5 Must-try Turkish Beverages

5 must-try Turkish beverages

How many traditional Turkish drinks have you tried?

By Anna Purpurpurpur

I’ve already published a blog about the Turkish foods to try in Istanbul, and now it’s time for drinks – let me know if you’ve tried any of them.

1.Turkish tea

Wherever you go, you drink Turkish tea, this is like breathing in Istanbul. It’s a strong black tea served piping hot in tulip-shaped ‘bardak’ glass cups on a saucer-pan. You can also add sugar up to your taste.

2.Sherbet

Sherbet is a traditional, often home made beverage made with flower extracts, fruits, and spices and lots of sugar. You can find many varieties of it in Istanbul: rose, lemon, cherry, plum, peach, and even diabetic sherbet is available!

3.Turkish coffee

Turkish coffee is famous for its bitter and strong taste. One of the way to prepare it is in cezve (traditionally on the hot sand or on ashes), served in small beautifully ornamented cups – and about one third/one half of the cup is occupied by the coffee beans grounds (thus be careful not to drink the whole cup in one go!). Read more about Turkish coffee traditions here.

4.Pomegranate juice

You can find colourful fresh juice stalls everywhere in the touristic centre of Istanbul, and juice is usually squeezed right after your order. Pomegranate juice is probably the best option to try because Turkey is famous for its pomegranates!

5.Salep

Salep is probably the most unusual drink from my list: it’s prepared with grounded orchid tubers aka orchid flour containing glucomannan which makes the drink creamy and silky!