Turkish Tea Culture

Tea is an critical commodity all over the world, but particularly in Europe and Asia.

There's teatime each day in England as well as the ritualistic chado ceremony in Japan. In Turkey, tea isn't just a ritual drink but a truth of life. Turkish men and women possess the highest per-capita consumption of tea on the planet, at about 1,000 cups per individual each and every year. The beverage is so extensively consumed that there is no unique time of day or elaborate custom to limit tea-drinking activities. ?click this link Looking at Turkish tea habits offers an interesting peek into the beverage's cultural significance.

Tea traveled to Turkey by means of the Silk Road in the 16th century. It wasn't widely enjoyed until the late 1800s when a governor published a book detailing its health added benefits. Turkish coffee was the favored beverage until individuals started drinking tea. The drink was also much more economical than coffee, about a quarter from the value. This spawned a tea-growing boom in coastal locations. The Turkish word for "tea" is "çay," pronounced "chai." The brewed leaves became so crucial towards the economy in the 1930s that towns started such as "çay" in their names. Turkey is now the sixth-largest tea producer around the planet. The beverage is an indelible portion of Turkish culture; this is illustrated by tea customs.

Tea gardens are outside parks exactly where Turkish individuals meet to drink and socialize with friends. Most Turks go to tea gardens to loosen up and conduct enterprise. Quite a few gardens host reside musicians. Traditionally, the tea gardens had been locations where males would meet to conduct business enterprise or play card games, but currently every person visits.

Most shopkeepers provide tea for customers to delight in while they browse. It really is always out there in offices. Individuals customarily pour tea for their guests as a sign of hospitality. Turkish etiquette dictates that a host requirements to serve a minimum of 3 cups to guests, and guests will need to drink at least three cups in the course of a stop by. It's rude to drink huge mouthfuls of tea; it need to be sipped so folks can loosen up and enjoy it.

Turks use a çaydanlak, which is a smaller teapot stacked on prime of a bigger 1. Water is boiled within the bottom pot and after that poured into the top rated pot with loose tealeaves to create a concentrated mixture. Folks fill their glasses from the smaller pot, then use the hot water inside the bottom to dilute their tea. Turkish individuals never drink tea from mugs. They use little, curved glass cups and commonly add a single or two cubes of sugar. It is actually important to stir up the tea and make a lot of noise clinking the spoon against the glass.

Tea in Turkey is like a handshake, supplied to strangers and very good friends alike. Their tea-drinking habits show that the Turks choose to slow down and devote their free time socializing with others.