Working that black magic
True coffee enthusiasts were able to brush up on its origins as well as follow the trends and fads that have associated themselves with the powerful black drink at Warsaw Ethnographic Museum's "World of Coffee" exhibit, which is running from March 15th until April 28th.
Pawel Strzelecki, 25, a Warsaw Academy of Music student, dropped by the museum last Tuesday. He said he had only recently become a coffee drinker, having been hooked on ... instant cappuccino. While an ever-growing number of coffee snobs wouldn't call that real coffee, Strzelecki said he feels the drink's power nevertheless.
"It turns me on, and that has a good influence on the music I write," Strzelecki said. Spurred on by his new habit, he decided to take a look at the exhibition and said he wasn't disappointed.
"This exhibit is exotic and surprising," Strzelecki said. "Moreover I like all these Arabic climates."
The "climates," or exhibits, are the brainchild of Maria Oskroba, public relations manager at coffee producer and retailer Tchibo, a company that often sponsors cultural events. "I just came to the museum last November and said that I would like to organize this kind of exhibition," Oskroba said. "Some people find out here that coffee doesn't have its origins in Brazil, for instance."
Many coffee drinkers might also be surprised to learn that coffee didn't spring from Arabic countries.
"Coffee originated in Ethiopia," said Henryk Brandys, the exhibition curator and the museum's Arabic culture specialist. Brandys spent most of last Tuesday explaining exhibits to visitors.
"The exhibition presents equipment used to make coffee in the places that coffee comes from, such as Ethiopia and the countries of the Middle East and Northern Africa," Oskroba said. "It also shows the history of coffee, and the traditional equipment and materials used to celebrate coffee drinking."
The first display stand focused on Ethiopia, and showed how Ethiopian women used coffee to welcome guests. "In Ethiopia there is a custom that a woman is the only person who can offer coffee to guests," Brandys said, which is the opposite of what happens in Arabic countries. According to Brandys, an Ethiopian woman brews coffee before the eyes of all the guests and the area around her is covered by little pieces of grass. Preparing coffee Ethiopian-style takes about two hours.
The Iraqi stand displayed Middle Eastern coffee equipment, or "delle." The coffee used to make Iraqi-style coffee is not the same as that is used in espresso machines, Brandys said. "That coffee is so powdered that even the slightest puff causes clouds of dusts," Brandys said.
An Iraqi man puts coffee, water, sugar and spices in a jug. All the ingredients are heated up, but not boiled, and then sprinkled with drops of water. The mixture is then removed for a while, and the same process is repeated three times. The finished product is moved to yet another jug and served in little cups. Spices added to coffee are very popular; ginger is a common addition in Syria, while Egyptians prefer cardamom and Indians favor cinnamon.
The method on exhibit is not the only one used in the Middle East. "Every Arabic country has different customs for preparing coffee," Brandys said.
Unlike some Western coffee consumption done on the run in the hopes that the black liquid will work its usual magic and fuel a hectic lifestyle coffee drinking in Arabic countries is associated with leisure and relaxation. It is often combined with the smoking of a "nargile," or water pipe. "Arabs don't like to be in hurry they drink coffee slowly and quite often, usually three times a day," Brandys said.
The museum will present different countries' coffee habits at different viewing times and dates. Tunisia, Somalia and Egypt have come and gone, but Libya and Syria are scheduled to appear in April. Turkey and its coffee will close the show.
