Jale KARHAN

Coffee, whose homeland is Africa, was introduced to Europe by Turks. The preparation of "Turkish coffee", which has a historical, political, social, and cultural background as the most important drink of Turkish culture, has been the subject of proverbs, idioms, folk riddles, folk songs, paintings and poems along with all its abstract and concrete cultural elements and its tools, equipment, presentation and rituals. Turkish coffee is an important means of socialization and cultural communication as a social beverage in our country. Turkish coffee served with a glass of water in circles of friends on special occasions, religious holidays, neighboring visits convey many meanings.

Turkish coffee has created a tradition and culture in our country, which different ethnic, religious, social, and cultural groups have agreed upon. As a cultural heritage, Turkish coffee is an important issue to address sociologically. Therefore, to understand and question the social, historical, and cultural change of Turkish coffee culture and tradition from the past to the present, the subject was discussed from a sociological point of view using the "historical and comparative method". In this context, the culture and tradition of Turkish coffee have been dealt with in a multidisciplinary, multidimensional and eclectic way in a historical, cultural and social context; it is also hoped that it will contribute to further studies on this issue. As a result of the study, it was seen that the culture and tradition of Turkish coffee, which has a sociological, artistic, political, economic, historical, and cultural value and has a 500-year-old culture and tradition that has not been “invented” in the recent past, depending on a certain time, geography and history, will not disappear easily.

Keywords: Africa, Turkish, Europe, Turkish coffee, cultural heritage