Some coffee connoisseurs may scoff at serving coffee any other way but black, but the alternative — white coffee — is known and enjoyed around the globe. And I'm not just talking about coffee whitened the American way, with milk, cream, or non-dairy substitute.
In Malaysia, for instance, "white coffee" is a specific beverage made from coffee beans roasted in margarine, then brewed and served with sweetened condensed milk. The flavor is frequently described as nut-like.
The term "white coffee" was introduced in 19th-century China, and refers to regular coffee beans roasted in a certain type of heat, resulting in pale, yellowish-brown coffee beans.
In Yemen, white coffee refers to the ground shell of coffee beans, which have a whitish tinge. These coffee beans are brewed just like regular coffee, but spices are added. Or, the beans may be steeped in water, similar to steeping tea leaves, and then brewed, to create a whitish, tea-like drink.
For a spiced variation of “nutty” white coffee, try the following Spiced White Coffee recipe from countryliving.com. And for a taste of Malaysia's favorite drink, try the Ipoh Ice Blended White Coffee.
This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2012.