and he liked the drink as well. 

Suleiman  the Magnificent

Coffee became so popular that the Sultan's even established a new position in charge of making coffee for himself called the chief coffee maker or kahvecibasi. The position proved to be very influential in the shadows, as these men had the opportunity to have intimate discussions with the leader of the Ottoman Empire. 

The Turks do love their coffee. They developed some new ways to brew their perfect cup of caffeine. One method involves the roasting of the beans on fire before grinding it then mixed into boiling water. Besides, the Turks made a new pot called cezve - a long-handled small pot usually made of brass or gold or silver for the wealthy. The cezve would be placed over the fire and brew the coffee on it. 

Murad IV

However, the spread of coffee to the Ottoman Empire nevertheless sparked problems, troubles, and controversies. In Mecca, Islamic scholars continued to debate whether coffee induced intoxication just as alcohol and therefore should be banned. Kha’ir Beg, the governor of Mecca tried to ban the substance. But as coffee reached Istanbul, the debate of its effects on man also came with it. In 1580, Sultan Mehmet III forbade the drinking of coffee and all coffee houses shut down. The justification for the ban laid with the carbonization of the beans paralleled the process of winemaking.  

During the reign of Sultan Murad IV, a coffee ban once again took effect. However, the reason came beyond religious factors but political. During the 17th century, the Grand Vizier Koprulu Mehmed Pasha visited a coffee house in Istanbul incognito. To his shock and uproar, the coffee shop was not just a place to unwind but a hotbed of dissent. As the Arabs called coffee houses as School of the Wise, ideas and knowledge spread through coffeehouses including seditious and dissenting ideas against the absolute rule of the Sultan. To stop the spread of such dangerous ideas, the Vizier banned and closed coffee houses in Istanbul. Nevertheless, coffeehouses outside Istanbul continued to flourish, and eventually, the ban became useless. The Sultan's resolve against coffee remained steadfast and ordered the ban throughout the empire. He ordered that anyone caught drinking coffee be severely punished or even executed. He even ordered bags of coffee to be thrown to the Bosporus Strait to make his point. 

Later on, the ban eroded in worth as demand for coffee continued to rise. Moreover, the increasing expenditure of the Sultan's household called for an additional source of income, and coffee for its continuous popularity became salvation. Sultan Suleiman II decided to lift the coffee ban  and imposed tariffs upon the beans so to generate the badly needed revenue. 

With the Turks knowing coffee, and the Empire close to Europe, the stage was set for the spread of coffee throughout the world. Thanks to the Turks, Venetians, Dutch, and other Europeans took notice of the dark beans. But the greatest contribution of the Turks was giving its famous name. The word given by the Ottoman Turks to coffee was Kahwe. Later on, when other Europeans knew about coffee, they adopted and corrupted it and gave it the name café.

See also:

The Adventure of Gabriel de Clieu

Arabs Love Affair of Coffee

Dancing Goats and Origin of Coffee

Economy of Pedro II's Empire

How a Pope Spread Coffee to the World?

Louis XIV and Coffee

Bibliography:

Boyar, E. & Kate Fleet. A Social History of Ottoman Istanbul. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 

Kia, M. Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire. California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011. 

Pendergast, M. Uncommon Grounds: the History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World. New York: Basic Books, 2010. 

“The History of Turkish Coffee.”  Turkish Coffee World. Accessed March 29, 2014. http://www.turkishcoffeeworld.com