WE ARE TURKISH PEOPLE…. LET’S GET TO KNOW OUR CULTURE…

ATATÜRK M.Kemal Atatürk is the father of us and he is the founder of modern Turkey.Still he stands as a towering figure of 20th century.

OUR FLAG The flag of Turkey is a red flag with a white crescent moon and a star in its centre.It is believed that it takes the red part from the people died while serving the Turkish state and the white part means the reflection of moon and star to those people.

OUR NATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS Official holidays Jan 1: New Year's Day National holidays Apr 23: National Children's Day (anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Grand National Assembly)This is the unique childern’s day in the world.Each year, children from each country come and celebrate that day in Turkey. Oct 29: Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic)

Religious holidays Seker Bayrami:Three-day festival when sweets are eaten to celebrate the end of the fast of Ramadan. Also known as Ramazan Bayrami. Kurban Bayram i: Four-day festival when sacrificial sheep are slaughtered and their meat distributed to the poor. The dates of these religious festivals change according to the Islamic calendar.

TURKISH FOOD Our cuisine is based on meat, olive oil, vegetables and bread.

kebap Kebap is the traditional Turkish response to fast food that is at the same time not especially bad for you.

Bread Ekmek, pide and simit are meant to be eaten the same day they are baked, and they usually are. The leftover ekmek goes into a variety of dishes, becomes chicken feed, or is mixed with milk for the neighbourhood cats.

Manti Manti, dumplings of dough filled with a special met mix, are eaten with generous servings of garlic yogurt and a dash of melted butter with paprika.

Pilav Pilav is another food in the Turkish kitchen. The most common versions are the cracked-wheat pilaf and the rice pilaf. A good cracked-wheat pilaf made with whole onions, sliced tomatoes, green peppers sauteed in butter, and boiled in beef stock is a meal itself. Many versions of the rice pilaf accompany vegetable and meat dishes.

Vegetable dishes A whole class of vegetables is cooked in olive oil.Practically all vegetables, such as fresh string-beans, artichokes, root celery, eggplants, pinto beans, or zucchini can be cooked in olive oil, and are typically eaten at room-temperature.

Dolma " Dolma" is the generic term for stuffed vegetables, being a derivative of the verb "doldurmak" or to fill; it actually means "stuffed" in Turkish. There are two categories of dolmas: those filled with a meat mix or with a rice mix.

Baklava and Turkish Delight The most well known sweets associated with the Turkish Cuisine are the Turkish Delight, and the "baklava", giving the impression that these may be the typical desserts eaten after meals.

Lokma The "lokma" is made by frying soft pieces of yeast dough in oil and dipping them in a syrup.

Helva "Helva" is made by pan-sauteeing flour or semolina and pine nuts in butter before adding sugar, milk or water, and briefly cooking until these are absorbed. The preparation of helva is conducive to communal cooking.

Turkish Coffee Coffee has created its own “culture” in Turkey. Coffee for Turks is not simply a drink, but has its own history, its institutions (coffeehouses), its rituals, its own rules of when and how to drink it, and even a tradition of fortune-telling by reading the coffee grinds deposited at the bottom of a traditional Turkish coffee cup… For most Turks coffee is Turkish coffee.

Tea Tea, on the other hand, is the main source of caffeine for the Turks. It is prepared in a special way, by brewing it over boiling water and served in delicate, small clear glasses are used to show the deep red colour and to keep it hot. Drinking tea is such an essential part of a working day.

Ayran Ayran (yoghurt drink) has been one of the most popular drinks of the Turks since the discovery of Yogurt among the Turkish tribes in Central Asia. It is simply made by diluting yogurt with water. Some salt is added to taste.It not only accompanies any meal but is drunk as a refreshing drink by itself especially during summer.

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION