17 Traditional Turkish Drinks You Must Try While in Turkey
For centuries, Turkey has been a crossroads of civilizations. This mix of cultures is present in many aspects of Turkish life, including the local beverages. For a unique opportunity to experience this deep and wonderful culture through your tastebuds, make sure to try some traditional Turkish drinks during your visit.
After all, trying new foods and drinks is one of the many joys of traveling and some of the best ways to experience new cultures (Plus, tap water in Turkey doesn’t taste great anyways).
Here are some traditional Turkish beverages you must try.
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Traditional Turkish Drinks
Salep
Salep is my favorite Turkish beverage and one that you’ll long for when you leave Turkey (which is why you should pick up some salep powder to bring home as a souvenir!).
This exotic drink, made from the roots of wild orchids, has a unique flavor that is creamy, slightly nutty, and sweet. The drink has a thick texture, much like a melted chocolate beverage (although they are nothing alike in taste). Salep is often topped with cinnamon, which adds a warm depth to the drink.
Drunk hot, salep is the perfect beverage to drink on those rare days when it snows in Istanbul.
While salep is traditionally enjoyed as a Turkish winter beverage, its growing popularity has made it easier to find at other times of the year.
Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee is brewed using a centuries-old tradition that originated with the Ottoman sultans.
To make Turkish coffee, the ground beans are boiled with sugar and water in a copper pot. As the mixture boils, the rising liquid is skimmed off the top and placed into small cups. The strong coffee is served with a glass of water, similar to Italian espresso.
Turkish coffee is never drunk with food, but rather enjoyed in the afternoons while socializing with friends.
Çay (Turkish Tea)
Turkey consumes more tea per capita than any other country, which you’ll see for yourself during your visit! Everywhere you look, day and night, you’ll see Turks sipping tea from small, tulip-shaped glasses.
Çay is made with black tea leaves and is often served with sugar (but never with milk). Tea is integral to Turkish culture and is always offered to guests. You can’t visit Turkey without trying çay, if only because it will be offered to you everywhere you go!
Ayran
Ayran is a popular yogurt-based drink that’s found all over Turkey. This salty, tart, creamy drink is surprisingly refreshing, and also has many health benefits due to the probiotics of the yogurt.
While the exact origins are unknown, historians believe that ayran has been enjoyed by Central Asian peoples since 1000 BCE.
Ayran is best enjoyed with a plate of doner kebab. As far as Turkish beverages go, ayran is one that you’ll see in every store and restaurant. It’s especially popular with children (my kids couldn’t get enough), and a great drink to order when visiting Turkey with kids.
Şalgam
Many non-Turkish people may not have heard of şalgam: a Turkish drink made from turnip juice. Şalgam comes in two varieties – salty or spicy – and is sometimes flavored with spices such as cumin, cardamom, or black pepper.
Also referred to as şalgam suyu, this drink tastes earthy, salty, and slightly pickled. It’s a popular beverage amongst people looking to improve their health as it’s thought to aid in digestion and increase energy levels.
Sour Cherry Juice
Sour cherries are native to Turkey and are used to make the popular sour cherry juice. This tart, slightly sweet juice pairs well with meat and is often drunk with kebab. Though usually enjoyed in the summer, we were able to find packaged sour cherry juice during the winter in Turkey.
Rakı
If Turkey had an official drink, it would be Rakı. This Turkish alcoholic beverage is a grape spirit infused with aniseed. It can either be served straight or diluted with water which changes the color from clear to cloudy white.
Rakı is a popular Turkish drink to enjoy with meze — a traditional Turkish cuisine consisting of many small plates. While visiting Turkey make sure to grab a meze meal and enjoy it with some Rakı!
Boza
Boza is a malt beverage made from fermented wheat, millet, or corn. This mildly alcoholic traditional Turkish drink has a thick consistency and is sweet and slightly acidic.
In Turkey, boza is often served topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas. It’s a popular winter-time drink, with vendors toting canisters full of boza through the streets.
Turşu Suyu
Turşu suyu, somewhat of an acquired taste, is made from pickling vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers in a salty brine.
Drinking turşu suyu is a bit like drinking the brine from a pickle jar. Yet this salty, acidic drink is surprisingly refreshing. Look for it in Istanbul’s many markets, or along Eminou Beach where vendors post up selling this tasty beverage.
Şıra
Şıra is a sweet drink made from slightly fermented grape or apple juices. Typically a summer drink, it’s often paired with Iskender Kabab, thinly sliced doner kebab on pita topped with hot tomato sauce.
Efes Pilsen
Efes Pilsen is a crisp, light-tasting lager popular throughout Turkey. Made by Europe’s 6th largest brewery, Efes Pilsen has been a Turkish staple since the 1960s. Today, Efes can be enjoyed in over 70 countries.
This crisp, slightly sweet, malty beer is the perfect drink for relaxing on a hot Turkish summer night.
Pomegranate Juice
Pomegranates are a symbol of fertility and abundance, and vendors selling fresh pomegranate juice are certainly abundant in Turkey! You can find pomegranate juice throughout the country – we even came across some on a remote hike in Cappadocia.
Pomegranate juice is tart but slightly sweet and is another refreshing drink to enjoy on hot days. Some fruit sellers will mix the pomegranate with fresh orange juice, a delicious combination that adds a bit more sweetness to this tart classic.
Sherbet (Sharbat)
Sherbet is a drink prepared from fruit and flower petals. Made with many different fruits (such as plums and cherries) and spices, Turkish sherbet is a sweet, thick fruit juice either eaten with a spoon or diluted with water and drunk.
To make sherbet, fruits are boiled in water with sugar and lemon, then cooled and strained. Originally a Persian drink that became popular during the Ottoman period, sherbet is credited as the world’s first soft drink.
Nowadays, sherbet is often drunk by Muslims breaking their fast during the month of Ramadan.
Mint and Lemon tea
Mint and Lemon tea (Nane Limon in Turkish) is a common winter beverage drunk to stave off winter-time colds and illnesses. Made by boiling lemon peels with dried mint, this classic winter concoction is a popular beverage amongst locals.
Şarap (Turkish Wine)
It might surprise you to discover that Turkey has one of the oldest winemaking traditions in the world, believed to date back over 4,000 years. Historians think that the Hittites were the first culture to regularly produce wine, and may have been making wine since as early as 1600 BCE.
Today, Turkish wines are produced in many parts of the country, with the largest areas of production around Thrace and Izmir. Home to over 1200 native grape varietals, Turkish wine is complex and diverse, and a joy to try when visiting the country.
Some of the most popular Turkish wines include Öküzgözü, a red wine grown in eastern Anatolia, and Narince, the most abundant Turkish white wine hailing from the Black Sea region.
Bonus Turkish Drinks
While not traditional, these Turkish-inspired drinks are fun to try when visiting Turkey.
Turkish Delight Martini
How can you take a traditional Turkish dessert and completely turn it on its head? By making it into a cocktail, of course! Made by mixing vodka, honey, and rose syrup, drinking a Turkish delight cocktail is just like sipping on the classic Turkish dessert.
Apple Tea
Almost excessively sweet, apple tea is a processed product only served to tourists. While Turkish people wouldn’t waste their time with this synthetic tea, it’s worth trying during your trip to Turkey. In fact, it’s hard to avoid as you’ll often be served apple tea by market vendors or while checking into your hotel.
Final Thoughts on Traditional Turkish Drinks
Turkey’s history as a cultural crossroads has left its mark in many ways, not least of all on the country’s culinary scene. Trying these beverages is just one way to experience this diverse and interesting culture. Traditional Turkish drinks are made from a wide array of ingredients; from flowers and roots to fruits and vegetables. This variety makes trying beverages in Turkey an exciting part of traveling there.
Which drink are you most looking forward to tasting?
Until Next Time,
Tamar