Posts Tagged ‘Bluemchenkaffee’

Muckefuck – German for Coffee Substitute

Monday, March 5th, 2018

Muckefuck, pronounced “mook-a-fook” as in book, (not what you thought) is a colloquial German term for coffee substitute. Pronounced correctly, it’s a perfectly innocent word. In September 2011, Deutsche Welle, Germany’s public international broadcaster, listed Muckefuck in its language learning section as the new word of the week.

How did Muckefuck get its odd name?

The word, Muckefuck, is a relative newcomer to the German language. There are several theories as to how and when the term was first used. The most likely explanation dates back to the 18th century. At that time, about one-third of Berlin’s population consisted of Huguenots who had fled France to avoid religious persecution. When King Frederick the Great, King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786, http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/frederick-the-great-shaped-modern-europe/ substantially raised taxes on coffee imports, Berlin’s Huguenots came up with an idea for a coffee substitute. They brewed roasted chicory roots along with a few coffee beans and ended up with a thin, very black hot liquid. They called it “mocca faux” (false coffee). Lacking in sufficient French language skills, their German neighbors thought they heard the Huguenots say, “Muckefuck” and the colloquial term for coffee substitute was born.

More than once have misunderstood foreign language terms led to unintentional misconstructions. The Berlitz School of Languages put out a Youtube with my very favorite, hilarious example. Although the skid doesn’t refer to Muckefuck, it points out what can happen when marginal English skills lead to misinterpretations. Watch what transpires when a German Coast Guard trainee tries to muddle through an SOS call made in English. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMUsVcYhERY/

What is Muckefuck?

Muckefuck is a non-coffee product intended to imitate coffee. Coffee substitutes are also often chosen by individuals who wish to avoid caffeine or are given to children. Ingredients used in coffee substitutes frequently include almonds, acorn, asparagus, barley, beechnut, beet root, carrot, chicory root, corn, soybeans, cottonseeds, dandelion root, figs, roasted garbanzo beans, okra seeds, persimmon seeds, potato peels, rye, sassafras pits, sweet potato or wheat bran.

Postum, an instant coffee substitute made from roasted wheat bran, wheat and molasses was popular in the United States during World War II when coffee was rationed. Caro and Pero made from roasted barley, malted barley, chicory and rye were popular in Germany for the same reasons. In addition to being a coffee substitute, the term Muckefuck is also used for very weak coffee, which is often referred to as Bluemchenkaffee (flower coffee). http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j/elke/ertle/coffee-saxons-connoisseurs-fine-coffee/

 

Drink your Muckefuck and eat it too.

I grew fond of my own Muckefuck and still prepare it occasionally as a treat.The best part of homemade Muckefuck is that you can eat the “grounds” as well. Once your brew is made, simply scoop the grain mixture into a bowl, add milk and enjoy a delicious cereal along with your hot cup of “mocca faux.” Here is my favorite Muckefuck recipe:

Muckefuck before roasting - grains are golden like honey. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Muckefuck before roasting – grains are golden like honey. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Ingredients: 2 cups of coarsely ground bulgur, 1 cup of coarsely ground corn meal, ¼ cup molasses.

Process: Combine all ingredients and rub them between your palms until well mixed. Place the mixture on a cookie sheet and brown in a 250°F oven, gently stirring every 20 minutes. Do this until the mix has a rich, dark color. This will take a couple of hours. Store the mixture in an airtight container. Pour 2 tablespoons of mixture per 1 cup of water into the filter paper of an electric coffee maker. Perk and voila! Your Muckefuck is done. Enjoy!

Muckefuck after roasting - grains are dark like coffee. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Muckefuck after roasting – grains are dark like coffee. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

 

Coffee Saxons – Connoisseurs of fine Coffee

Monday, February 26th, 2018

Kaffeesachsen” (Coffee Saxons in English) is a tongue-in-cheek expression that makes light of the Saxons’ love for coffee. Saxony, one of 16 Federal German states, is located in the eastern part of the country. In the early 1700s, coffee became the region’s most treasured drink. Supposedly, the Coffee Saxons still drink more coffee than the rest of the German people.

Coffee Saxons drink more coffee than the rest of the German people. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Coffee Saxons drink more coffee than the rest of the German people. www.walled-in-berlin.com

The Coffe Baum – Leipzig’s famous coffee house

The second oldest continuously operated coffee house in Europe is the Café “Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum” (To the Arab Coffee Tree), located in the Saxon city of Leipzig. In the early days, coffee houses were social hubs where thinkers and creators congregated. The Coffe Baum was once THE place where composers like Johann Sebastian Bach, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy, Gustav Mahler and Richard Wagner talked about music and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/Goethe-writes-faust-a-closet-drama/ philosophized. Today, the Coffe Baum is mostly a tourist magnet.

 

Coffee house "Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum" in Leipzig, Germany. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Coffee house “Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum” in Leipzig, Germany. www.walled-in-berlin.com

No Bluemchenkaffee for Coffee Saxons

As early as 1697 the first German “coffeehouse order” was issued. It established the guidelines for the strength and composition of the coffee served. The then fashionable Meissen porcelain, invented in 1710, was typically adorned with floral designs. Soon, the Coffee Saxons referred to particularly weak coffee as “Bluemchenkaffee” (flower coffee) because you could see right through the brew to the floral design at the bottom of the cup.

What the Coffee Saxons call "Bluemchenkaffee" (flower coffee). It's a tad exaggerated, but you get the idea. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

What the Coffee Saxons call “Bluemchenkaffee” (flower coffee). It’s a tad exaggerated, but you get the idea. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Did the Coffee Saxons start the coffee habit?

Despite their love for the delightful brew, the Coffee Saxons did not invent coffee houses or the cup of steaming Java. Both originated in the 14th or 15th century in the Middle East, probably in Yemen or Turkey. There were coffee houses and an entire culture around coffee in much of the Eastern Mediterranean area at that time. It was not until the 18th century, around the time of the invention of Meissen porcelain, that coffee, along with tea and chocolate gained in popularity in Saxony.

Coffee Consumption around the World

Despite their coffee fondness, the Coffee Saxons are by no means the biggest consumers of the brew. Neither can the United States claim that distinction despite the fact that there is a Starbucks on almost every corner. Although statistics vary, it appears that Finland and the Netherlands are the two top coffee consuming countries. Germany ranks fifth or eighth (depending on whose figures you believe) in consumption. The United States falls somewhere between number 16 and number 25.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/countries-that-drink-the-most-coffee/ and https://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-what-the-world-drinks

A survey indicates that almost 30% of Germans believe that a cup of coffee helps in deal-making. www.walled-in-berlin.com

A survey indicates that almost 30% of Germans believe that a cup of coffee helps in deal-making. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.