Our association of coffeehouses is limited to cigar-smoking old men reminiscing about the past. While enjoying a steaming cup of coffee, of course. But things used to be not so meek in coffee houses.
Eminegül Karababa (University of Exeter, England) and Güliz Ger (Bilkent University, Turkey) delved into the history of coffeehouses of the early Ottoman Empire. They found that coffee houses offered more than just a cup of coffee. It was a place of gambling, drug use, and critical conversations about religion and the state.
Ottoman coffee houses
These coffee houses were very controversial. In the Ottoman coffeehouses people enjoyed themselves with gambling, using drugs, and fornication with handsome boys. Entertainment was available to patrons in the form of puppet shows, storytellers, and music and dance performances.
The prevailing religious morality (Orthodox Islam) regarded the activities in the coffeehouses as pernicious and sinful. Coffeehouses were therefore banned from the Ottoman state and labeled as illegal. Yet these coffeehouses prospered enormously. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Ottomans from all walks of life came together to drink coffee, meet each other, and have literary discussions in the coffeehouses.
Conversations in the coffeehouses often exposed the religious and secular authorities. Often these discussions also led to social turmoil outside the coffeehouses. And that was perhaps precisely what the Ottoman rulers feared so much.
We also know the phenomenon of coffee houses in Europe, although the name is somewhat outdated. They were especially popular in the 19th century. It almost functioned as a kind of public living room, where people could meet each other during the day while enjoying a drink. However, the coffee houses did not have such a good reputation. There was a lot of gambling, and the often philosophical slant of the conversations attracted many politically dissatisfied. The European governments (just like the Ottoman) were not very charmed by this.