*Coffee was the national drink during Ottoman times, once the MENA territories were lost a more affordable alternative was found in Tea. I think Atatúrk himself advised the nation to become tea-drinkers instead.
*The Rize tea gardens on the Black Sea coast are famous. Turks are the worlds biggest consumers of ‘Çay’. Making it is a ritual in itself, when visiting friends and family, the woman of the house is on standby to refill empty cups. The social etiquette of leaving the spoon on top of the empty glass tells the tea-maker “No more, thanks”. Leaving the spoon on the saucer tells the tea-maker “I’ll have another, thanks”.
*I remember as a boy on my own at my grandparents house in the village, the Çay was so delicious I had 25+ cups, I had to stop as I felt a bit faint after the last one. I also remember the first time I bought Maras Ice-cream from a vendor, wont go into detail but I didn’t realise buying traditional ice-cream in Túrkiye was so tricky! Very theatrical (and funny for bystanders) to say the least.
*Turks have their own way of making Tea and Coffee, it’s well worth it once you master the technique. The best bread, tea, cheese, honey, olives, evoo, fruit, nuts, veg, meat and fish I ever tasted were in Túrkiye. The best McDonald’s Big Mac meal and milkshake I ever had was there too. First time a Big Mac actually looked as advertised. Get one in Europe and it’s all squashed. Nowadays I wouldn’t get excited over any fast food chains.
*Every city in Túrkiye has a range of things it’s renowned for. In Mersin specialities foodwise are ‘Cezerye’ ‘Tantuni’ and ‘Salgam’. If you visit Túrkiye again, or know anyone who is ask them to bring back some ‘Cevizli sucuk’.