{"id":1000,"date":"2021-03-03T23:25:32","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T20:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgatravel.co\/?p=1000"},"modified":"2021-03-04T10:49:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-04T07:49:07","slug":"an-ode-to-raki-a-local-describes-what-turkeys-national-drink-means-to-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgatravel.co\/index.php\/2021\/03\/03\/an-ode-to-raki-a-local-describes-what-turkeys-national-drink-means-to-him\/","title":{"rendered":"An ode to raki: a local describes what Turkey\u2019s national drink means to him"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Caglar Gokgun led tours around his homeland for four years, and is founder of SGA Travel based in Istanbul. He\u2019s also a keen connoisseur of Turkey\u2019s traditional drink: rak\u0131. But, as he explains, rak\u0131 is much, much more than a beverage\u2026<\/p>

I have travelled to 25+ countries so far and one of the first things that I try to experience in each destination is its cuisine, local specialties and national drinks. I\u2019ve tried all sorts of characteristic drinks in different destinations \u2013 local vodka in Russia, Ginjinha in Portugal, rakija in the Balkans, Tongba in Nepal. Out of all those drinks, I feel that my country\u2019s signature drink, rak\u0131, has one of the most unique cultures surrounding it. It touches on many different parts of life, such as music, food, therapy, family\u2026 and so on.<\/p>

\u00a0Rak\u0131 is our national drink here in Turkey, made of twice-distilled grapes and aniseed. It tastes very similar to Greek Ouzo or Sambuca but of course, we Turks think that it is the best! Rak\u0131 is not only a drink \u2013 it is actually a very serious business in Turkey. It can be the means of celebrating a promotion, birthday or a special occasion, but it is also the way to mute the pain of a business loss or end of a relationship. You can even go into the spirit of all these feelings on the same rak\u0131 night!<\/p>

\u00a0Just like in the film Fight Club, we\u2019ve got rules for rak\u0131 sessions too, and the first rule of a rak\u0131 session is you are never allowed to drink too much. Getting tipsy is the right level for everyone on a real rak\u0131 night. We try to gather around 7pm and won\u2019t stay around the table later than midnight. We drink rak\u0131 at special restaurants called meyhanes, which are very similar to taverns in Greece. There is always music playing softly in the background, a special type of music called Classical Turkish Music or Turkish Art Music, with lots of lute, flute, violin and zither involved.<\/p>

We order rak\u0131 first, and small appetizers called mezes. The most popular mezes at a rak\u0131 table are smoked eggplant, cac\u0131k (tzatziki), atom (spicy peppers in yogurt), pickled bonito, feta cheese and melon. We serve rak\u0131 in a special glass, similar to a long vodka glass but smaller. 40% of the glass is filled with rak\u0131, and the rest with water and ice. Another rule of rak\u0131 tables: you eat slowly, drink slowly, so as not to get too full and drunk too quickly.<\/p>

\u00a0After the first glass we order the hot appetizers, which are mainly seafood dishes. The most popular ones are fried calamari, potted shrimps cooked with butter and herbs, and grilled octopus. You can also order b\u00f6rek (pastry stuffed with sausage and cheese), fried liver, or pilaki (beans in olive oil). For some people this is enough, while others go on to order a main \u2013 usually fish or kebap.<\/p>

Rak\u0131 is also known as \u2018Lion\u2019s milk\u2019 \u2013 only people who are as strong as a lion are suitable to join the crew. Here is another rule of the club: if you can\u2019t handle rak\u0131, you are probably not right for the rak\u0131 gang!<\/p>

We call a rak\u0131 dinner cilingir sofrasi, or \u2018locksmith\u2019s table\u2019, as it is a kind of group therapy session, and rak\u0131 starts the conversation. I am from the west part of Turkey and rak\u0131 has quite a significant culture in my hometown, Ayval\u0131k. I remember sitting next to my parents around a very long table with the whole family. I would watch them start the afternoon quite normally, then they would start drinking rak\u0131 and the day would follow the same pattern: conversations would begin about family affairs, football and politics, they\u2019d get a bit emotional about things happening in the country, then get happier and kiss each other, singing and dancing on the tables, and finally get more emotional again, finishing the night with a toast for those who had left their seats (passed away) lately in the family. Such a big fluctuation of emotions!<\/p>

There are amazing stories about people using rak\u0131 as a conversation starter. Mustafa Kemal Atat\u00fcrk, founder of modern Turkey, used rak\u0131 as his \u2018locksmith\u2019 as well. After he became the first President of the Republic of Turkey, he was struggling to find people around him to discuss his decisions about the country.\u00a0 No one would criticise him. So he would invite his best friends for a rak\u0131 dinner at his house and ask for their thoughts after their third glass of rak\u0131. There is an amazing book about those rak\u0131 sessions called Atat\u00fcrk\u2019s Table, by Ismet Bozda\u011f.<\/p>

On our tours, we take our guests to the most local meyhanes and let them enjoy this amazing experience with local people. We have witnessed a lot of incredible nights where our guests became \u2018rak\u0131 buddies\u2019 with the locals, bonding over things they have in common, such as Gallipoli, Hollywood movies\/TV shows, sports etc. We end up dancing on chairs and tables to show the best local moves like a belly dancer, too! At the end of the night, we often repeat the same quote that all rak\u0131 fans say: \u201cRak\u0131 is the answer, but I can\u2019t remember the question!\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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