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Concept
Kafana
Summary
Kafana is a distinct type of local bistro (or tavern), common in former Yugoslav countries and Albania, which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee, and often also light snacks (meze) and other food. Many kafanas feature live music performances.
The concept of a social gathering place for men to drink alcoholic beverages and coffee originated in Ottoman Empire and spread to Southeast Europe during Ottoman rule, further evolving into the contemporary kafana.
This distinct type of establishment is known by several slightly differing names depending on country and language:
Serbian (Cyrillic): кафана (kafana; kafǎna), pl. кафане (kafane)
Bosnian: kafana (kafǎna) or kahvana (kahʋǎna), pl. kafane or kahvane
Croatian: kavana (kaʋǎna), pl. kavane
Macedonian: кафеана (kafeana), pl. кафеани (kafeani)
Albanian: kafeneja or kafenë, pl. kafenejet or kafenët
Greek: καφενείο (kafenio) or καφενέ (kafene), pl. καφενεία (kafenia)
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.
Official source
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