The Turkish Way of Tea

I read that the people of Turkey drink so much tea, they now rank number one in tea consumption, per capita, in the world! The average Turk consumes seven pounds of tea a year! Dang! And I thought I drank a lot of tea!

They brew tea in Turkey differently, as well. They use a caydanlik, with is a double boiler kind of pot. Water is boiled in the bottom pot, while tea leaves are placed in the top pot. Once the water has boiled, it is poured into the top pot and allowed to steep. For a looooong time - 15 to 30 minutes.

It is then served in glasses, not mugs. Like in Morocco, tea is often offered to shoppers while they consider their purchase. Like coffee shops all over the US, in Turkey, they have instead cay (tea) gardens where people gather to chat, play games like backgammon, smoke hooka, and drink tea. With one caveat - women aren't often allowed in these establishments. Boo!

When you are done with your coffee in a restaurant in the US, many people will turn their cup upside down. Don't do that with your tea glass in Turkey! It tells your host/ess that the tea was bad!

Today, have some baklava and a cup of strong tea. I'm having the tea - minus the baklava.

I'm having a peach cobbler black tea: