For Albanian brides, the pressure is on

BY LAURESHA XHIHANI | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

It's not easy being an Albanian bride. They're judged on appearance, behavior, pedigree — and, of course, coffee-making skills.

Six brides were put to the test Sunday during a Mother's Day celebration at the Albanian-American Cultural and Islamic Center Hasan Prishtina on Columbia Boulevard in Waterbury. Organizers made a game of the Albanian tradition of coffee-serving by having six brides compete on who can make coffee and serve their mothers-in-law the fastest.

Each lined up with a small burner, a serving tray, small cup and saucer and a xhezve, a Turkish coffee cooker, in front of them. They worked fast, spooning Turkish coffee and sugar in the xhezve and enough water to fill a small Turkish coffee cup, about the size of an espresso cup. The coffee cooked in the burner, with each bride watching the boiling point as relatives cheered them on.

Turkish coffee & spice grinders

By Amy Scattergood, May 11, 2009
 
These utterly gorgeous contraptions are brass grinders, made for pepper or other spices, or for the grinding of Turkish coffee. They’re both from Turkey: the smaller of the two I bought at the spice bazaar in Istanbul a few years ago; the larger is from Turkish Coffee World, a fantastic online site that sells Turkish coffee paraphernalia. 

Turkish Coffee World is run by Istanbul native Mustafa Arat, who operates a one-man company out of his home in the sun-drenched suburban world of swimming pools and occasional palm trees in Corona, California. Arat imports his coffee grinders and pots (cezve) and cups from Turkey, as well as coffee itself from Mehmet Efendi, an Istanbul coffee company which was founded in 1871. 

The grinders are stunningly pretty; they’re also seemingly indestructable, unlike all the other coffee grinders that have passed through my kitchen to date. You can adjust the grind by turning the screws on the side. The tall grinder grinds very finely, which is how Turkish coffee is ground, like powder. I’ve set the smaller of the two to grind more coarsely, which is how I like my black pepper. I’ve also used it for allspice, cloves and Szechuan peppercorns.