Brewing coffee substitute (Franck Divka)

The term bijela kava (white coffee) can mean two different things in Croatia. In cafes, it is a term for coffee that has a lot of milk. In schools, kindergartens, hospitals etc. it's used to refer to a milky drink made with a coffee substitute. The latter is what we're gonna make today.

Franck Divka... smells like childhood.

Divka is a coffee substitute which is a blend of barley (70%) and chicory (30%), which are both available as standalone products. Yet for some reason, Divka is usually cheaper, costing 6,49 kn (about €0,85) for 250g. This makes it extremely cheap, about half the price of cheapest real coffee.

Opening it reveals a non-vacuum package which contains a Turkish grind of something that looks like coffee, but lacks its' smell. The back of the package contains preparation instructions, which are basically a variant on the Turkish coffee preparation. So I went to prepare it in the same way as the instructions for the Turkish coffee I posted...

I placed some Divka on top of the water in my Turkish coffee pot. If you don't have a Turkish coffee pot, you can do OK with a saucepan or any other pot...

However, Divka is not coffee and it does not sink/bloom in the same way. You need to stir it in. Here is a stirred pot, getting warmer...

...and the crema will form on top, just like with real coffee but without the scent filling your kitchen. When the crema forms on top and raises, it's done. Leave a minute for the grounds to settle.

I tried drinking the stuff black. Don't make the same mistake.

However, the taste blends great with sugar and milk. Even the recipe calls for that - the listed ratio of substitute coffee to milk is 1:1, but I'd go heavier on the milky side, about 1:2 or 1:3. Use warm milk for best results.

It resembles coffee... maybe... if you plug your nose. But with sugar and milk, it's not bad - it's actually quite tasty when done fresh, and has the sweet, earthy note.

Reputedly, substitute coffee (especially with chicory) is quite healthy, and some people drink it for that. It's also kid-safe (while being cheaper and probably healthier than cocoa drinks), and my son likes it. It could be used instead of the decaf (as decaf is not 100% caffeine-free), and as a nice pre-sleep warm drink.

Since the entire pack costs less than a single espresso in most cafes in Zagreb, I'd say getting some is worth it.