Migros, Istanbul

What to buy here: Raki | Turkish Coffee.

- Raki – The traditional national drink of Turkey. This anise-flavored spirit is also known as Lion’s Milk. It can be drunk straight but is usually drunk with ice and water which turns the clear liquid a milky white color. It is frequently drunk with fish and seafood meals. The beloved Turkish leader, Kemal Ataturk, was known for his fondness of raki and he apparently loved to debate with his friends and advisors over raki late at night. The most popular brand of raki in Turkey is Yeni Raki. You can buy it from any liquor or grocery store in Istanbul for about 40TL per bottle (70cl).

- Turkish Coffee – Coffee originated in the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire developed coffeehouse culture. Turkish coffee involves boiling finely ground coffee in a pot, cezve, with sugar. The coffee powder settles to the bottom of the cup and the top is covered by a layer of foam. After drinking the coffee, Turks turn their cups upside down on their saucers and wait for them to cool. Once cooled, a fortune teller (usually any Turkish woman) “reads” the coffee grounds and predicts the coffee drinker’s future. In order to enjoy Turkish coffee at home you need to buy a Turkish coffee pot, cezve, and the finely powdered Turkish coffee. The best place to buy these items is in a grocery store as the prices are much better than in the tourist markets. The price of a steel, 4-cup cezve is 8TL and the average price for Turkish coffee is just under 2TL/100g in most grocery stores. Migros is a higher-end grocery store with 173 stores in Istanbul alone.

Image Courtesy of Flickr and Spiegel.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Migros
Sight Location: Istanbul, Turkey (See walking tours in Istanbul)
Sight Type: Shopping

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