Tea culture in Turkey

A cup of tea is like a symbol of Turkish hospitality. This is a simple and authentic thing. They drink tea to make friends and enhance friendship. So people often say that tea is the soul of Turks. Turkish black tea is made from tea produced on the east coast of the Black Sea through a special method. Turkish tea requires the use of a special teapot composed of two pots.

Although tea has a history of 5000 years, Turks didn't really understand tea until the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century, the people in the east of the Black Sea planted tea, treated it with primitive methods and sold it. Turkey has also become one of the largest tea markets in the world. Tea is cheaper than coffee, and the preparation is simple, so drinking tea spread rapidly, and tea has become the favorite drink of the people. Today, drinking black tea has become a way of life of Turks and an integral part of Turkish culture. 90% of Turks drink tea every day, and one in three makes tea by himself. In the ankara en iyi restoranlar, a tea room will also be set up for customers to enjoy tea. Turkish tea houses are often seen on the streets and alleys of Turkey. The Turkish black tea I taste at evita mangalbaşı restaurant was paired with Turkish delight and it tasted very good.

Types of tea
In Turkey, tea is usually grown on the east coast of the Black Sea and in the Lize region. In 2004, Turkey produced 205500 tons of tea, accounting for 6.4% of the world's tea output. It is one of the largest tea markets in the world. In addition, in 2004, Turkey consumed 2.5kg of tea per capita, ranking first in the world, followed by Britain, with 2.1kg of tea per capita. The most popular tea in Turkey is Lize tea. In addition, Turks also drink jasmine tea, lemon tea, Ceylon tea and other teas.

Tea tasting custom
There are also obvious regional differences in tea drinking. In the Tokat area, there should be a certain distance between the mouth of the tea cup and the water surface of the tea. This is called "lip space", which has no specific measurement. If this space is too small or too large, it will become a joke when we drink tea and chat. When entertaining guests to drink tea in Erzurum and its surrounding areas, they usually have light tea and no teaspoon. They have a way to drink tea "with sugar", smashing sugar pieces with scissors or hands under their tongue and drinking with tea. In general, if the guest doesn't want to renew the tea, he doesn't need to talk. Just put the teaspoon on the cup.

The importance of tea in Turkish culture
It is precisely because of this drink, which symbolizes friendship and hospitality, that the daily life of Turks is often surrounded by the fragrance of tea. Gerald Robbins, a columnist for the Washington times, described the significance of Turkish tea to life: everything in Turkey has its cultural tradition, which is well known to those familiar with the bureaucracy. In the capital Ankara, for example, it is impossible to start doing anything before offering a cup of Turkish tea in a Turkish style teacup.

For Turks, tea is as essential as bread. Wherever you go, the locals will prepare tea for you before the guests arrive. It has become a common picture of Turkish family life to start with saying hello to each other while drinking tea and chatting from family leaders to political topics. Tea is also the basic drink of Turkish style breakfast. The habit of drinking tea lasts from the beginning of the day to the night. Turks don't think about secular worries when drinking tea, which gives them some opportunities to rest in their busy work.