Coffee, a beverage enjoyed globally today, held a special place in 16th century Turkish society. Beyond a simple drink, coffee was a symbol of care and respect within marriage, so much so that its absence could be grounds for divorce.
Sources recount a humorous myth from 15th-century Istanbul known as “The Great Coffee Divorce”. This story tells of a woman named Ayse who divorced her husband Mehmet for neglecting to brew her coffee. The tale’s popularity highlights the importance placed on coffee provision within a marriage.
The prevalence of coffee in Turkish culture led to the creation of a law, or at least a widely accepted legal precedent, permitting women to initiate divorce if their husbands failed to provide enough coffee. This right to divorce based on insufficient coffee may seem strange today, but it underscores how deeply coffee was ingrained in Turkish society during that era. Coffee houses, prevalent throughout Constantinople by the late 15th century, served as hubs for social gatherings, political debate, and intellectual discourse, further emphasising the beverage’s central role.
While the sources don’t specify the precise reasons behind this “coffee divorce” law, its existence points to a significant cultural norm: the expectation that husbands would provide their wives with coffee as a sign of care and respect. The lack of coffee was symbolic of a husband’s failure to fulfill his marital duties, extending beyond the beverage itself.
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