By Yasin Tun

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Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Turkey

• By Yasin Tunç

A Deep Approach to Turkish Teaching and
Learning Wisconsin Center for Education Research,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Alcoholic Drinks

• Raki a traditional alcoholic beverage flavored
  with anise, usually is eaten with mezze, fish, or
  kebabs. Raki is commonly consumed with mezze -a
  selection of hot and cold traditional appetizers-
  and is especially popular with seafood, together
  with fresh arugula, white cheese, and melon.

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Alcoholic Drinks

• Beer The most popular beer in Turkey is Efes
  Pilsen (5.0 ABV), named after the ancient
  Turkish city of Ephesus near the Izmir brewery.
  The beer has been described to have a "tangy malt
  and hops aroma, rich malt in the mouth, and a
  bitter-sweet finish that becomes dry and hoppy".
  Efes also produces Efes Dark, Efes Light, Efes
  Extra and Marmara.
• Türk Tuborg, a subsidiary of the Danish
  Carlsberg/Tuborg group, also brews beer in Turkey
  under the Tuborg name. Danish Carlsberg is also
  popular in Turkey among other international
  brands.
• Another major brand, Tekel Birasi, is known as
  the oldest producer of beer in Turkey (founded in
  1890).

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Alcoholic Drinks

• Wine There are a variety of local wines produced
  by Turkish brands, such as Kavaklidere, Doluca,
  Corvus, Kayra, Pamukkale and Diren, which are
  becoming more popular.
• A range of grape varieties are grown in Turkey.
  For the production of red wine, the following
  types of grapes are mainly used in the Marmara
  region -- Pinot Noir, Adakarasi, Papazkarasi,
  Semillion, Kuntra, Gamay, and Cinsault in the
  Aegean region -- Carignane, Çalkarasi, Merlot,
  Cabernet Sauvignon, and Alicante Bouschet in the
  Black Sea region and eastern part of the country
  Öküzgözü and Bogazkere in Central Anatolia --
  Kalecik Karasi, Papazkarasi, Dimrit and in the
  Mediterranean region -- Sergi Karasi and Dimri.
• As for white wine, the grapes can be listed as
  follows in the Marmara region -- Chardonnay,
  Riesling, Semillion, Beylerce, and Yapincak in
  the Aegean region -- Muscat and Semillion in the
  Black Sea region -- Narince and in Central
  Anatolia Emir and Hasandede.

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Non-alcoholic Drinks

• Ayran (a salty yogurt drink) the most common
  cold beverage, which may accompany almost all
  dishes in Turkey.
• Kefir prepared with kefir grains and milk.
• Salgam suyu (a mild or hot turnip juice) another
  important non-alcoholic beverage, which is
  usually drunken with kebabs.

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Non-alcoholic Drinks

• Boza a traditional winter drink, which is also
  known as millet wine (served cold with cinnamon
  and sometimes with leblebi- roasted chickpea ).
• Sahlep another favorite in winter (served hot
  with cinnamon). Sahlep is extracted from the
  roots of wild orchids and may be used in Turkish
  ice cream as well. This was a popular drink in
  western Europe before coffee was brought from
  Africa and became popular.

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Non-alcoholic Drinks

• Turkish coffee Turkish coffee is a world-known
  coffee which can be served sweet or bitter. In
  Turkish, there is a saying that emphasizes the
  importance in Turkish culture of offering a cup
  of coffee to someone "a cup of coffee has a
  40-year consideration". It is coffee prepared by
  boiling finely powdered roast coffee beans in a
  pot (cezve), possibly with sugar, and serving it
  into a cup, where the grounds settle. The name
  Turkish coffee describes the method of
  preparation, not the raw material there is no
  special Turkish variety of the coffee bean. It is
  common throughout the Middle East, North Africa,
  Caucasus, the Balkans, and their expatriate
  communities and restaurants throughout the rest
  of the world.

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Non-alcoholic Drinks

• Mirra Mirra is a traditional type of bitter
  coffee prepared in the Urfa and Mardin provinces
  of Turkey, as well as in some Arab countries. It
  is sometimes correctly referred to as Arabic
  coffee because the name is derived from Arabic
  mur meaning bitter. Because it is very bitter and
  dark, it is served in tiny cups without handles,
  similar in size to Italian espresso cups.
• The coffee beans for Mirra are common coffea
  arabica coffee beans, which are roasted twice in
  order to give it its bitter taste. They are
  ground so that they are still grainy, unlike
  Turkish coffee , which is more like a powder. The
  coffee is poured into a narrow-topped small
  boiling pot called cezve, and water is added,
  mostly accompanied by some cardamom in order to
  give it a more aromatic flavor. Mirra is boiled a
  couple of times until a thick dark liquid
  remains.
• In order to serve Mirra, it is poured into
  another copper cezve and the person serving it
  fills the cup halfway and hands it over to the
  guest, who after drinking it returns the cup in
  order to be filled halfway again and hands it
  over to the next guest. So, the cup is circulated
  among the guests. One is always supposed to hand
  back the cup to the person serving after
  finishing. Otherwise, one will have to fill the
  cup up with gold, marry the person serving, help
  her/him get married or buy her dowry.

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Sources

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC4B1rra
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Turkey
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_cuisine
• http//www.lezzet.com.tr/dosyalar/01205/
• http//www.turkeytravelplanner.com/details/Food/Be
  ers.html