Kafana (Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: кафана) 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:
Serbo-Croatian: kafana / кафана or kavana / кавана, pl. kafane / кафане or kavane / каване Serbian: кафана / kafana (pronounced [kafǎna]), pl. кафане / kafane Bosnian: kafana (pronounced [kafǎna]) or kahvana (pronounced [kahʋǎna]), pl. kafane or kahvane Croatian: kavana (pronounced [kaʋǎna]), pl. kavane Macedonian: кафеана (kafeana), pl. кафеани (kafeani) Greek: καφενείο (kafeneío) or καφενέ (kafené), pl. καφενεία (kafeneía) Romanian: cafenea, pl. cafenele Slovene: kavarna, pl. kavarne 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.
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. By the 19th century, a distinction arose between the kavane, which were high-society establishments, and the working-class kavotočja. 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, the kafana changed their business model. Some started serving food and offering other incentives to potential customers to compete with rival establishments. 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 people in the city would come to see and be seen. Prices in this type of kafana would usually be higher than those charged in establishments without such an exclusive location. The concept of live music was introduced in the early 20th century by kafana owners looking to offer different kinds of entertainment to their guests. In the absence of mass media these bands had a strictly local character and would only play the folk music that was popular in that region. Later in the 20th, the population of cities in the Balkans further increased due to the arrival of migrants from rural areas, especially after World War II, and kafane diversified accordingly. Some continued to uphold a high standard of service, while others began to cater to the newly arrived rural population that mostly found employment in factories and on construction sites. During this time the term kafana slowly began to be associated with something undesirable and suitable only for the lower classes of society. By the 1980s, term kafana became almost an insult and most owners would steer clear of calling their places by that name, instead preferring westernized terms such as restaurant, cafe, bistro, and coffee bar. The terms birtija, bircuz and krčma are also used to stereotype rural or suburban kafane, usually filthy.
The stereotype
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. As in many other societies, frequenting kafane is seen as a mainly male activity, and "honest" women dare only visit finer ones, usually in the company of men. As mentioned, it is a very frequent motif of late-20th century commercial folk songs, perhaps the most famous being "I tebe sam sit kafano" (I'm Sick of You, too, Kafana) by Haris Džinović, "Kafana je moja sudbina" (Kafana Is My Destiny) by Toma Zdravković, and the ubiquitous "Čaše lomim" (I'm Breaking Glasses), originally by Nezir Eminovski.
By country
Albania
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