© All Rights Reserved 2025 | Privacy Policy
Skyline of Las Vegas
Real news. Real stories. Real voices.
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Supported by

What to know about zarfs, the fanciest way to drink coffee

By Lauren Frayer
Published September 17, 2025 at 1:40 PM PDT

For NPR's Word of the Week, we're getting hot: During the Ottoman Empire, people used devices called "zarfs" to hold their coffee cups. Here's what to know about this word's history.

Copyright 2025 NPR
Tags
Culture
Lauren Frayer
Lauren Frayer covers South Asia for NPR News. In 2018, she opened a new NPR bureau in India's biggest city, its financial center, and the heart of Bollywood—Mumbai.
Related Content
Cover of Desert Companion magazine featuring a Black female healthcare worker with natural curly hair wearing a white medical coat, stethoscope, and blue surgical mask. She has her arms crossed and is looking directly at the camera.
The Health Issue
How is Las Vegas' healthcare system really doing, and what does it mean for you and your family? Desert Companion's Health Issue takes a deep dive into these questions and explores how heart-centered business leaders prove that doing good benefits the bottom line.