Greek coffee: what the heirs of ancient Hellas drink

Several years ago, while traveling in Greece, I wondered what kind of coffee Greeks drink, but back then I was not a coffee expert and could not assess coffee from a professional point of view. After a while I visited this country again as a coffee connoisseur and looked at traditional coffee from a slightly different angle.

So, what is Greek coffee? Let's find out! Greek coffee is coffee that has been brewed in a pot and the beans have been ground into dust.

The question arises: who first invented this way of making coffee - the Turks or the Greeks, because the technology is exactly the same, only the names change. After talking to the locals, it turns out that neither Greeks nor Turks understand whose invention this is. Most importantly, for both peoples, coffee drinking is a sacred ritual. It is believed that if two people sit and drink coffee, they are already friends. And if coffee is Turkish or Greek, they are close friends.

So, coffee drinking in Greece is a very important part of the day, which people call "going out to a cafe" or "going out for coffee," where they can drink coffee, talk to friends, discuss various important and unimportant issues. The culture of communication as well as the culture of coffee consumption is very important for this country. An interesting fact, in Greece they practically do not drink tea, for them it is a remedy for colds and other illnesses.

In addition to Greek coffee, there are popular cold variations of the familiar drinks - Freddo cappuccino and Freddo espresso. The first is made with espresso, milk and ice whipped in a shaker, and espresso added to the whipped milk. The result is a beautifully layered and quite tasty drink.

I was very cautious about Freddo espresso until I tried a variation of it in a Greek coffee house in Russia. The recipe: espresso and ice are shaken in a shaker and served in a tall, clear glass. It turned out to be quite tasty.

The only thing that is difficult for my coffee understanding is the frappe. It is a Greek variation, very different from what we are used to drinking under that name. For Greeks, frappe is instant nescafe, water, a little milk, and ice. It is drunk literally everywhere, in all circumstances and at all ages.

How did this infinitely strange drink come about? One man simply did not have hot water to brew instant coffee, so he decided to brew it with cold water. As a result, Greek frappe won the hearts of its people and became almost the national drink of the country.

Despite the fact that Greece ranks 15th in the world in coffee consumption, it is difficult to find really good coffee in the country, which many people in Russia are used to. But it is quite possible to find your own coffee.