Kafana is a type of local coffeehouse, bistro or tavern, common in the countries of Southeast Europe, which originally served coffee and other warm drinks while today usually also offer alcoholic beverages and food. Many kafanas feature live music performances or themed nights.
The concept of a social gathering place for men to drink alcoholic beverages and coffee originated contemporaneously in Europe and Western Asia. It became popular in the Ottoman Empire and spread to Southeast Europe during Ottoman rule, further evolving into the contemporary kafana.
Nomenclature and etymology
This distinct type of establishment is known by several slightly differing names depending on country and language:
The word itself, irrespective of regional differences, is derived from the Turkish kahvehane 'coffeehouse', which is in turn derived from the Persian term qahveh-khaneh (a compound of the Arabic qahve 'coffee' and Persian khane 'house').
In Macedonia, kafeana is sometimes confused with the more traditional meana, while the variant kafana (adopted from commercial Serbian folk songs and popularized by domestic artists) may be used for the establishment described in this article; however, both terms are used interchangeably by some.
The Slovenian kavarna shares neither its etymology nor its functionality with the Ottoman kahvehane, deriving instead from the coffeehouses of Vienna and thus not offering its guests alcoholic beverages or entertainment in the form of folk music. The term 'kavarna' is of Slovenian origin, like related Slovene terms for shopping or drinking venues such as 'pekarna' (bakery) and 'gostilna' (tavern).
Nowadays in Serbia, the term kafana is similarly used to describe any informal eatery serving traditional cuisine, as well as some other classical kafana dishes like Karađorđeva.
- kafana (pl. kafane) / kavana (pl. kavane)
- кафана, pl. кафане)
History
The first coffeehouses in the area appeared during the Ottoman expansion in the 16th century, popping up in Belgrade, Buda, Sarajevo and other cities under Ottoman control. Further west, in Zagreb, the first coffee-serving establishments were recorded in 1636. In these kavotočja or Kaffeebuden, coffee and snacks were sold and consumed in a vehicle similar to a circus wagon. The first known modern-day kavana in Zagreb was opened in 1749, and the institution was commonplace in Zagreb and many other Croatian cities by the end of the 18th century.[1] By the 19th century, a distinction arose between the kavane, which were high-society establishments, and the working-class kavotočja.[2]
During the 18th and early 19th century, running a kafana was a family business, a craft, passed on from generation to generation.
As the Balkan cities grew in size and became more urbanized, kafana also shifted its focus a bit. Some started serving food and offering other enticements to potential customers since owners now had to compete with other similar establishments around the city. Most bigger towns and cities in this period had a Gradska kafana (City kafana) located in or around the main square where the most affluent and important individuals of that city would come to see and be seen. Prices in this particular kafana would usually be higher compared to others around the city that didn't enjoy the privilege of such an exclusive location.
The stereotype
During the 1970s and 1980s the term kafana became synonymous in the SFR Yugoslavia with decay, sloth, pain, backwardness and sorrow. Pop culture played a significant part in this transformation. With the expansion of radio and television, popular folk singers began to emerge, and they often used kafana themes in their songs. Since the connection between commercial folk and rural regressiveness was already well established, kafana, too, acquired a negative reputation by extension.
During the 1960s, in contrast to the state-sponsored Partisan films, Yugoslav movies of the Black Wave movement started depicting contemporary individuals from the margins of society. Run-down kafane would feature prominently in such stories. Socially relevant films like I Even Met Happy Gypsies, When Father Was Away on Business, Život je lep, Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, Specijalno vaspitanje, Kuduz, etc. all had memorable, dramatic scenes that take place in dilapidated rural or suburban kafana. Soon, a distinct cinematic stereotype appeared.
In Mate Bulić's album Gori borovina, there is a song "Ej, kavano", which describes the common stereotype of the kafana.
Social stereotype
Kafana is stereotyped as a place where sad lovers cure their sorrows in alcohol and music, gamblers squander entire fortunes, husbands run away from mean wives while shady businessmen, corrupt local politicians and petty criminals do business.
By country
Albania
In 2016, Albania surpassed Spain by becoming the country with the most coffee houses per capita in the world.[3] In fact, there are 654 coffee houses per 100,000 inhabitants in Albania, a country with only 2.5 million inhabitants. This is due to coffee houses closing down in Spain due to the economic crisis, and the fact that as many cafes open as they close in Albania. In addition, the fact that it was one of the easiest ways to make a living after the fall of communism in Albania, together with the country's Ottoman legacy further reinforce the strong dominance of coffee culture in Albania.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Probably the purest form of kafana can be found in Bosnia where no food is served (differentiating kafana from ćevabdžinica, aščinica and buregdžinica), staying true to the original Turkish coffee and alcohol concept.
In Bosnian cities with large Muslim populations, one can still find certain old kafane that probably didn't look much different back when the Ottomans ruled Bosnia. They are now mostly frequented by local elders as well as the occasional tourist, and their numbers are dwindling.
See also
- Coffeehouse
- Kafenio, the Greek equivalent
- Coffee culture in the former Yugoslavia
Further reading
External links
- Kuda Večeras – portal o kafanama i restoranima u Beogradu
- Kafana Republic
- Inns Were the Soul of the City
- Kafane pred izumiranjem, Press, February 23, 2008
- Kafane pišu istoriju, B92, June 25, 2009
- Baš lična istorija beogradskih kafana: "Grgeč"; Blic blog, 5 February 2010
- Baš lična istorija beogradskih kafana: "Bermudski trougao"
References
- Filip Novosel. Ljudi 18. stoljeća na hrvatskom prostoru Croatian Institute of History, 2016, retrieved 27 February 2022^
- Robert Nemes. Reviewed Work: The Viennese Café and Fin-de-siècle Culture by Ashby, Charlotte; Gronberg, Tag and Shaw-Miller, Simon (eds). The Slavonic and East European Review, 2015^
- Albania ranked first in the World for the number of Bars and Restaurants per inhabitant Oculus News, 19 February 2018^