Food Habits

A family dinner

Turkish breakfasts consists of cheese, olives, butter, jam, loaves of fresh bread and of course, the indispensable abundant flow of tea. The breakfast in rural areas and of the poor, is soup. To offer tea, made from “teabags”, to Turks who love to drink tea, is considered an insult. Turks prepare tea by brewing it in a teapot, preferably porcelain, over a kettle. They even order tea at Cafes. Tea is served in porcelain cups at the major hotels and cafes however Turks prefer to have their tea served in glass cups. Although instant coffee, which Turks call “Nescafe”, is quite common, nothing can take the place of a good cup of tea. You'll be introduced to the “Tea Garden” concept here in Turkey. These are open-air gardens, usually located in places with stunning panoramic views. Tea gardens (Çay bahçesi) also serve fruit juice and colas, sandwiches and “tost” (e.g. cheese toast, cheese and sausage toast). More traditional teas gardens serve their tea with a Semaver (a metal object of old Russian culture) and in some tea gardens you'll even find nargile (hubble bubble water pipe) for smoking an array of fruit flavored tobacco. The tea gardens of Moda and Emirgan are popular choices among cafè goers.

Vegetables have an important place in Turkish cuisine. They can either be cooked with olive oil and served cool or with butter/margarine and a little meat, and served hot. The star of the kitchen is a different sort of rice, called pilav (pilaf). A good pilaf is the proof of a housewife's cooking skills. If you see a person eating bread with pilaf or macaroni, in any part of the world, you can be pretty sure he/she is a Turk. Bread is the indispensable part of every Turkish meal. It is eaten whether or not it is particularly suited to the meal. Besides bread, Turks drink water during their meals. Even if they are drinking alcoholic beverages it is a good idea to put a decanter full of water on the table. Potable water is distributed in several ways in Turkey, via large glass or plastic demijohns or sold in plastic or glass bottles. Moreover Turks drink water from the fountains found throughout parts of town (the water is clean and potable).

Turkish coffee , enjoyed after meals and/or especially as a “morning coffee” around 11 o'clock by housewives, is served in small porcelain cups resembling espresso cups. It is served without sugar (sade), with some sugar (orta) or sweet (Şekerli). In Turkey, there is a famous saying: "A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship" à this shows just how special Turkish coffee is among Turks. In Turkey, it is a common practice to have your coffee grounds read, after you have finished. If you ask around, you are sure to find someone who purports to be a fortuneteller. You may be surprised by accuracy of the things this person tells you, when they don't know anything about you or your life. A favorite statement here is: “Don't believe fortune telling but don't be left without fortune telling.”

Also See:

Addressing	Birth
Body Language	Death
Food Habits	Hidrellez - Spring Feast
Home Visits	Marriage
Military Service & Army	New Year Habits
Relations with Relatives	Religious Habits
Smoking Habits	Superstitions
Toilet Habits	What gift to take when..
Kirkpinar Oil-Wrestling	Turkish Coffee
Traditions & Habits	Religious Colors
Islam in Turkey	Istanbul's Holy Places
Ankara's Holy Places	Famous Personalities
Legendary bazaars	Turkish Cuisine
Special Tastes	Hubble-bubble (Nargile)
Rakı and Meyhane	Hamam - Turkish Bath
Luck Games	A Little Turkish Fun

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