International Coffee Day: How the world enjoys coffee in unique ways
Today is International Coffee Day, the wonderful time when coffee lovers across the globe share their love of the caffeine beverage. Indeed, there are more ways to celebrate this day beyond a cup of 3-in-1 coffee. Let’s find how each corner of the world wakes up and starts its day with coffee.
Turkish Coffee in the Middle East
(Image from Noel Prabhuraj/Pixabay)
If there is something ancient Turks, Persians, and Greeks could agree with, it’s the delight of drinking Turkish Coffee. A popular method of coffee preparation in the Middle East, Turkish Coffee is brewed in a pot called a “cezve”. Just below boiling, the finely ground coffee beans sink to the bottom of the cup while the liquid part is the portion to be consumed.
‘Suspended coffee’ in Italy
(Image from TheLittleThings.com)
Think of this as a version of bayanihan that started in Naples, Italy. “Suspended coffee” or café sospeso refers to the custom of paying double for a coffee for a stranger who could not afford to buy one. This pay-it-forward tradition that originated among the working class in Italy spilled into other parts of Europe, especially in Spain where people would order coffee in advance to be claimed by someone less unfortunate.
Dalgona coffee in Macau, China
(Image from Joseph Mucira/Pixabay)
Who hasn’t heard of Dalgona coffee, which kept most of us sane during the first year of the lockdown? While it bears a Korean name, Dalgona coffee was invented by Macau café owner Leong Kam Hon, a former shipwright. The hand-beaten coffee is made by whisking sugar, instant coffee, and hot water together 400 times. In 2020, a South Korean host featured the drink on TV and opined that it reminded him of “Dalgona” or honeycomb in English. The rest, as they say, is history.
Coffee Santhe in India
(Image from Yana Tik/Pixabay)
Coffee Santhe is the most popular coffee festival in the subcontinent usually held at the beginning of the year. The event goes beyond brewing as it features paintings made from brewed coffee, clothes fitted with coffee-bean buttons, and other jewelry made from coffee’s raw materials. This is no surprise because coffee is the drink choice of most Indians – especially with its own coffee filter kaapi. Meter coffee is also popular — a practice where coffee with milk is poured back and forth between tall cups.
Kaffeost in Finland
(Image from laboratorioespresso.it)
Whereas we dip pan de sal into our coffee, those in Finland find the same satisfaction with cheese curds. “Kaffeost” literally means “coffee and cheese”. It combines bitter coffee and a typical local cheese, the Leipäjuusto. Kaffeost is a popular combination in the Scandinavian peninsula that Finland shares with the neighboring country Sweden. No one really knows how it came about and how it became a welcome drink to share with new and returning friends.
Irish Coffee
(Image from Jill Wellington/Pixabay)
The country of origin of Irish Coffee is a giveaway. A drink invented after World War II, the Irish Coffee was concocted by chef Joe Sherridan who wanted to serve a new kind of drink to Americans traveling to Ireland. Originally called “Irish Coffey”, the delightful mixture contains coffee and whiskey.
Curious about Irish Coffee? Try this delectable drink in its virgin, non-alcoholic variant at Cinema ‘76 Café! Starting today, Oct. 1, 2021, Cinema ‘76 Café is now open Mondays – Sundays from 11 am to 10 pm. Cinema ‘76 Café is open for al fresco dine-in at the second floor of Anonas LRT City Center along Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City or order via Viber at +63906 236 2365.