Tea in Turkey

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"Turkish tea" redirects here. For the specific tea variety, see Rize tea.
Turkish tea served in the traditional way, in a tulip-shaped glass on a small saucer.

Tea (Turkish: çay pronounced [tʃaj]) is a popular drink throughout Turkey and the Turkish diaspora. Turkey has the highest per capita tea consumption in the world. Turkish tea culture also extends to Northern Cyprus and some countries in the Balkan Peninsula.

Domestic production[]

Most of the tea produced in Turkey is Rize tea, a terroir from Rize Province on the eastern Black Sea coast, which has a mild climate with high precipitation and fertile soil.[1] This tea is usually processed as black tea, though it is known for its rich crimson red color.

In 2004, Turkey produced 205,500 tonnes of tea (6.4% of the world's total tea production), which made it one of the largest tea markets in the world,[2] with 120,000 tons being consumed in Turkey, and the rest being exported.[1] In 2004, Turkey had the highest per capita tea consumption in the world, at 2.5kg per person, followed by the United Kingdom (2.1 kg per person).[3] More recent figures put consumption at 3.5kg per capita, or almost four glasses a day.[4]

Tea drinking ritual[]

Aluminium çaydanlık

Turkish tea is typically prepared using two stacked teapots called "çaydanlık" especially designed for tea preparation. Water is brought to a boil in the larger lower teapot and then some of the water is used to fill the smaller teapot on top and steep (infuse) several spoons of loose tea leaves, producing a very strong tea.[1] When served, the remaining water is used to dilute the tea on an individual basis, giving each consumer the choice between strong (Turkish: koyu, literally "dark"; or tavşan kanı, literally ���rabbit's blood”) and weak (Turkish: açık, literally "light").

Tea is drunk from small, tulip-shaped glasses called ince belli (literally "slim-waisted"), which allows the tea to be enjoyed hot as well as showing its crimson color. These glasses are usually held by the rim in order to save the drinker's fingertips from being scorched, as the tea is served boiling hot. Traditionally, tea is served with small cubes of beet sugar. It is almost never taken with milk or lemon.[5] Sweet or savory biscuits called kurabiye are usually served with tea during teatime (usually between three and five in the afternoon), though tea-drinking is not limited to these hours.[5]

History[]

Former Turkish MP Emine Ülker Tarhan drinking Turkish tea

Tea is an important part of Turkish culture, and is the most commonly consumed hot drink, despite the country's long history of coffee consumption. Offering tea to guests is part of Turkish hospitality. Tea is most often consumed in households, shops, and kıraathane – social gatherings of men. Despite its popularity, tea only became the beverage of choice in Turkey in the early 20th century.[6] It was initially encouraged as an alternative to coffee, which had become expensive and, at times, unavailable in the aftermath of World War I and the ensuing dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. Upon the loss of south-eastern territories, where coffee was traditionally cultivated, coffee became an expensive import.[7] At the behest of the founder of the republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkish people turned more to tea as it was easily sustainable by domestic sources. With government support, tons of seeds brought from neighboring Georgia[8] were planted on the sloping hills in Rize in 1937, the year when tea cultivation began in earnest.[6] Rize Province soon emerged as Turkey's main tea producing region with tea becoming one of the most important agricultural products in the country. Attesting to its importance, some towns in the Black Sea region changed their names so as to include the word çay (tea), such as the towns of Kadahor and Mapavri, which became, respectively, Ҫaykara and Ҫayeli.[8]

Turkish herbal teas[]

In Turkey, herbal teas are generally used as herbal medication. They are mostly popular with foreign tourists with apple (elma çayı), rose hip (kuşburnu çayı), and linden flower (ıhlamur çayı) being the most consumed flavors. Sage tea (ada çayı, literally 'island tea') is most popular in the Mediterranean coastal region.[citation needed] Whereas in English sage usually refers to Salvia officinalis, throughout Turkey various species of the plant genera Salvia, Sideritis and very rarely Stachys are usually known and consumed as sage tea.[9] In Turkey, herbal teas destined for the treatment of most ailments can be found in local herbal shops, called aktar. Dried herbal leaves, petals, shoots, etc. are sold in loose-leaf according to each customer's need and taste.[citation needed]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ergener, Rashid; Ergener, Reşit (2002). About Turkey: Geography, Economy, Politics, Religion, and Culture. Pilgrims Process, Inc. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-9710609-6-8.
  2. ^ World tea production reaches new highs
  3. ^ "Turkey: Second biggest tea market in the world". Euromonitor International. 13 April 2005. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013 – via Research Portals Ltd.
  4. ^ "Why Turkey subsidises organic tea". The Economist. 2019-12-18. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b McGeary, Kacie (2018-09-21). "How to Best Experience Tea Culture in Istanbul". Passion Passport. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Teforia (2015-10-07). "Mini Course: The Tea Culture of Turkey". Medium. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  7. ^ "Five Interesting Things to Know about Turkish Tea". CLC World Resorts & Hotels. 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "All about Tea in Turkey". Rivertea Blog. 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  9. ^ ERDOGAN-ORHAN, ILKAY. "Sage-called plant species sold in Turkey and their antioxidant activitie" (PDF). J. Serb. Chem. Soc. 75 (11) 1491–1501 (2010).
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