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
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
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.
