Fazekas Éva: A fekete leves, a kávéfőzés története, időszaki kiállítás, 2010. április 23 - 2010. október 25, a Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum, a Magyar Műszaki és Közlekedési Múzeum és a Fazekas & Kimmel Gyűjtemény közös időszaki kiállítása (Budapest, Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum, 2010)
Éva Fazekas-József Kimmel: POTS, FLASKS AND PERCOLATORS
POTS, FLASKS AND PERCOLATORS Éva Fazekas - József Kimmel General characteristics of coffee pots Tea, coffee and cocoa reached Western Europe - as a result of colonization and expansion of overseas trade around mid-17th century. At the beginning, when preparing coffee, the practice of tea preparation was taken as starting point: it was simply soaked in water, however, the method did not work. There were other unsuccessful experiments as well: a German tradesman's wife, e. g. found the recipe obtained along with the coffee too poor, and boiled the milling product in meat broth. .. Probably because of the price of coffee, people tried to invent other methods of boiling than the one habitual in the Arabic and Turkish world: the former required extravagantly high amounts which rose reflections even in the kitchens of the aristocracy. Thus coffee became more dilute. This was counterbalanced partly by outer glamour and partly by milk, cream, honey or cane sugar served with it as enrichment. Tea, coffee and chocolate pots were, at the beginning, similar but soon their special appearances were shaped. True - particularly in the initial period and in today's world of a somewhat chaotic style - there were, and are some overlaps. Teapots started to follow the forms of the low-built porcelains with broad "bellies" imported from China - with a sieve of many holes in the body of the vessel - while chocolate pots became somewhat slimmer, with a handle at right angles to the pouring lip. The pots serving the preparation of coffee changed, like the tea and chocolate pots - from simple functional products - to table decorations, later industrial masterpieces and, owing to their fine materials, often to valuable treasures. The popularity of coffee consumption was promoted by the fact that, besides the expensive silver, the vessels used for it were soon made of the cheaper copper or tin. The various pots, boilers and machines have reflected till today - besides the artistic styles of the different countries - the particular "form-world of coffee". The solving of the shapes fixed for centuries, permanently changing, however suggesting continuity may serve as starting point, if we have to identify a pot or other vessel or machine of unknown function. The primary characteristic of coffee pots is the lack of a sieve at their lips. Filtering has to be solved in a different way. The lips have, in the majority of types, a small cap with a hinge or a lid that can be pulled over it. The handle stood but at the very beginning at a right angle to the lip, soon it was placed at the opposite side, the back side thus the dilute liquid could be poured more safely. The lower parts of the coffee pots were most often spherical, i. e. big-bellied, with a wooden or, perhaps, ivory handle, and a pointed or, rather, turban-shaped semi-spherical lid that could be placed on it. Besides the traditional jug form spherical vessels or such of urn or cylinder shape or some other special formation appeared. On some of them one or several small taps of ivory or metal fittings have been mounted, others stand on three legs, incidentally a heat source can be placed beneath them. Marvellously beautiful and artistic coffee pots 80
