The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: May second, enjoying a cup of coffee around the world.

Stirred significantly by the expansion of Starbucks and other upscale beaneries, Americans have become quite coffee conscious. Yet, while the terms regular and decaf are widely understood most places English is spoken, ordering a cup of coffee can get complicated elsewhere. In Europe, South America and the Middle East, getting what you want means knowing what it's called.

In France, the situation's relatively simple. Coffee is called cafe, cafe'au lait, if you want it blended with warm milk, or cafe complet, if you also crave a roll. Coffee quaffers can really get into hot water in Italy. The basic unit is un caffe. That's what Americans call espresso. But that tiny cup of caffeine pressure squeezed through a steel screen has myriad variations, including ristretto, lungo and macchiato. Of course, when infused with steamed milk and topped with foam, it becomes cappuccino, which also comes in a dozen variations.

The confusion really gets brewing with coffee prepared in a manner other than by filter or press. In the Middle East, for example, coffee is generally brewed by boiling ground beans, sugar and water in a single, small pot. In Turkey, the result is called kahave, serkerli, sade or orta, depending on the proportions of coffee and sugar used. But, what the Turks call orta, is mazbut to Egyptians, wessed to Syrians, and Turkish coffee almost everywhere other than Greece, where it's known as cafe ellenico, or Greek coffee.

Anyone for tea?

Back to May 2003 Main

Look through the list of fascinating places and off-beat features we’ve covered. Search text versions of past episodes and articles in our archives.