Turkey's Best Drinks

What makes a country special? Maybe its landmarks, its historical sites, but the undeniable fact that makes it so different from other countries is its culture. Food is a do-it-yourself factor in the country's culture, and compared to most countries in the world, Turkey has one of the richest, if not the richest, cuisines in the world.

But it's not just the unique and delightful food that stands out, it's the uniqueness of the country's cuisine. After all, alcohol is also an important part of the kitchen. Therefore, the topic of today's article will be the best drinks in Turkey.

First of all, it should be noted that drinks and beverages are the most important part of Turkish cuisine, so important that even in the three meals of the day, drinks always play a special role in these meals. From breakfast to lunch to dinner.

Let's go ahead and get a better understanding of Turkey's famous drinks and beverages.

1. Turkish Tea

For Turks, tea is what brings them together as it plays a vital role in social gatherings, visiting neighbors and many other social events. Tea has become a very important part of Turkish culture as it is considered impolite not to serve tea to guests. This may sound exaggerated, but Turks serve tea almost all the time in their daily life. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and almost all social events. After all, it can be said that the life of a Turk is unimaginable without tea.

Whether the British or the Turks drink tea in one day is even debated, with the Turks always claiming that they are the number one tea drinker in the world.

However, as far as the origin of Turkish tea is concerned, it is mainly produced in the Black Sea region of Turkey, so much so that a small town in Turkey called "Rize" is famous for the tea and any tourist looking for it is advised to visit there to drink Rize tea, because Its beautiful taste is different.

2. Turkish Coffee

Speaking of Turkish tea, which plays a very important role in Turkish social activities, Turkish coffee is just as fair as Turkish tea, although its meaning is traditionally somewhat different from tea, Turkish coffee is best known for its use in divination. Many fortune tellers in Turkey tell fortunes with Turkish coffee, turn the cup into a saucer and let it cool, then decipher and observe the patterns that appear on the cup.

However, Turkish coffee is not only important for divination, but it is also often served to neighbors or guests to spice up friendly, chatty people.

It is also worth mentioning that Turkish coffee is also part of traditional Turkish wedding customs. As a prelude to the wedding, the groom's parents must visit the girl's family to ask the bride-to-be's hand and parents' blessing for the upcoming wedding. During this session, the bride-to-be must prepare and serve Turkish coffee to the guests. For the groom's coffee, the bride sometimes uses salt instead of sugar to help shape the groom's personality. If the groom doesn't show any signs of displeasure over his coffee, the bride assumes the groom is in a good mood and is patient.

There is even a proverb in Turkey: "A cup of coffee, forty years of friendship." The meaning of this sentence is profound and thoughtful, and even a small act, such as making someone a cup of Turkish coffee, can bring long-lasting friendship. , as belief and as the saying goes.

3. Boza

Boza is one of the oldest drinks in Turkish culture and it is one of the favorite drinks of Turks during the cold season (especially winter). It is a fermented drink made from hulled millet, boiled in water and then poured into a pot to cool. One of the most famous boza producers, if not the most iconic and famous, is "Vefa Bozacisi". If one wants to taste the joy of boza, it's best to try it from there, as they have hundreds of years of boza making and are truly the best at what they do.

4. Turkey Raki

Now, before we move on to the more alcoholic beverages in Turkey, it is important to note that the drinking age in Turkey is 18, as this is considered a mature age and people under this age are prohibited from drinking alcohol in Turkey.

However, if you are over 18, drinking is completely safe and legal, there are special restaurants called "Turkish Meyhane" all over Turkey, and while they were originally like lounge bars, they are not exactly the same as these restaurants have restaurants in Turkey Very special place in the culture. – This is where Turkish raki comes into play.

Raki is Turkey's national drink and is made from double steamed grapes and fennel. In these restaurants, raki is served with a variety of appetizers to complement the taste of the raki to add to the pleasure of long conversations with friends, as well as the beautiful nostalgic live Turkish music available in almost all the hotels mentioned. Water is added to the raki to make it milky, so the term "lion's milk" has become a popular reference to the drink itself. Since the lion is a Turkish metaphor for the strong and brave, the word means "a drink for the strong".

Because raki holds a unique place in Turkish culture, Turks are also very cautious and strict about how to drink it. Although it is very unusual for some people to drink raki with no water at all and just a few ice cubes, usually raki is drunk by adding water and ice to the drink.

Raki doesn't mean getting drunk quickly like vodka or tequila, but getting drunk at a slow, calm pace. After all, it's meant to please the table, a companion for long, lovely conversations with friends at the same table.

These "rules" are of course not mandatory, but if you want to drink raki, for example, even as a shot, you should be careful, after all raki is a fairly high alcohol alcoholic, so you might take a few pictures, You will get drunk in no time.

5. Salep

Salep or sahlep or sahlab is somewhat similar to boza, although the main difference is that salep is hot like tea or coffee, and although it tastes similar to boza, salep is essentially made of hot milk, cinnamon and orchid. Salep is rarely served to guests during a visit to Turkey, but it is a common drink during the winter or cold season as it is said to be good for cold weather ailments.

As mentioned before, the best time to drink salep is when visiting Turkey during the cold season, the taste and warmth of salep can really rival the taste of winter hot chocolate, if not, maybe even better. - This of course depends on the taste of the drinker.

6. Efes Pilsen

There are various Turkish brands of beer. However, Efes Pilsen is widely regarded as the best among them and is the most popular Turkish beer. It's not a heavy drinker, and unlike Turkish raki, it's almost the same as regular beer, but with a great variety. Favorites are the classic Efes Pilsen in the iconic bottle, Efes Dark Brown with coffee and chocolate aromas, Efes Draft with fresh flavours and Efes Dark with caramel aromas.

Efes Pilsen can be found in every Turkish bar and even some Turkish restaurants that serve raki. While it doesn't look like a regular beer, its special flavors and iconic, unique bottle are second to none.

7. Beet Juice (Salgam Suyu)

Beet juice, or the Turkish name Şalgam (pronounced shal-gam), is a traditional fermented drink very popular in southern Turkey, usually consumed in southern Turkey when eating kebabs or some of the Turkish dishes made in them.

Shalgam is considered a fairly healthy drink, it cures hangovers and aids digestion. In addition to this, due to its anthocyanin content, it reduces the risk of health diseases and the chance of cancer events.

Shalgam is also often served in separate glasses with the alcoholic drink rakı, as their flavors are considered to complement each other, however, it all depends on personal preference, however, they are usually drunk together.

Shalgam has been a festival in Adana since 2010. World Raki, or Adana Shalgam Festival by other names, stems from the centuries-old tradition of eating kebabs with shalgam and raki. The event became a popular street festival across the country; on the second Saturday night in December, street musicians playing drums and zurna entertain visitors all night.

8. Ayran

When we talk about Turkey's most famous and famous drink, Ayran has to be mentioned as well. Even his name itself is a worldwide phenomenon, one of the most memorable things in Turkish culture. Ayran is considered a summer drink made of yogurt, water and salt. Although the recipe sounds simple, Turks really love Ayran and have a special place in their hearts. It pairs perfectly with almost any Turkish food, especially Turkish shawarma, which is almost inseparable from them. Also, it is very healthy.

It contains no sugar. Drinking salty ayran is one of the few quick ways to get your sodium (salt) in during the summer months, when you can become dehydrated and lose salt, which can be bad for your health. Additionally, people can benefit from the undeniable health benefits of yogurt, which is high in protein and calcium.

It is said that the history of Ayran is as old as the Turks themselves, even centuries ago, the ancient Turks of the Gukturk Khanate drank Ayran, and today Ayran appears in every corner of Turkey, almost everywhere Offers beverages, including overseas fast food chains such as McDonald's and Burger King.

9. Pickle Juice (Tursu Suyu)

One of the most popular and famous Turkish street food is pickle juice, also known as Tursu or Torshi. While not usually drunk with food or delicacies, it is still a whole-hearted drink in Turkish culture.

This is a refreshing drink from Turkey made with pickled vegetables like beets, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, peppers, garlic and brine. It has a salty taste with a strong spicy finish at the end, while its color is bright pink.

Pickle juice is sold by balik ekmek (fish sandwich) vendors and is sometimes paired with fish sandwiches or other street food, but as mentioned, it is best enjoyed on its own while complementing the flavour of the fish sandwich, uniquely recommend yourself to try the spicy torshi taste.

10. Sira

Sira is a fermented drink very similar to Shalgam, they are almost identical in color and preparation. However, the only difference is that shalgam is a savory drink, while sira tastes rather sweet due to its high fructose content. Sira mostly gets drunk with Iskender kebabs.

However, in the Marmara region, another flavored version of Sira called Hardaliye is also served. Hardaliye is a sira 15 days flavored with mustard seeds and cherry leaves. Hardaliye is usually served as an appetizer on special occasions.

11. Sherbet

Turkish sherbet or shabat, also known as Ottoman sherbet, is a fermented sweet syrupy drink that is also somewhat similar to Sıra, but is also quite different in taste and preparation. Sorbet comes in dozens of varieties, as it can be made from almost any fruit. Popular sorbets are made with one or more of the following: basil seeds, rose water, fresh rose petals, sandalwood, guava, hibiscus, lemon, orange, mango, pineapple, falsa (Grewia asiatica), and chia seeds.

Sherbet is popular in almost all Middle Eastern countries, and many Muslims even drink sherbet when they break their fast every day during Ramadan.

12. Lemonade

Lemonade is very common and popular all over the world, but have you heard of lemonade that is not sour? This is where the uniqueness of Turkish lemonade comes into play.

Grate or boil lemon zest with sugar and mix with lemon juice.

Just like ayran, lemonade is a very popular summer drink among Turks, and it tastes even better with mint.

In addition to being one of the top choices for summer relaxation, Turkish lemonade is also a favorite in Turkish breakfasts, as its refreshing minty and sweet flavor really is the perfect key to a great day.

 

What is the Best Dish in Turkey?

Turkey is a country with some of the best cuisine in the world, with a wide variety of food. Listed below are the best Turkish dishes that are world famous.

• Stuffed vine leaves
• Kebab
• Meatballs
• Baklava
• Doner and Iskender Kebab
• Lokum (Turkish Delight)
• Pita
• Lahmacun
• Cig Meatballs
• Stuffed meatballs
• Kokarec
• (Midye) Mussel
• Kumpir
• Manti

Which Beverage Companies Are There in Turkey?

Beverage companies in Turkey are as follows:

• Pinar
• Red Bull
• Lipton
• Nestle
• Jacobs
• Cappy
• Juss
• Tropicana
• Coca Cola
• Fanta
• Sprite
• Schweppes
• Uludag
• Sirma
• Kızilay
• Beypazari
• Dimes
• Dogadan
• Dogus Cay
• Eker
• Fruko
• Vefa Bozacisi
• Sutas

Is It Legal to Drink Alcohol in Turkey?

As mentioned above, drinking alcohol in Turkey is perfectly fine as long as you are 18 or older. However, in general, there are some restrictions to keep people safe.

For example, it is illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol, and police patrol the streets at night to check if any drivers are actually drinking and driving.

For example, while you won't be caught with severe penalties or jail time, if you're caught drink-driving, you'll be fined. However, when someone commits a crime while intoxicated, potentially leading to a traffic accident, etc., harsh penalties may come to the fore.

However, other than that, drinking alcohol is legal in Turkey as long as you don't disturb others.