Turkish Trivia
Did you know that?
- about half of all Turkish stockbrokers are women, as are nearly as many doctors, lawyers, professors and bankers (Wall Street Journal, 3/14/1997)
- Turkish women received the right to vote in 1928, before Swiss women did!
- the Turkish army is the second largest in NATO.
- there are now over 250 US companies doing business in Turkey, ranging from Coca Cola, Ford and Citibank to IBM, Pfizer and Kraft foods. (Wall Street Journal, 3/27/1997).
- in Istanbul, you can eat at McDonald’s, Starbuck’s, Wendy’s and Schlotzky’s Deli. Pizza Hut is a local hot spot! You can buy your clothes at Marks & Spencer, and groceries at Migros, a Swiss store.
- in Turkey, you can brush your teeth with Colgate, buy Dexter shoes and Levi’s jeans.
- Turkic people are the 5th largest ethnic group in the world, with more than 160 million people in Turkey and the Turkic states in central Asia.
Turkish Origins of Everyday Things
- Bazaar (pazar) (above): The Covered Bazaar in Istanbul is the world’s first indoor mall, with construction beginning in 1464. The bazaar consists of 58 streets with more than 4,000 shops.
- Coffee (kahve): Introduced to Europe when Austrians found barrels of coffee left behind by the Ottomans after the siege of Vienna.
- Yogurt (yoğurt): Eaten by all Turkic people, believed to promote longevity.
- Kilim (kilim): Handmade flat weave rugs and Turkish rugs
- Tulips (lale): introduced to western Europe in 1554 when sent from the Ottoman palace gardens as gifts. The tulip is a common and beloved motif in Turkish art.
- Backgammon (tavla): Introduced to Britain by the Crusaders who learned it from the Turks.
- Shish kabob (şiş kebab): Grilled meat on a skewer (Şiş=skewer, kebab=grilled food)
- Baklava (baklava): Layers of flaky pastry with a nut filling (walnut or pistachio) and a thin syrup made with water, sugar and lemon juice.
- Angora (Ankara) cats: Beautiful white cats with luxurious fur and eyes of different colors.
- Van cats (pictured at right): These long-haired and sweet-tempered cats from the Lake Van area can swim!
