(Istanbul) Consumed at all hours, everywhere and by everyone in Turkey, the Turkish “çay” (chai, tea) made its entry on Thursday into the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO alongside its Azerbaijani cousin.
“The culture of tea in Azerbaijan and Turkey is an important social practice that demonstrates hospitality, creates and maintains social ties and serves to celebrate important moments in the life of communities,” comments UNESCO in its press release.
Traditionally prepared in a kind of small samovars, two-tiered teapots, Turkish “çay”, black tea served more or less strong according to taste, is drunk from breakfast until late in the evening, in small tulip shape marrying the palm of the hand.
In Turkey’s bazaars and popular streets, tea porters are still legion, sneaking around with their metal trays to serve traders and customers.
Street vendors are also ubiquitous in major Turkish cities.
“The culture of tea is an essential element of the daily life of all strata of society, which provides a strong sense of cultural identity”, explains UNESCO, which also devoted Thursday “the traditional techniques of processing tea and associated social practices in China”.
The UN cultural agency also details the practice of tea in Azerbaijan, noting that “in some regions, some communities add local spices and herbs such as cinnamon, ginger and thyme”.
Tea is part of the same social practice in both countries, the same ritual of hospitality that opens any meeting or rendezvous.
Much of the tea consumed in Turkey is harvested from the verdant hills that stretch as far as the eye can see in the northeast of the country, overlooking the Black Sea.
The famous Turkish coffee – unfiltered and tasted slowly, to the marc – had already been consecrated in 2013 by UNESCO.
Tea consumption has especially exploded since the beginning of the 20th century.e century, when the father of modern Turkey Mustafa Kemal “Atatürk” encouraged it at the expense of coffee to support national production.