 | Izmir Local Customs | Tips 1 - 10 of 38 |  |
Popular Local Customs | Other Local Customs Tips | All Tips (38) When i saw this small coffee shop , i felt like i came before. I went this summer there and of course they had the most nice turkish coffee i drank in Izmir. It is near the central entrance of Kemeralti Bazzar , but i dont remember the name of this shop. I was so exciting that i was talking photos from every corner of the shop!:) Leave a Comment
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Cay (Tea): Cay is the most preferred drink of the Turks along with the traditional Turkish coffee. It is almost everywhere, every time, either during daytime or in the evening. Turkish tea is served in delicate, small clear glasses to show the deep red color, called tavsan kany (rabbit blood)..
Ayran: A delicious drink made out of yogurt, diluted with water, salted, and must be served cool. It is very much valued by Turks and is the perfect accompaniment to kebap.
Raki, the national alcoholic drink of Turks has a high degree alcohol and should not be consumed quickly. Most people drink it by mixing it with water. Colorless rakı turns milky white when mixed with water. They fill 1/3 of their glass with rakı then add water and finally ice. Ice is never put in the glass first. If rakı is met with ice before water, it crystallizes and the taste changes. Some people drink rakı straight. In addition the rakı should be cold. It is customary to eat meze (various foods served in small plates) while drinking rakı. Raki is also famous in Crete island (Greece) and it is server with the same way.
It is known that for muslims alcohol is forbidden, for their religion. Leave a Comment
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Known as turkish delight, "Lokum" is a sweet made from sugar, water and starch. A good Lokum keeps its freshness at least six months. As they say good Lokum won't make you thirsty, even after eating 8-10 pieces!!!! Perfect combination with turkish coffee. Leave a Comment
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Camel Wrestling Olympiad 1 -31 January / İZMİR
Camel Wrestling Festival 21 January / İZMİR
Uğur Mumcu Coastline Run 24 January / İZMİR
Shoe Industry Machine and Accessory Fair 8 -11 February / İZMİR
Bride, Groom and Dowry Fair 14-18 February / İZMİR
March 8 World Women's Day 8 March / İZMİR
Marble Original Stones and Technologies Fair 29 March-1 April / İZMİR
Football Tournament 1 -30 April / İZMİR
Traditional Ulukent Wrestling 1 -30 April / İZMİR
Rahvan Horse Races 2 -8 April / İZMİR
International Bergama Fair 4 -10 April / İZMİR
Book Fair 7 -15 April / İZMİR
Atatürk's Arrival to Bergama 13 April / İZMİR
International April 23 Karşıyaka Child Feast 18-24 April / İZMİR
April 23 Menemen International Feast Festival 19-24 April / İZMİR
International Feast Feast 20-27 April / İZMİR
Furniture, Decoration and Carpet Fair 24-29 April / İZMİR
April 23 Child Bairam Poetry and Composition Competition 27 April / İZMİR
Turkish Music Feast 1 -31 May / İZMİR
Kite Feast 1 -31 May / İZMİR
strawberry Festival 7 -13 May / İZMİR
Compotek Bilgisayar Fair 9 -13 May / İZMİR
İzmir International Plastic and Ambalaj Makinaları Fair 10-13 May / İZMİR
Plateau Hiking 13 May / İZMİR
Narlıdere Youths and and Flower Festival 18-20 May / İZMİR
Youths Feast 19 May / İZMİR
May 19 Youths Feast 19 May / İZMİR
Cherry and Youths Feast 19 May / İZMİR
Theater Feast Between Highschools 20-31 May / İZMİR Leave a Comment
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Everyone in Turkey drinks tea day and night! I met a woman that drinks 10 glasses every day!! After two days I started to drink it too because I liked the small clear glasses that they serve it. I’ve been told that the deep red color of the tea called tavsan kany (rabbit blood!), another funny Turkish name (they like to give funny names for foods, sweets etc).
The Turkish tea is a form of black tea that is produced on the eastern Black Sea coast. In some tourist shops they serve tea to the customers but you have to know that most of the times this is not tea but apple juice! :)
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Historical Sites
The excavations at Bayrakli have unearthed a temple dedicated to Athena and the wall of the Ionian city which flourished here between the seventh and fifth centuries B.C. Pottery dating to the third millennium B.C. has also been uncovered.
On Kadifekale, Mt. Pagos, stand the impressive ruins of a castle and its walls, built by Lysimachus in the reign of Alexander the Great, which still dominate Izmir today. The castle offers an excellent vantage point to enjoy the magnificent view over the Gulf of Izmir.
The Agora, or marketplace, in the Namazgah Quarter was originally constructed during the rule of Alexander the Great. What remains today, however, dates from the rebuilding under Marcus Aurelius, after the devastating earthquake of 178 A.D.
The Sirinyer and Yesildere Aqueducts, two examples of Roman engineering which span the Meles River, supplied Izmir's water throughout Byzantine and Ottoman eras.
An 18th century Ottoman inn, the Kizlaragasi Han, a fine example of the architecture of the period, is being restored to its former state.
The symbol of Izmir, the Saat Kulesi, or clock tower, stands in Konak Square, in the heart of the city. A gift from the Sultan Abdulhamid, and built in 1901, it is decorated in an elaborate, late Ottoman style.
Recently restored old houses fill the old quarter known as Karatas.
Hydraulic elevators, Asansor, provide access between the lower and upper streets and are now being reconstructed. The internationally renowned singer, Dario Moreno, had a house in this district that is being restored for conversion into a museum.
If you find yourself on Havra Sokak, notice the old buildings and synagogues.
Hisar Mosque is the largest and oldest in Izmir. Build in the 16th century, with restorations in the 19th century, it has a delightful interior with an interesting mimber (pulpit) and mihrab( altar). Leave a Comment
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IMAMBAYILDI: Cut stems of eggplants leaving 2 1/2 cm (1 inch) long part uncut. Pare in stripes. Brown lightly on all sides in olive oit (or just saute in a covered pan for 15 minutes until tender). Remove from pan. Reserve drippings. Arrange egg plants in a baking dish side by side. Split each lengthwise with a tablespoon leaving 2 1/2 cm (1 inch) space unsplit on both ends. Set aside. Cut onions in half. Slice into 1 1/2-2 mm thick slices. Add to drippings. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Dice tomato- es, reserving one. Stir in onions. Simmer for 2 minutes. Blend in crushed garlic and fınely chop- ped parsley: mix. Season with salt and sugar. Fill eggplants with mixture. Cut reserved tomato into 6 wedges. Top eggplants with tomato wedges. Add hot water gradually from one corner of a baking dish. Cover with alu- minium foil. Bake in a moderate oven for 40-45 minutes (or simmer over low heat for 50 minutes or until tender). Serve cold.
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Regional Characteristics:
BAYILDI means 'Fainted', IMAM means 'Preacher'. So the true meaning of this dish is 'Preacher Fainted '. It is prepared in the western part of the country and served for lunch or supper as a side dish. There are several kinds of eggplant grown in Turkey. They come in different sizes and shapes. However 1 medium size weighs about 160-170 gr.
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Turkish coffee is a typical coffee in Balkan countries, in middle east and north Africa. The preparation is to boil some finely powdered roast coffee beans in a small pot, sometimes with sugar, and serving it into a small cup (like espresso in Italy), where the dregs settle.
Usually it served with cold water and a lokum. Watch out! Don’t drink it all! The thick layer of sludgy grounds at the bottom of the cup is left behind.
Traditionally, the pot is made of copper and has a wooden handle. It’s a good idea to bring back home a traditional small pot for Turkish coffee. Very typical local thing and useful too. I found many of them in the bazaar.
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Shoes’ cleaning in the streets! I remember this custom from old greek movies but it’s really fun to see it in Turkey in our days. People still like to have clean black shoes. In Greece we prefer to buy new ones every 2 months! How stupid we are sometimes….
Anyway, another Turkish custom about shoes is this:
If you are invited into a Turkish house, remember to put off your shoes just outside or immediately inside the door. And of course have to put off your shoes when entering a mosque.
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This is a very old custom, which we also had in Greece, but now it disappeared. But in Turkey still you may see very often on the roads people that they clean shoes. This photo is from Kizlaragazi han, the old Bazzar of Izmir. Leave a Comment
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