Tea and tea drinking culture of Turkey

Traditional Turkish tea is black in color and is consumed massively. Turks sometimes favor herbal teas, such as rose hip (kuşburnu çayı), linden flower (ıhlamur çayı) and a few other flavors. But they are mainly consumed for their healthful properties and to stimulate the taste buds.

We don't know exactly when or how humans started drinking tea. The first recorded use of tea as a beverage comes from China dating back to the 10th century BC. But it was only in 1589 that Europeans became aware of tea when a Venetian author described the long life of Asians with their tea habits. In the 16th century, Portuguese traders imported tea and it became very popular among the nobility and at the court. In England, tea even became so luxurious that by the end of the 17th century, alcohol consumption had declined thanks to the habit of drinking tea. In the 19th century, China's tea trade with Western countries spread, and a tea industry began to appear in Europe and America.

Surprisingly, compared to tea's millennial history, Turkish tea is relatively young. Some bibliographies mention that the Turks traded and consumed tea as early as 400 BC, but it is certain that tea only became popular in Turkey from the 1900s onwards.

The first attempt to grow tea on Turkish soil took place in Bursa between 1888 and 1892. This campaign was unsuccessful because the land was not ecologically suitable for growing tea. In 1924, parliament passed a law on the cultivation of tea in the eastern part of the Black Sea region. In the late 1930s, 70 tons of black tea seeds were imported from Georgia to start growing in nurseries in the area. In 1940, an additional law supporting farmers and protecting their rights promoted tea growing in the region. Today, 767 million m² of land is used to grow tea, and it is the second most consumed drink by Turks, after water.

How to make Turkish tea delicious?

• Tea - There are several brands of Turkish tea but Çaykur is the oldest tea company in Turkey. There are also younger and equally successful companies like Doğuş. Regardless of the brand of tea, the year of manufacture is very important information to have a good teapot. Well packaged tea expires on average after two years. The best option is the eastern Black Sea tea, with a bergamot flavor.
• Water - Using water of good quality is essential. Bottled water is the safest option to avoid limescale or chloride deposits.
• Pots - Turkish teapots come in two types: the bottom metal pitcher for water and the smaller one for tea. The top part plays an important role in the tea making process, so it must be the best material for the occasion, that is porcelain.
• Proportion - The amount of water is roughly measured, but for tea you can use the following general rule for making tea: one teaspoon full of tea per person.
• Brewing Tea - Put the tea in the top part and bring the water to boil in the bottom part of the teapot. When the water boils, put some in the upper pot, reduce the heat to the lowest, wait 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

For a Turkish breakfast, tea is always very well prepared and is indispensable. The most common type of bread used for breakfast is white bread. However, nowadays people prefer different grain breads like rye to try to make eating habits healthier.

The rest of the typical Turkish breakfast includes white cheese, aged cheese, black and green olives, butter, honey, jam, omelette or hard-boiled egg, sliced tomatoes, peppers and melon mouse.

Turkish tea can be considered as the drink of the day, starting with breakfast and continuing until bedtime. Traditional Turkish tea is black in color and is consumed very strongly in this country.