Traditional Greek coffee is made in a small brass or tin pot called a brikli. Finely ground coffee is combined with sugar and water, boiled for 30 seconds and stirred continuously. A single shot is served thick, black and piping hot in demitasse porcelain cups accompanied by a tall glass of cold water.
There are dozens of ways to prepare Greek coffee, each with its own name, depending on the proportions of sugar and coffee, how long it was boiled and in what quantities it is served. For instance, you can ask for gliko (sweet), metrio (medium-sweet) or sketo (unsweetened). Me gala comes with milk; horis gala without.
And then there’s frappe, made in a shaker from freeze-dried instant coffee crystals such as Nescafe, shaken up with just a little water until foamy, then inverted into a tall clear glass and topped with water. Sweetened evaporated milk called nu-nu, or 10% cream, is slowly added to create a series of layers. It’s served cold, over ice, or warm.
Greek frappe is sipped through a straw, which also serves to stir up the sugar that settles at the bottom of the glass. And with it, it is traditional to nibble pastries like loukoumades, honey balls fried in olive oil sprinkled with almonds and cinnamon.
Originally posted on June 1, 2006 @ 4:44 am