“When In Turkey, enjoy Turkish tea,” read the caption of actress Malaika Arora’s post as she took to social media to post a photo of a cup of soothing Turkish tea recently. The actress was vacationing in Turkey a few days ago. Malaika brewed the culinary interest of her followers as she kept sharing photos of Turkish delights to her social media feed. Malaika also enjoyed a local dish, Mezze with other local food. She also shared pictures of a glass of juice and a cup of Turkish coffee. 

The Turkish are quite like us Indians when it comes to love for tea. The beverage holds an important place in their culture, just as it does in ours. Did you know that Turkey is a large exporter of tea, ranking fifth among the top exporting countries? Tea plays an important role in social get togethers in Turkey, that are organised in tea houses and gardens. The Turkish tea is also used as a herbal medicine as it’s believed to have medicinal properties. 

Turkish teapot. Credit: Instagram/giftanbul
Pexels.

 

The Turkish require a specialised pot called çaydanlık to prepare tea. The Turkish teapot  consists of two stacked teapots specifically designed for various methods involved in tea preparation. The recipe to prepare Turkish tea is relatively simple. Every part of the recipe utilises the stacked two teapots. If you’re wondering why two teapots are used to make the Turkish tea, it is to provide the choice of a strong or weak  beverage to the guest. Basically, water is brought to a boil in the lower teapot and then some of the water is used to fill the smaller teapot on top and several spoons of tea leaves are infused, producing tea with a strong flavor. When served, the remaining water in the lower pot is used to dilute the tea on an individual basis, giving each consumer the choice between strong and weak, and this is how the two parts of the Turkish teapots are utilised. 

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In India tea is usually served with white sugar or jaggery for a more traditional touch. Similarly, in Turkey, authentic Turkish tea was traditionally served with cubes of beet sugar. A big difference between Indian and Turkish tea is that Turkish tea is never served with lemon or milk. Turkish tea is basically black tea and sweet or salty biscuits called kurabiye are relished along with tea.  

Turkish tea with Kurabiye. Credit: Pexels.

 

If you want to try making Turkish tea at home, start by buying your favourite choice of black tea leaves. Don’t worry about the strength of the tea, because if you remember, the Turkish teapot let’s you control how strong or weak you would like to drink your tea. If you don’t have a Turkish teapot, buy one online. If you want a strong base tea go for tea leaves like Assam or Darjeeling tea. For stronger flavour, choose herbal teas. Here’s a recipe of Turkish tea that you could try your hand at: 

Ingredients: 

  1. 7 cups water
  2. 4 tbsp black tea

Method:

  1. Boil 7 cups of water in the bottom teapot first. Then put the black tea leaves in the top pot and transfer 2 cups of boiled water from the lower pot to the top pot.
  2. Let them boil at medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir the top pot in every 5 minutes while the water is boiling, to enable the black tea release its flavor.
  3. Bring the heat to the lowest level and boil 10 minutes more. Your tea will be ready thereafter. 
  4. While serving Turkish tea, pour 1/3rd of a glass with tea and fill the rest with boiled water.
  5. If you would like to consume the beverage with a tinge of sweetness, feel free to add sugar.