The Ibrik Championship

'Ibrik' is a  turkish word referring to a little hand hammered copper pot used for making black turkish coffee. This pot (holds one or two servings) usually comes with a long brass, wooden or ceramic handle, and a spout through which the liquid can be poured.  The arabs and the israelis call it 'fengian', the Greek, 'briki'.
Coffee , as we all know, crosses borders and cultures, and it's always an interesting, loved subject.

ibrik pots and adequate tiny coffee cups

There's a coffee shop in the center of my hometown which keeps a stand outside, near the entrance, with some twenty-five such pots. ( it looks a bit like a Christmas tree with ornaments).At first, I thought it's just a gimmick to attract customers, but no, the pots are for sale, and for quite a high price.

closer view  of the ibrik pots and the tiny coffee cups

I always keep an ibrik in my kitchen; mine is made of stainless steel, not of copper, and it's not hand hammered. 
I rarely drink turkish coffee these days, but I sometimes make it for guests who love this kind of black liquid.

I put the three-four components:cold water, coffee, sugar and or milk into the ibrik; place the little pot on the stove's lowest fire and wait until foaming begins. The foam gets put into the tiny coffee cups. I wait again till boiling  starts for a second time, and immediately (without boiling) remove the ibrik to serve the coffee in the little cups. Turkish coffee is being served with a glass of cold water to enjoy the coffee better.

It may sound simple,  but to make good, genuine turkish coffee is an art not easily mastered, and certainly not by anyone. There are annual regional and national organized contests in many parts of the world, and there is a world wide contest named 'the ibrik championship'(see its logo in the header above). It's considered one of the most fascinating individual contests.

Last year's golden medal (competition held in Budapest, Hungary) went to a young India born contestant, working in Dubai. This year's champion is Slava Babych of Ukraine.
Here's a little youtube video with Slava.

Cottage

During the last days, we had Shavuot feast.  This 'Feast of the weeks' as it is often called, has both religious and agricultural significance. It celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, and the concluding of seven weeks of  grain harvest. 

It's an enjoyable holiday, and there are lots of festivals and happenings hosted by agricultural settlements (kibbutzim and moshavim) , agricultural schools, and other places.

posters on agricultural themes 

In  May 2011, I attended a big Shavuot happening at the Green Village (Hakfar Hayarok), not far from my hometown. I then wrote a little post and created a video about it (please type Shavuot in the search box and enjoy!).

On this holiday it is customary to eat dairy products. Cottage cheese - white, soft and creamy -  is my favorite all year round, not only on Shavuot. 
It is said that the late president Gerald Ford used to eat the same meal each day - cottage cheese with a dollop of... ketchup.

the milk giver (cow) doesn't look happy

 white, soft, spreadable cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is offered with different fat levels: low-fat (1%), medium -fat(3%,5%), high fat (7%, 9%..)

I usually buy the 1% fat, 62 cal. per 100g. One cup (250g) provides 157 calories. Good for weight-watchers.

Tnuva 1% fat , 250g cup - my favorite

It should be emphasized that this product is packed with nutrients (protein, vitamins, minerals), can be eaten by itself, or mixed with spaghetti, used in pancakes and various desserts, added to veggie salad, fruit salad etc...A very versatile food item! Put in a warm pita pocket with veggies - it becomes a delicious snack!

pita pockets straight from the taboon oven

plate with cottage cheese

The price of the cottage cheese is of national importance as the latter is considered staple food. In 2011, there were fierce protests and calls by consummers to boycott Tnuva (the main dairy complex) and those supermarkets that had raised the price making "unreasonable profit."  It worked. The price was lowered and placed under supervision.