Does your favorite coffee mug have a funny pun or cool art? Or maybe an intricate ceramic design?

How about stepping things up and having some jewelry with your java?

Enter the zarf, a Turkish word meaning "envelope." It refers to decorative devices used especially during the Ottoman era to hold hot cups of coffee.

And more recently it could be a term for those ubiquitous cardboard sleeves that keep your hands from overheating. In this edition of Word of the Week , we delve into coffee's past to understand the role of the zarf.

Coffee is more than just coffee in Turkey

Coffee is a big deal in Turkey and has been for hundreds of years. The Turkish way of serving coffee has been recognized by UNESCO , the United Nations cultural agency, for its cultural importance.

Coffee made its

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