One of Istanbul's great gifts to the world is the teahouse, and even today there are thousands throughout the city, each serving as a local club and, like nearly everything else public in Turkey, these clubs are almost exclusively male. Lazily half empty by day and packed by evening with sober-eyed men saying nearly nothing and staring with great concentration at sheshbesh (backgammon) boards while tiny glasses of tea are served to them.

Historically, the teahouse is a descendant of the Arabian coffee-house, imported from Syria in the 16th century. The rage for coffee led to an accompanying madness for the tobacco hookah, and when in 1633 smokers began to start fires throughout the city, a drunken Sultan ordered all of the coffee houses destroyed and all "addicts" hanged. At least temporarily, and for obvious reasons, the residents of the city switched over to tea which has increased in popularity ever since and is now the entire nation's most popular beverage.

Turks take great pride in making their tea strong. In fact, Turkish tea is too strong to be served in large cups and is always offered in small, curved glasses. This sometimes causes newcomers to the Turkish tea scene a bit of discomfort, because the Turks also pride themselves in serving their tea boiling hot and those who have not mastered the art of holding such cups often find themselves with burned fingertips. Turks also like their tea sweet and even though it is considered acceptable to add as much sugar to the glass as one likes, no Turk will insult their tea by adding milk to it.

© Daniel Rogov