1. (Turkish: rakı,Ottoman Turkish: راقى, pronounced [ ɾ a ˈ k ɯ ])TurkishOttoman Turkish[ ɾ a ˈ k ɯ ]

2. What is RAKI? Rakı is an unsweetened, anise-flavored alcoholic drink that is popular in Turkey. It is often served with seafood or meze. It is similar to several other alcoholic beverages available around the Mediterranean and the Middle East, e.g. Pastis(in France), ouzo(in Greece), sambuca(in İtaly), arak(in the Middle East), and aguardiente(in Spain). Rakı has an alcohol content of 45% per liter.

3. RAKI (+18)

4. Meze.

5. Etymology. The term raki entered English from Turkish rakı. The word rakı is derived from the Arabic عرق [ ʕ araq], meaning distilled, other variants being araka, araki, ariki. Arabic[ ʕ araq]

6. History of RAKI. In the Ottoman Empire, until the 19th century, meyhanes run by Rûm and Albanians would mainly serve wine along with meze, due to religious restrictions imposed by various sultans. With the relatively liberal atmosphere of the Tanzimat period ( 1839–1876 ), meyhane attendance among Muslims rose considerably, and raki became a favorite among meyhane-goers.

7. MEYHANE.

8. Production. Raki is traditionally produced by twice distilling grape pomace (or grape pomace that has been mixed with ethanol) in traditional copper alembics of 5000 liters, and flavoring it with aniseed.

9. Grape Pomace.

10. Serving and drinking. In Turkey, rakı is the national drink and is traditionally consumed either straight (sek, from the French "sec" meaning neat or dry), with chilled water on the side or partly mixed with chilled water. Dilution with water causes rakı to turn a milky-white colour, similar to the louche of absinthe.

11. This phenomenon has resulted in the drink being popularly referred to aslan sütü ("lion's milk"). Since aslan ("lion") is a Turkish colloquial metaphor for a strong, courageous man, this gives the term a meaning close to "the milk for the strong."

12. Aslan sütü ("lion's milk").

13. Rakı is commonly consumed alongside meze, a selection of hot and cold appetizers, as well as at a rakı sofrası ("rakı table"). It is especially popular with seafood, together with fresh arugula, white cheese(beyaz peynir) and melon. It is an equally popular complement to various red meat dishes like kebabs, where it is sometimes served with a glass of turnip (şalgam,shalgam).

14. Rakı sofrası (“Rakı table").