Turkey

1. Turkey Done by: Ali Yalcin

2. Meals • Breakfast is usually light, consisting of tea, white cheese, bread, butter, marmalade or honey, and olives. The main meal of the day is eaten in the evening and may consist of several courses. Traditional Turkish cuisine includes meze, a tray or table of small dishes, including stuffed vine leaves, salads, prawns, and a variety of other items, as well as shish kebab (cubes of lamb grilled on a skewer). Meat is often grilled. Fish is fairly plentiful along the Bosporus and the coast, but tends to be expensive. Vegetables are usually prepared in olive oil, and rice is common dish. Soups are an important part of the meal. Turkish desserts include baklava (a dessert of syrup and pastry) and muhallebi (milk pudding). Turkish coffee (kahve), a thick brew served in small cups, is served with nearly every meal. The national drink is raki, an aniseed-flavoured clear grape brandy, similar to Greek ouzo or French pastis, that clouds when water is added.

3. Recreation • Football is the most popular sport for both spectators and participants, but Turks also enjoy a variety of other sports, including volleyball, basketball, wrestling, and swimming. Other principal activities include family picnics, watching television, going to the cinema, and socializing in the home or in cafés and restaurants, although women are less likely to socialize outside the home, especially in rural areas. Folk dancing and other cultural arts are also popular activities. • Hospitality is an integral part of Turkish culture. Friends, relatives, and neighbours visit often. The tradition of hospitality dictates that visitors are always invited in and offered something to drink, such as tea, coffee, or soft drinks, and sometimes something to eat, such as crackers or biscuits. It is impolite to decline the offer.

4. Holidays and Celebrations • Muslim holidays are calculated according to the lunar calendar and vary from year to year. A major Muslim festival is the three-day holiday called Šeker Bayrami (“Sugar Holiday”), which comes at the end of the month-long fast of Ramazan (Ramadan). A favourite treat at this time is rahat lokoum—colourful gelatin cubes covered with powdered sugar, known in English as “Turkish delight”. • A four-day Muslim holiday called Kurban Bayrami (“Sacrifice Holiday”) honours Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, at Allah’s command. It also marks the season of pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca). An animal is usually sacrificed on this day to symbolize Allah’s allowing Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead of his son as a reward for his demonstration of obedience.

6. Pictures from google images, www.turkishembassy.org and encarta 2003