Çay culture

Çay is the Turkish word for tea. Çay culture in Türkiye is an important social practice that shows hospitality, builds and maintains social ties, and is used to celebrate important moments in the lives of communities.

Communities primarily harvest and consume black tea. They brew it using a wide variety of kettles, produced using traditional craftsmanship. The drink is served freshly brewed and hot, in pear-shaped cups made from glass, porcelain, faience or silver, and is typically accompanied by sweets, sugar, lemon slices, jams and dried fruits.

Çay culture is an essential part of daily life for all layers of society, providing a strong sense of cultural identity. Those who carry it include tea farmers and harvesters, tearoom owners, tea makers, and the artisans who make the associated tools, utensils and sweets. It was inscribed in 2022 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, jointly by Azerbaijan and Türkiye.