Day 1 of my Local Living challenge is ON! It’s a ridiculously chilly -15 degrees in Sarajevo this morning. Apparently, despite all the hypothetical political efforts to move closer to Europe, we are now drifting in the direction of Siberia… And what better way to warm up on a chilly morning than my absolutely favourite thing in the world – coffee ❤
Just the idea of coffee puts a smile on my face – not because of the misconception that coffee helps us wake up. Studies at Bristol University have actually shown that the caffeine does not make us alert – but it does increase our anxiety levels and stimulates the central nervous system as it prompts the release of adrenaline. My love for coffee is probably influenced by the Bosnian cultural obsession with this drink. Coffee in Bosnia and Herzegovina is part of the daily ritual – nothing as elaborate as the Ethiopian coffee ceremony – but still a way of life, and an integral part of social interactions.
So, even though I know that I do not really need coffee to wake up in the morning, I choose to focus on the bright side – the benefits and antioxidant qualities of my favourite drink. As I am opening my new preferred brand Manuel (due to less-than-creative imports, I have been forced to Europeanise my coffee choices), I see the “produced and packaged in Italy” sign. Now, I don’t know anyone who does not LOVE Italian coffee – the perfect roast and a delicate aroma, but let’s face it, this is certainly NOT local coffee…so, I reconsider…
I look for a pack of emergency “Bosnian coffee”, which I keep in my kitchen in case any coffee-squeamish guests show up. I choose to ignore the fact that Bosnian coffee – whether Vispak’s Zlatna Dzezva, Grand or Minea – just like the Italian one, is not Bosnian at all…
Surely, just like Italians have perfected the art of roasting and mixing it, the Bosnians prepare coffee in a unique way. However, coffee does not grow in either Italy or Bosnia. The name itself is of Ethiopian origin, from the Kaffa region of the country. Although I knew of smell of coffee since my first independent breath, the first time I actually saw the plant was in the villages on the slopes of mighty Kilimanjaro, just a few years ago. The legend says that our addiction was discovered by an Ethiopian herdsman Kaldi, who noticed his goats were unusually perky when bursting on the red berries of the coffee plant. He decided to try the beans himself, and the rest is history…
Yet, in spite of its non-local origins, coffee has been an integral part of the Bosnian culture for centuries, reaching the Balkans long before the globalisation was a word in international politics. The beans and the coffee-drinking culture arrived to Bosnia with the Ottoman Empire some five centuries ago, and quickly found a home in the kitchens across the country. Today, Bosnia imports some 23 thousand tons of coffee annually, and per capita consumption of the world’s favourite drink in Bosnia and Herzegovina exceeds the global average of 4.8 kilograms. This is probably why local politicians claim that Bosnians spend too much time and money on luxuries such as coffee.
Having a coffee in Bosnia is a slow, conscious process. It is not a wake-up call, and does not come in a half-litre cup with your name on it (actually, that would probably clog your arteries in an instant). Since my filter machine and a French press are of no use here, I search for dzezva, and mix a few spoons to the boiling water, inhaling slowly the aromatic scent which reminds me of childhood. If you really want to go further down the food chain, you can roast the beans yourself, the way my grandmother used to do, and grind it by hand in the tiny coffee grinders…but the globalised world we live in today does not allow for such luxuries in terms of time. The manual grinders are now only sold at Bascarsija to tourists.
Finally, my morning addiction is ready – a thick, foamy liquid with intense flavour is too strong for my delicate morning taste buds, which have been weakened by the years of drinking the light and airy filter coffee, but I fully embrace the experience. As I pour the bitter, potent liquid in the tiny cups, I think of all the social rituals that have been inspired by the few beans in my cup, and have over the years become woven into the daily life of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The smell of morning coffee makes me think of how this drink has become a fine thread which binds social interactions – it provides a time for family bonding, a space for making new friendships, a forum for discussions, as people sit for hours over just a single cup, wrapped up in their conversations, and fortune-telling opportunity for women in search of new beginnings. And all of that fits in just one morning cup of sunshine – a cup which does not want to wake you up, but compels you to slow down and relish every sip, and every moment of the day.
Written by Lana Pašić at https://locallivingbih.com/