The tulip-shaped tea glass is perhaps the most iconic shape in Turkish design, easily as indelible in the memory as one’s first glimpse of the skyline of Golden Horn. It imprints itself as something uniquely Turkish. And with good reason too. Turkish people drink more tea per capita than the British, 2.5 kg per Turk, versus 2.1 per Brit. Moreover, everyone in Turkey —from the most hardworking field labourers to the stately dwellers of yali (seaside mansions) —drinks Turkish Tea in much the same glass.
It is a universally appreciated drink which never goes out of season. It is so vital to everyday work in the Republic that many a business employs one person, a whose sole responsibility is to keep a piping hot supply of fresh tea on the go throughout the day.
Enjoyed several times a day by most Turks from their rising moments until bedtime, not a day goes by without tea, except, of course, during the holy month of fasting, Ramazan. Even after a long day when the observant have not let even a drop of water pass their lips reach first for a glass of piping hot tea when the sun sets, and the muezzin calls from the minarets, signalling Iftar (the breaking of the fast).
Yet despite its ubiquity, the brewing and drinking of çay is a modern tradition. Tea houses were not found in Istanbul until after about 1878 when the Adana governor of the time, Mehmet Izzet, published a document known as the Çay Rişalesi (Tea Pamphlet) detailing the health benefits of drinking tea.
While engaging some, Tea was slow to find the favour and acceptance of Turkish Coffee. It seems Tea began to capture the popular imagination only in the post-Ottoman period, when due to the loss of Yemen, coffee became a more expensive import, often sourced from as far away as South America, and as such became something of a luxury.
Turkey’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal, is said to have encouraged adoption of the drink. In 1924, the Government passed a law stating that tea, oranges, and filbert hazelnuts would be raised in Rize.
Yet it is widely stated that it was not until 1937 that the Government actively encouraged tea cultivation, when 20 tons of seeds were acquired from Batum in the Georgian Republic, and planted at the central green house in Rize, yielding 30 kilos of tea. Since then, Turkish Tea has also become widely cultivated around the Black Sea town, with its high slopes and heavy precipitation making it conducive to the plants.Tea is prepared in a çaydanlik, a two-kettle contraption resembling a samovar, with the larger, bottom kettle used to boil the water, and the top half used to brew a deep ruby red brew. The deep ruby red brew is then poured into a tea glass, until about half full into which boiling water from the bottom kettle is added. Served Tavsan (rabbit-blood) strong or açik (light), there is surprisingly little variation in the way the drink is consumed from household to household, orWhile some add lemon, most only add sugar. Milk is almost never added and if ventured, will earn you somewhat more than an odd look.
Some refuse to swirl in sugar at all and instead place a cube under their tongues. And it is served hot, very hot, indeed.
A Turkish host will become very concerned if tea glass is left too long or threatens to dip to less than lip-scalding heat. Many will insist on replenishing the tea before one can even finish a glass.So drink up. It’s a thing of beauty, and almost an offence to refuse.
It is a universally appreciated drink which never goes out of season. It is so vital to everyday work in the Republic that many a business employs one person, a whose sole responsibility is to keep a piping hot supply of fresh tea on the go throughout the day.
Enjoyed several times a day by most Turks from their rising moments until bedtime, not a day goes by without tea, except, of course, during the holy month of fasting, Ramazan. Even after a long day when the observant have not let even a drop of water pass their lips reach first for a glass of piping hot tea when the sun sets, and the muezzin calls from the minarets, signalling Iftar (the breaking of the fast).
Yet despite its ubiquity, the brewing and drinking of çay is a modern tradition. Tea houses were not found in Istanbul until after about 1878 when the Adana governor of the time, Mehmet Izzet, published a document known as the Çay Rişalesi (Tea Pamphlet) detailing the health benefits of drinking tea.
While engaging some, Tea was slow to find the favour and acceptance of Turkish Coffee. It seems Tea began to capture the popular imagination only in the post-Ottoman period, when due to the loss of Yemen, coffee became a more expensive import, often sourced from as far away as South America, and as such became something of a luxury.
Turkey’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal, is said to have encouraged adoption of the drink. In 1924, the Government passed a law stating that tea, oranges, and filbert hazelnuts would be raised in Rize.
Yet it is widely stated that it was not until 1937 that the Government actively encouraged tea cultivation, when 20 tons of seeds were acquired from Batum in the Georgian Republic, and planted at the central green house in Rize, yielding 30 kilos of tea. Since then, Turkish Tea has also become widely cultivated around the Black Sea town, with its high slopes and heavy precipitation making it conducive to the plants.Tea is prepared in a çaydanlik, a two-kettle contraption resembling a samovar, with the larger, bottom kettle used to boil the water, and the top half used to brew a deep ruby red brew. The deep ruby red brew is then poured into a tea glass, until about half full into which boiling water from the bottom kettle is added. Served Tavsan (rabbit-blood) strong or açik (light), there is surprisingly little variation in the way the drink is consumed from household to household, orWhile some add lemon, most only add sugar. Milk is almost never added and if ventured, will earn you somewhat more than an odd look.
Some refuse to swirl in sugar at all and instead place a cube under their tongues. And it is served hot, very hot, indeed.
A Turkish host will become very concerned if tea glass is left too long or threatens to dip to less than lip-scalding heat. Many will insist on replenishing the tea before one can even finish a glass.So drink up. It’s a thing of beauty, and almost an offence to refuse.
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