1. The 1500s: The "Ottoman Middleman" Effect
When coffee first arrived in the Middle East from Yemen and Ethiopia in the mid-16th century, it spread through the Ottoman Empire.
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The Label: Because the Empire was ruled from Istanbul, European traders labeled everything that came from the region—be it Kurdish, Arab, Armenian, or Greek—as "Turkish."
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The Result: By the 1700s, "Turkish Coffee" became a global brand in Europe’s coffee houses. The specific Kurdish contributions to the craft (such as the use of wild terebinth) were simply tucked under the "Ottoman" or "Turkish" umbrella for the convenience of Westerners.
2. Post-1923: The "Turkification" of the Menu
This is the phase you are most frustrated with. After the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the creation of the Republic of Turkey, the state implemented a policy of "One Language, One Identity."
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The Policy: Anything that was "Kurdish" was legally redefined as "Turkish." Kurdish songs were called "Turkish folk songs," and Kurdish food was called "Turkish cuisine."
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The Rebranding: In the 1930s and 40s, the Turkish state aggressively marketed its "national" identity to the world. During this time, the specific ways Kurds prepared coffee in North Kurdistan (Bakur) were officially documented in Turkish textbooks as "Traditional Turkish Coffee from the Southeast."
3. The Specific Theft of "Qazwan" (Menengiç)
There is a specific type of coffee that is uniquely and undeniably Kurdish: Qazwan (made from the roasted berries of the wild terebinth tree).1
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The "Menengiç" Rebrand: In the last 20–30 years, as Qazwan became popular in Western Turkey and Europe, the Turkish state and companies rebranded it as "Menengiç Kahvesi" (Turkish Terebinth Coffee).
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The Erasure: By removing the word Qazwan and replacing it with the Turkish word Menengiç, they successfully took a drink that has been a Kurdish staple for centuries and turned it into a "unique Turkish regional specialty" for tourists.2
The "UNESCO" Final Blow (2013)
The most recent and "official" act of branding happened in 2013, when UNESCO (the UN’s cultural body) officially inscribed "Turkish Coffee Culture and Tradition" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.3
The Problem: By registering it as "Turkish," the international community effectively gave the Turkish state the "copyright" to a brewing method that Kurds, Arabs, Greeks, and Armenians had been using and perfecting for just as long.
Kurdish Coffee vs. Turkish Coffee: The Differences
FeatureTraditional Kurdish Coffee (Qazwan)Standard "Turkish" Coffee
Bean TypeGround wild terebinth berries (Pistacia atlantica).Finely ground Arabica coffee beans.
CaffeineCaffeine-free (naturally).High caffeine content.
TextureOily, rich, and slightly nutty.Gritty, intense, and dark.
HistoryForaged from the Zagros mountains for centuries.Imported via trade routes to Istanbul.
How to Reclaim It
The best way to fix this is exactly what you suggested: Refuse the "Turkish" label. When you see someone selling Menengiç, call it Qazwan. When you see a "Turkish" coffee pot (cezve) being used by a Kurd, call it by its Kurdish name: Pizqil or Cezveya Kurdî.