9 Very curious details about Turkey, according to a Brazilian

Turkey is a fascinating country. The food is delicious, the Turkish bath is very relaxing and the scenery is magnificent. Not to mention the balloon ride over Cappadocia, a real dream! However, there are certain details about the local culture that only those who have set foot there can say, and it is these “little secrets” that we want to unveil today.

O awesome.club spoke with a Brazilian who just returned from Turkey and is ready to tell all the curious details she found there. Check out!

Perhaps it is the proximity to the sea that gives the city of Izmir a peaceful atmosphere, but at the same time, jovial. Strolling along the waterfront of Turkey’s third largest city, I felt at “home”. Despite not having Portuguese stones, the pattern of the sidewalk is the same as in Copacabana. What a coincidence, no?

While Brazilians like a good cup of tea, with a very wide opening, Turkish people tend to use glass cups in the shape of a tulip — as shown in the photo above. This custom is part of their daily lives, so it is very common to see restaurants full of people drinking tea and shopkeepers offering this delicacy to their customers. Ah, another curiosity: be careful not to burn your fingers, because, most of the time, the tea is served boiling.

Flying in a balloon in Cappadocia is really a dream and quite safe, but what many people don’t realize is that to take wonderful pictures and catch the sunrise, you have to wake up in the middle of the night. More precisely, around 3:00 in the morning.

Imagine you arrive at a gas station or a restaurant, go to the bathroom and come across a Turkish basin? Brazilians can be very confused, but a “private” of this type is quite common there. Despite the initial strangeness, it can be considered even more hygienic, since it does not involve the toilet seat. Would you dare to try it?

Zultanite is a gemstone discovered in 1801, typical of the Anatolian region. It has a very special feature, as it is one of the few natural stones that change color. Under sunlight, it shows a variation of greenish tones. However, when exposed to artificial lights, it can even gain reddish and pink tones.

While most Brazilians can’t do without the bread and coffee combo, many Turks like to start the morning in a much healthier way. The traditional breakfast there — known as kahvaltı — includes ingredients that we usually use in salads. Like tomato, cucumber and olives.

It is also common to have various sauces and spreads, to dip the bread. Something I loved trying was the creamy butter, which used to come in a small jar with honey.

That was another coincidence that I thought was amazing: corn being sold as street food. While many Brazilians love to eat it cooked on the beach, in Turkey it is usually made over coals and sold in the middle of the street — especially in summer. In Turkish, the delicacy is called Mısır🇧🇷

A common way to find teas in Brazilian markets is in sachets. We can also put the herbs in an infuser, but I found it curious how tea is sold and consumed in Turkey. The stores present the ingredients in bulk and say the purpose of each one: it can be to relax, do a detox, strengthen the immune system… after you choose your preferred type, they put the tea in a vacuum pack.

The tea preparation method is also different. They put the ingredients directly into the mug and then pour in the boiling water — without using an infuser. Interesting, don’t you think?

Just remembering Turkish sweets makes my mouth water. The Turkish delight or lokum, as they are called, are very tasty and can be very different from anything you’ve tried in Brazil. They have a gelatinous texture and are often made with ingredients like pistachios, hazelnuts, and walnuts. Dessert is usually cut into small cubes, sprinkled with powdered sugar. It’s delicious!

There, you can also find Turkish Baklava. It is a dessert made of puff pastry, which can be filled with nuts, pistachios, honey, among others. Worth a try!

Which curiosity about Turkey did you most like to know? Would you like Brazilians to adopt any of these habits? tell the awesome.club in the comments!