恋上土耳其咖啡

By+Alan+Scott

When I first came to Istanbul back in the dying years of the 20th century it wasnt easy to find a decent cup of coffee. One of the reasons， I came to understand， was that there had been a time， not long before， when tea bags and instant coffee were restricted imports， and according to that invariable rule of economics， desirability had increased in proportion to scarcity on the market. Nescafe and tea were served everywhere in European-style cups， with the option of Turkish coffee of somewhat variable quality. In fact， European- or American-style， or low quality imitations thereof， pervaded much of life in Istanbul in those days. Traditional features of Turkish culture had been more or less isolated in the tourist area of Sultanahmet， or relegated1） to the back streets of the poorer parts of town.

Well， times have changed. Opening the countrys doors to globalization brought the delights of McDonalds and Burger King， Starbucks and Gloria Jeans2） to a people starved of hamburgers and quality java3）. Interestingly， at the same time as international， multi-national and transnational fast-food franchises began to invade the streets of Istanbul， they seemed to trigger an offensive/defensive reaction from local entrepreneurs. Almost overnight， Turks seemed to discover that their own home-grown culture was capable of competing with， perhaps even bettering the imported offerings. Tasteful chain eateries and up-market4） boutique restaurants began repackaging d?ner kebab5）， lahmacun6）， ?i? k?fte7） and other local specialities.

However， it is coffee culture that has responded most enthusiastically to the threat of foreign invasion. Kahve Dünyas? and several other local chains have begun emulating and improving on8） the coffee and ambience9） provided by better-known international brands. Roasting and grinding their own brews， packaging them for the drink-at-home market， and adding side dishes of chocolates and lokum10）， these post-modern coffee-houses are carrying the fight to Starbucks， and have succeeded in driving Gloria Jeans into the niche market of high-end shopping centres.

Whatever the link between the modern republic of Turkey and the defunct11） Ottoman Empire may be， there is no doubt that Turkeys people have begun to rediscover and appreciate their own traditional roots and cultures. In 2013， UNESCO added Turkish coffee to the list of The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Currently to be seen in the grounds of Topkap? Palace12） is an exhibition entitled “A Drop of Pleasure—The 500-year Story of Turkish Coffee.”

I have sometimes wondered how primitive human beings first discovered certain gastronomic13） delights. OK， bananas are pretty straightforward. Pick it off the palm， peel it， eat it—a monkey could do it. But what about olives？ Pretty unappetising in their natural state. Who figured out how to soak them and salt them etc. to produce the tasty little green or black morsels we love today？ There must have been some disastrous offerings concocted14） before our ancestors hit on the best recipes. And take a look at a coffee bean straight off the tree. You pick it， roast it， grind it and boil it into something unrecognisable but euphoria-inducing. Who figured that out？

According to legend， it was an Ethiopian goatherd who first stumbled upon the magic properties of Coffea Arabica. Apparently his goats had been unusually frolicsome15） of late， and he came to the conclusion that their high spirits came from munching on the berries of a particular tree growing on the hillsides. He tentatively sampled a few himself but was unimpressed. Still curious， however， he took a handful home to his more enterprising wife who， after a few unproductive experiments， hit on a method of boiling the leaves and beans together to make a kind of tea.

At first the resulting brew was treated largely as medicinal， and a local doctor acquired quite a reputation for curing just about everything from heart disease to chronic depression. Soon， however， the populace， discovering that coffee beans， unlike money， actually grew on trees， began bypassing the middleman. The craze spread from Ethiopia to Yemen， and the Yemenis are said to have been the first to roast， grind and boil something resembling our modern brew. The drink began finding its way into the Ottoman Empire in the latter half of the 15th century and before long coffeehouses were springing up Istanbul like mushrooms or Starbucks franchises. Coffee drinking and the ritual surrounding its preparation and consumption are credited with exerting a civilising and socialising influence on Turkish culture with its traditional male focus on horses， camels and warfare.

The Topkap? exhibition contains around 800 pictures and artifacts illustrating different aspects of this 500-year story： from potted Caffea bushes to carved stone sarcophagi16） of Kayseri noblemen depicting the paraphernalia17） associated with their favourite beverage. Originally the roasted beans were ground to a fine powder with pestle and mortar. Even today， the old method of cooking the coffee on charcoal embers is experiencing a revival. Connoisseurs maintain that coffee needs to be slowly brought to the boil over a period of five minutes or so to bring out the best flavour.

The cezve18）， a small specially designed pot in which coffee is cooked， was made from copper， tinned on the inside， narrowing towards the top with a spout for pouring—nowadays available in a left-handed version. Turkish coffee cups are espresso-sized in an infinite variety of designs and decorations. The older style china or porcelain handle-less cup fitted inside a sleeve19） of worked silver is also staging a comeback， in less-precious metals for general use.

The coffee is measured and prepared according to the number of guests—cold water， ground coffee and sugar （if desired） are mixed together and slowly brought to the boil， at which point froth forms on top. The presence of froth is indispensable， and disappears if the coffee is allowed to continue boiling. Your coffee should be served with a small glass of water and a cube of lokum. According to Turkish culture， drinking coffee is synonymous with friendship. A well-known rhyme goes：

The heart wants neither coffee nor coffeehouse.

The heart wants friendship; coffee is the excuse.

Traditionally it was associated with tobacco-smoking， in nargile20） or long-stemmed pipes. Formerly public coffeehouses were a male domain， but a recent resurgence has seen the water-pipe culture cross the gender divide.

The joys of coffee do not end with the drinking. The cooking process results in a few millimetres of sludgy21） sediment22） in the bottom of the cup. For the novice drinker this can create a problem and turn some off the beverage. If you persist， however， you will learn when to take your last lees-free sip， thereafter turning your cup upside down on its saucer while intoning a kind of spell： Neyse halim， ??ks?n fal?m （Let the cup show what life will bring me）. When the mixture cools， the resulting unique pattern of dregs23） in the cup can be interpreted by a falc?24）—usually a woman skilled in the arcane25） arts of fortune-telling. Which may help to explain why personal psychiatric analysts are less common in Turkish culture.

Afiyet olsun！

在20世纪的最后几个年头，我第一次来到伊斯坦布尔时，还很难喝到一杯像样的咖啡。后来我才知道，其中一个原因在于不久之前茶包和速溶咖啡都曾被限制进口。根据那个永恒不变的经济学定律，需求的增加与市场稀缺度成正比。那时，到处供应的都是装在欧式杯子里的雀巢咖啡和茶，也有品质参差不齐的土耳其咖啡可供选择。事实上，在伊斯坦布尔的那些日子里，大多数时间喝到的都是欧式或美式咖啡，或者质量低下的山寨货。具有传统特色的土耳其文化几乎都被隔绝在苏丹阿美特这个旅游区里，或是流落到穷人聚居的偏僻街巷。

时过境迁。土耳其打开了国门，迎接全球化的到来，给这个渴盼汉堡和优质咖啡的民族带来了麦当劳、汉堡王、星巴克和高乐雅的喜悦。有趣的是，在各种打着国际旗号、多国旗号、跨国旗号的快餐特许经营店开始侵占伊斯坦布尔大街小巷的同时，当地企业家似乎受到触动，发起了反攻或防御。几乎是一夜之间，土耳其人似乎发现，他们土生土长的本土文化也能和进口产品一较高下，或许甚至更好。品味高雅的餐饮连锁店和高端市场的精品饭店开始重新包装土耳其烤肉、浪马军薄饼披萨、生肉丸及其他地方特色美食。

然而，面对外来饮食文化入侵的威胁，反应最为强烈的还是土耳其咖啡文化。Kahve Dünyas?咖啡馆和其他几家当地连锁店已经开始模仿并改进国际知名品牌所提供的咖啡和环境。他们烘焙、研磨自己的咖啡，包装好后供应到家用饮品市场，同时搭配巧克力和土耳其软糖等小吃。这些后现代风格的咖啡馆正肩负着对抗星巴克的使命，并且已经成功地将高乐雅咖啡驱赶到了高端购物中心的小众市场。

无论现代的土耳其共和国和已成过去的奥斯曼帝国有何关联，毫无疑问的是，土耳其人已开始重新发现和欣赏他们自己的传统根基与文化。2013年，联合国教科文组织将土耳其咖啡列入人类非物质文化遗产名录。如今，在托普卡帕故宫的庭院可以看到一个展览，名为“滴滴难舍——土耳其咖啡500年历史展”。

有时，我会好奇地想，原始人最早是怎样发现某些东西可以让人一饱口福的呢？嗯，香蕉是特别直截了当的。从树上摘下来，剥掉皮，吃下去——这是猴子都会干的事。但是橄榄呢？自然状态下的橄榄看起来可一点都不诱人。是谁想出来用浸泡、腌制等一系列工序将它们制成我们今天人人喜爱的一粒粒绿油油、黑嘟嘟的美味零食呢？在找到最佳加工方法之前，我们的祖先一定配制过一些“黑暗料理”，并为此吃了苦头。看看刚从树上摘下的咖啡豆的样子吧。摘下来，烘烤，研磨，烹煮，直到变成面目全非却能令人飘然愉悦的饮品。这是谁想出来的呢？

据传说，是埃塞俄比亚的一位牧羊人最先意外发现了阿拉比卡咖啡的神奇功效。他发现他的羊近段时间明显比以前活泼好动得多，他得出的结论是：它们之所以情绪如此高涨，是因为吃了长在山坡上的某棵特定树上的浆果。他试探性地尝了几颗，但觉得没什么好吃的。可他仍然好奇，就采了一把拿回家，交给他妻子，他妻子比他能干多了，在经过几次失败的试验后，她想到了一种方法，将咖啡豆连同叶子一起煮沸，做成一种茶。

起初，熬制的汤汁通常都被当做药水来用，一位当地的医生因此名声大震，从心脏病到慢性抑郁症，几乎没有它不能治的病。不过，人们很快就发现，原来咖啡豆跟钱不一样，其实是长在树上的，于是便不再从中间商那里购买。后来，这一时尚从埃塞俄比亚传到也门，据说也门人是最早开始烘焙、研磨、烹煮，制出类似于我们现在的咖啡饮品。15世纪后半叶，咖啡开始传入奥斯曼帝国。不久，伊斯坦布尔的咖啡店如雨后春笋般涌出，跟现在的星巴克专营店差不多。饮用咖啡的时尚以及围绕咖啡制作与消费所产生的礼仪习俗被认为对土耳其文化产生了重要影响，使得这个传统上男人崇尚马匹、骆驼和战争的国家也变得文明有礼、喜爱社交。

在托普卡帕故宫举办的咖啡历史展展出了大约800幅图片和实物，展示了500年咖啡历史的方方面面：从盆栽的咖啡灌木到开塞利贵族所用的石棺，石棺上雕刻着与他们最喜爱的饮品密切相关的各种器具。最初，人们会将烘焙后的咖啡豆放在研钵中用碾槌研磨成细碎的粉末。甚至在今天，在炭火上煮咖啡的古老做法又变得时尚起来。咖啡品鉴专家认为，咖啡需要慢慢煮沸才能达到最佳口感，这大约需要五分钟。

土耳其铜壶是一种经过特别设计用来煮咖啡的小壶，壶身以铜制成，内壁镀锡，壶口处较为狭窄，带有一壶嘴，用以倾倒咖啡——现在可以买到便于左手使用的款式。土耳其咖啡杯大小跟意大利浓缩咖啡杯相近，上面饰有数不清的各式各样的花纹和装饰。还有一种款式较老的无柄瓷杯也开始卷土重来，这种瓷杯外部配以雕花的银质杯套，只是现在杯套采用了较为廉价的金属，以便日常使用。

客人的多少决定了咖啡的用量和冲泡方法——将冷水、研磨好的咖啡和糖（假如想要的话）混合在一起，慢慢地煮沸，这时咖啡表面就会形成一层泡沫。泡沫的存在是必不可少的，如果继续煮泡沫就会消失。端上咖啡时，应搭配一小杯水和一块土耳其软糖。根据土耳其文化，一起喝咖啡是友谊的象征。有一首广为传诵的诗是这样说的：

心灵需要的，不是咖啡也不是咖啡屋。

心灵需要友谊，咖啡只是个借口。

就传统而言，喝咖啡往往和抽烟斗联系在一起，通常是水烟筒或者长柄烟斗。以前，公共咖啡屋是男人的世界，但最近随着抽烟时尚的再次兴起，水烟文化也跨越了性别的界限。

咖啡的乐趣并不仅仅在于饮用。煮咖啡的过程导致杯底会有几毫米厚的淤积沉渣。对于新手来说，这可能会是一个问题，并使一些人对土耳其咖啡望而却步。但如果你继续喝下去，你就会知道喝到什么时候是最后一口，还不会喝到沉渣。喝完后，你将咖啡杯倒扣在小碟上，口中吟诵出一句咒语：“Neyse halim， ??ks?n fal?m （杯子杯子告诉我，我的人生将如何）。”当这混合之物冷却后，杯子里的沉渣就会呈现出一种独特的形状，然后可以请占卜师进行占卜——占卜师通常是女性，擅长占卜命运的秘术。这或许可以解释为什么土耳其文化中私人精神分析师不那么常见。

Afiyet olsun！ （祝你好胃口！）

1. relegate [?rel?ɡe?t] vt. 把……降级;把……置于次要地位

2. Gloria Jean：即Gloria Jeans Coffee （高乐雅咖啡），澳大利亚最大的连锁咖啡品牌之一

3. java [?d?ɑ?v?] n. 〈美口〉咖啡

4. up-market：豪华的;高级的;高档的

5. d?ner kebab：土耳其语，意为“土耳其烤肉”。

6. lahmacun：土耳其语，译作“浪马军”，是一种配有烤碎肉、洋葱、番茄等配料的特色薄饼披萨。

7. ?i? k?fte：土耳其语，意为“生肉丸”。

8. improve on：改进;生产出比……更好的东西

9. ambience [??mbi?ns] n. 气氛;环境

10. lokum：土耳其语，意为“土耳其软糖”。

11. defunct [d??f??kt] adj. 不再存在的

12. Topkap? Palace：托普卡帕故宫，伊斯坦布尔的一座皇宫，昔日举行国家仪式及供皇室娱乐的场所，现为旅游观光胜地。

13. gastronomic [?ɡ?str??n?m?k] adj. 与美食有关的

14. concoct [k?n?k?kt] vt. 调制

15. frolicsome [?fr?l?ks?m] adj. 爱闹着玩的

16. sarcophagi [sɑ?（r）?k?f?ɡa?] n. [复] （常有精美雕刻装饰的）石棺

17. paraphernalia [?p?r?f?（r）?ne?li?] n. 与某活动有关的大量用品

18. cezve：土耳其语，意为“铜咖啡壶”。

19. sleeve [sli?v] n. 套筒，筒状套子

20. nargile：土耳其语，意为“水烟筒”。

21. sludgy [?sl?d??] adj. 有淤积物的

22. sediment [?sed?m?nt] n. 沉渣

23. dregs [dreɡz] n. [复]残渣，渣滓

24. falc?：土耳其语，意为“占卜师”。

25. arcane [ɑ?（r）?ke?n] adj. 神秘的