Turkish food combines culinary traditions from the people’s nomadic past in Central Asia with influences of the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Guests are usually able to go into a kitchen and choose from the pots if they cannot understand the names of the dishes.

Things to know: Turkey is a secular state and alcohol is widely enjoyed, although during Ramadan it is considered polite for visitors to avoid drinking alcohol in public.

National specialities:
• Meze (starters brought to your table on trays or chosen from glass-fronted refrigerators).
• Shish kebab (pieces of meat threaded on a skewer and grilled).
• Doner kebab (pieces of lamb packed tightly round a revolving spit).
• Dolma (vine leaves or vegetables stuffed with pine nuts and currants).
• Turkish Delight (originally made from dates, honey, roses and jasmine bound by Arabic gum and designed to sweeten the breath after coffee).

National drinks:
• Raki (anisette), known as ’lion’s milk’, which clouds when water is added. Drinking raki is a ritual and is traditionally accompanied by a variety of meze.
• Ayran (a refreshing yoghurt drink).
• Tea.
• Strong black Turkish coffee.
• Turkish beer, red and white wines.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: A service charge is included in hotel and restaurant bills. It is customary to leave a small tip (10 to 12%) for barbers, hairdressers and waiters.

There are nightclubs in most main centres, either Western or Oriental, with music and dancing. There are theatres with concerts in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir and most towns have cinemas. Turkish baths (hamam) are popular. Turks like to dine in tavernas called meyhane, where traditional food is accompanied by folk music and dancing.

Istanbul’s Kapali Carsi Bazaar has jewellery, carpets and antiques for sale. Turkish handicrafts include a rich variety of textiles and embroideries, articles of copper, onyx and tile, mother-of-pearl, inlaid articles, leather and suede products, jewellery and, above all, carpets and kilims. Most of the other cities and larger resorts have a market area where visitors can buy souvenirs and handicrafts.

Shopping hours: Daily 0930-1900 in tourist areas. Closing hours vary, with some shops staying open until midnight. Outside tourist areas shops may close at lunchtime and on Sundays. Istanbul covered market: Mon-Sat 0800-1900 (closed Sunday).