Coffee with Pepper

A wise Eastern romance about passion that kindles blood. Here, the real intertwines with the fictional: dark pages of Turkish history come alive through vivid poetic images and ancient parables—where coffee with pepper symbolizes passion, treachery, and death.

Faruk, a talented chef with years of experience, taught many students in his lifetime. They all long ago succeeded and started their own business, while Faruk remained just a cook. After long urging from his wife, he finally makes a serious decision: to open a small coffee shop where he will sell his signature coffee with pepper, prepared from a secret recipe known only to Faruk. All that’s left is to find interested investors.

Suddenly, it may turn out to be a mysterious old man who asks the only question: “What do you want?” Someone wants to brew coffee that clears the mind and sharpens thoughts; another wants to break away from an old life; a third wants his country to follow its fate. All wishes will be fulfilled—but you have to be ready to take responsibility for their consequences.

The author presents the novel as coffee grounds, in which each reader and listener will see something of their own, interpret these images in their own way, and perhaps—like in fortune-telling—this book will reveal something about their future.

In the audiobook version, the unique Eastern flavor has been preserved and lovingly conveyed by actor Aleksei Bagdasarov.

Daniel Berger was born and lives in Kyrgyzstan. He is a director of documentary and feature films, a producer, and the author of the acclaimed book of stories “About the Unclean and Not Only,” based on which a series is already being made.