Discover how Turkish people enjoy tea
Tea is not only a popular drink in Türkiye but also voted by connoisseurs as one of the 22 countries with the world's most delicious tea flavors. Turkish people drink tea with all their meals from morning to evening. Sidewalk tea shops are present on every street in Turkey, just like sidewalk cafes in Vietnam. A few tables, a few chairs on the sidewalk, or in a small space... everywhere there are tea shops, cozy and intimate.
Turkish tea trees are grown on the east coast of the Black Sea, where the climate is temperate. The Turkish custom of drinking tea appeared in the late Ottoman Empire (late 19th century). Turkish tea is usually brewed in two stacked teapots called “çaydanlık” - a special type of teapot designed specifically for brewing tea. The upper layer is used to hold the tea and the lower layer is used to boil water. You have to wait patiently for 30 minutes for the water in the lower pot to boil. Then, pour boiling water into the upper pot (the part containing the tea). When the tea sinks in the water and gradually sinks to the bottom, you will get strong tea. When enjoying, the drinker will choose how to brew the tea according to personal preference: either drink strong or dilute. Turkish teacups are also one of the most characteristically shaped designs in the world, stylized like a Tulip flower.
Turkish people like to drink black tea mixed with sugar. But they rarely put sugar directly into the cup. They put a sugar cube in their mouth first and then sip the tea. The sugar dissolves directly in their mouth, creating a very special tea flavor. Enjoying Turkish tea cannot be without Turkish Delight (also known as lokum). This is considered the "national soul" candy and has appeared in fairy tales. It has a magical taste, popular throughout the Balkans and the Middle East. Turkish people are fond of sweets, so they have created many flavors of marshmallows with many different ways of processing, diverse colors and countless types of fillings: peanuts, chestnuts, almonds... Delight is soft like jelly, when eaten, you can feel the delicate aroma of roses, lemon, mint...
In the past, lokum was only for the nobility because the main ingredient was the resin of the Mediterranean frankincense tree, which had medicinal properties and was quite expensive. Nowadays, most candies are made from cornstarch, so the price is much more affordable and sold everywhere as a specialty.
Explore Türkiye and Europe easier with Turkish Airlines
Few people know that Vietnamese nationals with valid US, European SCHENGEN and UK visas can apply online for an electronic visa (E-visa) to Turkey, without having to apply for a visa at the Turkish Embassy. Exploring Turkey is not difficult and has become even easier since Turkish Airlines has started operating direct flights to Istanbul (Turkey) from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (from June 2016).
This is the first direct flight between Vietnam and Türkiye. Previously, travelers between Türkiye and Vietnam only had one option, which was the Ho Chi Minh City - Istanbul route, transiting in Bangkok (Thailand). There are a total of 7 flights per week to Turkey from Vietnam using Airbus A330/300 aircraft with 289 seats. The flight time is approximately 11 hours and 55 minutes. From now on, travelers have more options for flights from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to 292 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, America and Asia and 117 countries worldwide with Turkish Airlines.
Turkish Airlines is also an airline that has received many awards for the best airlines ranked by the prestigious organization Skytrax, including:
- Best Airline in Europe for 6 consecutive years from 2011-2016
- TOP 1 in the world for Business Class cuisine 2016
- TOP 3 in the world for Economy Class cuisine 2016
- TOP 1 in the world for Business Class Lounge Dining 2016
- Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge is ranked TOP 2 in the world in 2016
Recently, Turkish Airlines was the main sponsor for the CiTEA Tour tea tour program around tea countries of Khanhcasa Tea House. At the end of 6 weeks of CiTEA TOUR, Khanhcasa Tea House respectfully announced: the luckiest guest traveling with Turkish Airlines to enjoy tea to any country in Europe is: Ms. Tran Thi Kim Linh
The program also offers 2 luxury travel gifts to 2 consolation prize winners, including:
- 1 SAMSONITE suitcase won the Reddot Design Award 2012 from the SAMSONITE INOVA collection (worth 10,200,000 VND) for customer: Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu
- Beauty travel combo with famous French Delsey suitcase (worth 4,900,000 VND) and Lancôme skin care cosmetics set worth 10,200,000 VND was given to customer: Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy
- 1 night stay at the 6-star hotel The Reverie Saigon (valued at 5,500,000 VND) was given to the guest: Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duc
