… Afternoon tea is a sweet relief
The Turks love their tea, morning, noon and night, before and after meals and, well, pretty much all the time. There is, however, a special time of the day, as in the case in many cultures, in which an afternoon tea is warranted a little more respect. Along with the tea, a slice of cake is usually served in homes and in hotels, the latter as a gesture to make people feel at home. When I say cake, I mean a particular style of loaf-shaped cake that is actually less sweet and moist than what other types of cake can be. Turkish teatime cakes tend to be flakier (read drier) and more refined in flavor, whether it be chocolate-based, lemon or orange or what-have-you. Nonetheless, a slice of Turkish “kek” as it is referred to in Turkey, is subtly satisfying and goes great accompanied by a warm cup of tea.
In lieu of cake, there is another tea-time tradition here in Turkey, and that is to drink your afternoon brew accompanied by the bite-sized cookies that are sold in every patisserie in the nation. Classified as “tuzlu” for salty or savory and “tatlı” for sweet, these delightful snacks are purchased by the kilo by households to have something to offer to guests to snack on. Packaged in paper boxes, a selection of said cookies also serves as an excellent gift when going as a guest to someone’s home…
