Bosnians and Herzegovinians have a special kind of connection with coffee and the drinking of the popular dark beverage, which became a lot more than just a habit in BiH.
In his book “Coffee – The Magical Beverage”, the author Raif Čehajić, a retired journalist and publicist from Sarajevo, wrote that coffee is a traditional beverage in BiH and that it is an integral part of life, work, relaxation and everyday habits, from the most elite circles to the poorest families.
Based on the love that people from BiH feel for coffee, people might think that Bosnians and Herzegovinians are leaders in consumption of coffee. However, this is not the case. People of BiH are far preceded by Americans, Finns, the French and the Italians.
The author stated that the arrival of coffee in Bosnia and Herzegovina is directly related to the arrival of the Ottomans to this area. It is known that the Turks started conquering the Balkans in 1353, and when they defeated Bosnia in 1463 they brought coffee with them, together with customs related to the drinking of coffee.
“Fildžan (coffee cup) and Turkish coffee remained present to this day, and their origin is from this Ottoman period. Turkish coffee in Bosnia was always being consumed from fildžan, with a sugar cube, often with rahat-lokum. This coffee was later named the Bosnian coffee. Despite of the popularization of espresso coffee in BiH, coffee shops which serve Bosnian coffee are still much appreciated. Coffee and coffee shops have an irreplaceable role in everyday life of people from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the cult of coffee and coffee shops has been created for centuries, starting from the Turkish period. Coffee is an integral part of all local customs, as well as of the entire life,” Čehajić wrote.
In early 2015, the Agency for Market Research Ipsos Strategic Marketing conducted a research in the region, including 4.000 citizens among whom were also the coffee consumers in BiH.
Results show that around 86 percent of participants consume traditional coffee in BiH. They mostly drink coffee once or several times per day, or four to six times per week. Of the total number of participants, 79 percent of them start their day with a cup of black coffee, and 74 percent of participants drink black coffee several times during the day.
Those who enjoy traditional coffee cannot imagine hanging out with friends without this popular beverage, and 63 percent of them claim that their break is not complete if they do not drink the traditional coffee.
In addition to a large number of consumers of traditional coffee in BiH, 51 percent of participants often use instant coffee as well.
First coffee shops in BiH appeared in Sarajevo, majority of them being on Baščaršija. After Sarajevo, coffee shops open in other cities as well. According to some data, the first coffee shop in Foča was opened in 1600, and in Mostar in 1660. According to some information dating back to the 17th century, as much as 18 coffee shops existed in Olovo in that period.
(Source: klix.ba)
