Rakı gastronomy is based on the harmony between the flavour of the food and the rakı. However, the most important thing to remember is to savour the rakı slowly, and in good company. Considering the effort and patience that goe into every single drop of rakı, the ideal setting is a warm, pleasant conversation. This means that along with the delicious food you serve your guests, you offer another congenial accompaniment to every bite.

1. Funda Inansal
harmony between
rakı and food
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2. Funda Güzelmeriç Inansal
Funda Güzelmeriç Inansal founded her own business with the advertising sector experience she gained in
Ajans Ultra during her university years in 1990. Her company was active in glass production and export for
10 years in Turkey. Simultaneously she marketed her products internationally with her important partner
active in foreign trade in Hong Kong. She took place in the founding period of Konya Cam as founding
shareholder. In addition to her other business activities, in 1995 she entered the food & beverage sector
and she took the first steps by franchising international restaurant chains in this area which she was
interested in. She opened the restaurants such as Chez Bouvier, Santa Lucia and Belgo in Turkey.
She has had his expertise in food and beverage sector by the trainings she got abroad and she has been
still transferring her expertise to the sector with her consultancy firm, Dude Table which is very different
from traditional consultancy firms by creating its own creative gastronomy projects such as Restaurant
Week for the companies as a solution partner. She has been aiming to take Turkish cuisine to higher levels
on the international platform by her “LocalisBeautiful” project.
Funda Güzelmeriç Inansal, who has been taking part in a lot of social responsibility projects in education
and creative thinking, is one of the founders of Creative Children Association and board of trustees
member of Cappadocia Vocational School of Higher Education.

3. 01
Basic rules
Naturally, rakı gastronomy is based on the harmony between the flavour of the food and the rakı. How-
ever, the most important thing to remember is to savour the rakı slowly, and in good company. Consid-
ering the effort and patience that goe into every single drop of rakı, the ideal setting is a warm, pleasant
conversation. This means that along with the delicious food you serve your guests, you offer another
congenial accompaniment to every bite.
The matter of matching flavours to rakı may be approached in one of two ways:
“Matching Tastes,” and “Opposites Attract.”
An example of the ‘matching tastes’ approach is Fennel in Olive Oil. Ceviche, on the other hand, achieves
the perfect harmony with rakı through contrast.
There are three important factors affecting the harmony between rakı and food, although cooking tech-
nique is also of importance.
Alcohol content
Oil (in the anise seed)
Aromas from the grapes and anise
It would not be right to examine the effects of these three factors seperately. Only by assessing how these
three factors affect this harmony together, can you strike the perfect balance.

4. 1) Aroma
The factors affecting aroma depend on the quality of the suma from which the rakı is produced. Suma
is made from grapes and/or raisins, and the combination affects the aroma. If only raisins are used, a
fuller, more complex aroma is achieved. If only or mainly fresh grapes are used, fresh and fruity aromas
predominate.
‘Opposites attract’ is an effective approach to food harmony. For example, the sweetness of the suma
in rakı complements the contrasting bitter flavours.
The level of anise is another factor affecting aroma. The higher the anise content is, the sweeter the
flavour becomes. We can use both the ‘matching tastes’ and ‘opposites attract’ methods. For example,
the harmony between fruits and Tekirdağ Gold, which is very sweet due to its high anise level, is a ‘com-
plementary tastes’ combination. Smoked fish roe would be a good example of the ‘opposites attract’
method.
2) Oil
The oiliness of rakı is due to its anise content. The high anise oil content causes a fine film to form in
the mouth when you drink rakı. To harmonize with rakı, complex flavours of equal strength are needed.
3) Alcohol content
The alcohol content of rakı is due to the suma. Rakı’s high alcohol content makes the ratio of water
mixed with it important.
The amount of alcohol is the determining factor in rakı’s body. Consequently, the higher the alcohol
content of the rakı, the more complex the flavours that can be served with it.
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5. 03
Cooking technique and harmony
Cooking methods have a significant effect on the harmony between food and rakı. Even though the
ingredients may be the same, dishes prepared with different cooking techniques harmonize differently
with different types of rakı.
Frying is more suited to Yeni Rakı (‘New Rakı’), which is felt in the throat due to its alcohol-anise balance
and alcohol content. Grilled dishes harmonise better with Tekirdağ Gold and Âlâ, unless strong spices
are used, and the meal incluldes fatty, spicy food on the side. For baked food, the harmony between
seared and roasted meats with Tekirdağ Gold or Âlâ is excellent. Oven-baked fish harmonises better with
Tekirdağ Gold. While food baked in a casserole generally harmonises well with Yeni Rakı, the ingredients
used are an important factor.

6. 04
Not only cooking techniques, but preservation methods as well,
are important in creating harmonies. For example, pickled fruit and
vegetables, fish stored in brine and smoked fish harmonise with rakı
according to the ‘opposites attract’ principle.
Molecular harmony
Meals prepared using the ‘matching’ method with ingredients having
similar molecular structures to that of anise are the meals most
compatible with rakı.
For example; the components in the molecular structure of the
Apiaceae (parsley family), Asteraceae (daisy family) and Lamiaceae
(mint family) are similar to those in anise, itself a member of the
Apiaceae. Thus, dishes containing fennel, coriander and dill, also in
the Apiaceae, as well as chives, tarragon (Asteraceae), basil and mint
(Lamiaceae), are some examples of foods that strike a good harmony
with rakı through the ‘matching flavours’ approach.
Cardamom, red chilli pepper, cinnamon, garlic and onion are some other
examples of aromatics with complementary tastes.
The main fruits and vegetables compatible with rakı in terms of molecular
structure include fennel, celery, apples, beetroot, carrots, citrus fruits, ,
coconuts, blueberries, figs, peaches and pomegranates.
Personal preferences are of course very important. A flavour thought to
beverycompatibletoonepersonmaynotseemsocompatibletoanothe.

7. BASIC HARMONY MAP
Five groups of basic harmony characteristics also guide
rakı gastronomy:
• Red meat, offal, game, deli meats
• White meat (chicken, turkey)
• Seafood
• Dairy products
• Legumes
• Fruit and vegetables
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8. Lamb
Lamb, especially chops, etc., must be consumed immediately after cooking with its fat on. However
conversation, and enjoying food and rakı slowly is the most important part of drinking ritual. When the
fat congeals, this may cause the meat to lose its flavour, adversely affecting its harmony with the rakı.
Smoked lamb in the form of cold cuts would be an ideal starter
meze for rakı. If the lamb is to be served warm, it should be
chopped into small cubes and grilled on short skewers. It is
recommended that this dish is served as a ‘hot starter,’ served
after a cold meze in rakı gastronomy.
All the ingredients used in marinades and cooking are factors that increase or decrease the harmony.
Creative chefs can turn the most incompatible ingredients into a perfectly-flavoured dish to go with
rakı.
Lamb kokoreç (grilled intestines) has a special flavour. When cooked with chilli and spices, it is
compatible with rakı as a ‘hot starter’.
Lamb liver can be served either as a hot starter or as a cold meze. Lightly floured lamb pieces can be
sautéed in a pan and alongside a bean salad with parsley and onions. Thin slices of liver can be left to
absorb their own juices in the pan, and served as hot starters with caramelised onions on the side.
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9. Lamb sweetbreads can be sautéed and seasoned with red pepper flakes,
oregano, etc. as a hot starter.
Lamb neck is simmered with fragrant vegetables (bouquet garni), deboned and
moulded, and then cooled. It can be served in thin slices as a cold meze. After
the neck is simmered and cut, it may be mixed with lamb’s brains and chilled. This
can also be served as a special rakı meze.
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10. Lamb’s brains are a traditional rakı meze. They are boiled and seasoned
with salt and pepper. They can also be served with toasted bread on the
side.
Lamb’s tongue can be served chilled and sliced as a cold meze. Smoked
tongue is another delicious cold meze for rakı.
Minced lamb adds flavour to patties, but these are never made from
100% lamb. Meatballs on skewers as hot starters or grilled patties as the
main course are compatible with rakı.
Lamb shank is boiled. Cold cuts are also served as a cold meze on brown
bread.
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11. 09
Veal
Although veal has a low fat content, due to its
fat veining it loses its flavour when it gets cold
as rakı is drunk slowly. Medium-rare tenderloins,
however, will make a fine accompaniment to rakı
because they stay moist.
When marinated and roasted in the oven, tenderloins stay moist, and the
aromatics used in the marinade add flavour to the overall taste. On the
other hand, when fried, they can be sliced into strips and served as hot
starters to be eaten immediately rather than as a main course.
Braised veal can also be eaten cold and is therefore compatible with rakı.
Sautéed fennel or wild leeks alongside a rib steak as the main course help
achieve more harmony.
Boiled veal cheeks are perfect served cold as a meze or as a main course.
Rounds of beef can be boiled and served cold in slices, but are also a
good accompaniment for rakı in small portions as cold meze.
Roast veal complements rakı well as a cold starter due to its preparation
method and the spices used.

12. Veal’s tongue can be served sliced as a cold meze.
Smoked tongue is also a delicious cold meze with rakı.
Veal patties can be served as warm starters or as the
main course, but it is recommended that they contain a
certain amount of fatty lamb meat.
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13. Game
Roasted or smoked duck breast is compatible with rakı as a cold meze.
Baked or sun-dried goose breast can be thinly sliced and
served as a meze.
Duck liver and foie gras are also starters compatible with rakı.
Roasted quail goes well with rakı.
Boiled and sliced quail’s eggs served with garlic yoghurt
harmonise with rakı.
Roasted deer tenderloins go well with rakı.
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14. Deli meats
Smoked and cured meats are served cold and harmonise with rakı with
their contrasting strong flavours.
Cured meat and pickled gherkins are a perfect fit.
Thinly sliced smoked roast beef can be served as a cold meze or as
a starter combined with a mayonnaise-based sauce, bread and thinly
sliced chives.
Pan-fried sujuk made from various kinds of meat and rakı-compatible
spices can be served as a hot starter. Alternatively, cold sujuk varieties
are also compatible with rakı.
Pastrami is one of the classic rakı mezes when served cold. To serve
pastrami hot, it can be pan-fried or cooked using the En Papillotte
method.
Veal bacon can be served cold or crispy and hot.
Smoked tongue is one of the cold deli meats most compatible with rakı.
Thinly sliced lamb salami goes well with rakı as a meze.
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15. 13

16. Dishes and mezes prepared with chicken do not
play a major role in rakı gastronomy. Despite
that, there many compatible chicken dishes
from around the world made with a variety of
cooking methods and ingredients.
HARMONY BETWEEN RAKI AND WHITE MEAT
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17. Chicken and turkey breast cold cuts
Thinly sliced chicken breast may be served with spicy olive oil and a walnut sauce.
The classic meze known as ‘Circassian chicken’ is prepared with similar ingredients.
Smoked chicken/turkey breast
This can be served in thin slices as an appetiser or as a starter meze.
Grilled chicken
Since the hot spices used in the marinade increase the harmony, chicken wings and chicken
chops can be served as a main course accompanying rakı.
Roast chicken
Either cold or warm sliced roast chicken or turkey can accompany rakı.
Chicken liver and chicken hearts
Sautéed chicken liver and hearts are served as a ‘hot starter’ dish in rakı gastronomy.
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18. HARMONY BETWEEN RAKI AND SEAFOOD
The harmony between rakı and fish is one of the
most important topics in rakı gastronomy.
In terms of harmony with rakı, cooking techniques are as important as
the white/red meat distinction.
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19. Pan-fried thin fillets of fish
or fish sautéed in butter can
also accompany rakı as a main
course.
Small fish can be grilled and served as a hot appetiser in small portions.
White fish is compatible when breaded and fried. The harmony is also
increased when the fish is boiled and served cold with olive oil and fresh
herbs.
Salted fish and smoked fish also go well with rakı as cold mezes.
Fish carpaccio is served as a cold meze.
Ceviche is a compatible contrast (opposites attract), and can be served
as a cold meze or a starter.
Smoked fish roe is served with butter and toast on the side.
Anchovy pâté is a good contrasting appetiser.
Shrimp is compatible as a cold starter or meze.
Baked shellfish (oysters, sand mussels, scallops, etc.) harmonise with
rakı as hot starters, and oysters can also be served cold with rakı.
Boiled saltwater or freshwater crayfish go well with rakı when chilled.
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20. HARMONY BETWEEN
RAKI AND DAIRY PRODUCTS
Cheese
Cheese is considered to be the most important element in rakı gastronomy.
In the drinking ritual, the fresh, full-fat, semi-hard ‘Ezine cheese,’ made from
a mixture of cow’s and sheep’s milk, is compatible with rakı, and this pairing is
considered inseparable.
Cheese served with or as a dessert is a good accompaniment to Yeni Rakı Âlâ or Yeni Rakı.
Milk
This is used in mezes and dishes made with a white sauce, as well as desserts made from milk and eaten
last at the rakı table.
Traditional dairy-based desserts such as rice pudding are served in small portions. If the texture and
aroma are suitable, spices such as cinnamon or star anise enhance the harmony. Crème caramel and
crème brûlée prepared with milk and cream, and especially versions including chopped fruit, go well with
rakı.
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21. Yoghurt
Yoghurt and mezes prepared with yoghurt coat the stomach, easing the effects
of the alcohol and are excellent with rakı.
Cacık (tzatziki) made from yoghurt and finely chopped cucumbers and water is
an indispensable part of rakı gastronomy.
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22. You can prepare mezes for rakı by mixing blanched vegetables such
as carrots, celery root, spinach, fresh herbs, etc. with yoghurt and light
mayonnaise.
For the yoghurt meze called ‘Haydari,’ another indispensable item of the
traditional rakı table, the yoghurt is strained and mixed with garlic, dried
mint and dill.
You can fry your favourite vegetables and serve them hot or cold with
yoghurt (with or without yogurt) and tomato sauce.
Raw vegetables with a dipping sauce of fresh herbs can also be used to
prepare very harmonious aperitif dishes.
Cream
This is added as a stabiliser in some desserts served with
rakı. Especially in the case of desserts made from fruit, its
creamy texture adds flavour and supports the harmony
with rakı.
It can also be added to cheese dip sauces prepared for use in appetisers.
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23. Vegetable mezes are an integral part of
rakı gastronomy, fresh spices and herbs are
important in making vegetable mezes more
compatible with rakı.
HARMONY BETWEEN RAKI AND FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
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24. 22
Vegetables cooked in olive oil
Cold mezes of vegetables cooked with olive oil, such as beans, leeks, red beans, celery, aubergines,
courgettes, artichokes, broad beans are not only excellent accompaniments to rakı, but the oil lines the
stomach and slows the effects of the rakı.
Stuffed vegetables in olive oil are wonderful rakı mezes. These include peppers, vine leaves or cabbage
leaves stuffed with rice, herbs and currants, and cooked with olive oil.
Grilled vegetables with olive oil or an aromatic
garlic sauce are also served as mezes. The most
suitable vegetables for this are aubergines, red
capia peppers, bell peppers and tomatoes.
Onions and whole garlic cloves can be served as a garnish with baked dishes since they go well with rakı.

25. Aubergine salad made from grilled aubergines in particular is one of the classic meze dishes. A warm
version made with the addition of tomatoes and grilled peppers is called ‘söğürme.’.
It can be served with rakı as a garnish for main courses of grilled aubergines mixed with white sauce. Due
to its pleasant velvety texture, it is sometimes called ‘aubergine caviar.’
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26. Sautéed fresh herbs
Fresh seasonal herbs from different regions can be sautéed (onions and garlic) or served with garlic
yoghurt as a rakı meze. These include chicory, nettles, mallow, sorrel and others.
Pickles are made from different vegetables and by different methods depending on the country. In
some countries, some fruits are even pickled. Pickles are considered a good accompaniment for rakı.
Cucumbers, cabbage and peppers are the most common ingredients, and can be served when rakı is
drunk as an aperitif before a meal.
Raw vegetables can be served, especially with
dipping sauces, as crudités when rakı is drunk as
an aperitif, for example, cucumbers, celery sticks,
carrots, courgettes, and chicory. Cheese and
yoghurt sauces go well with rakı.
Purslane mixed with garlic-infused yoghurt can be served raw or blanched as a cold starter. A similarly
prepared yoghurt sauce can be served with vegetables like celeriac and carrots to go with rakı.
Salads, tomatoes and cucumbers with an olive oil dressing are an indispensable part of the rakı table.
A salad made from cucumbers, red peppers, tomatoes and onions and served with an olive oil and
lemon dressing is called a ‘shepherd’s salad.’ This kind of salad is especially popular on rakı tables. In
some countries, feta cheese is also added to these salads.
Salads made with grilled vegetables, arugula and tomatoes also go well with rakı.
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27. Classics like Niçoise and Caesar salads go well with rakı in terms of the ingredients
and sauces used.
The absence of vinegar in salads made with cold smoked meats and fish facilitate
their pairing with rakı.
Recently, vegetable sprouts and ‘micro herbs’ used in cooking have also been
served with suitable sauces.
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28. Rakı and melon
Melon is the most important fruit in rakı gastronomy. Typically served along with feta
cheese, it is an old friend of the traditional rakı table. It forms a perfect harmony with
rakı. A piece of cheese and a small slice of melon are an ideal way to set off the taste
and aroma of rakı.
HARMONY BETWEEN RAKI AND FRUIT
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29. Fruit is the best accompaniment for rakı,
especially if it is drunk as an aperitif or at a bar.
The fruits most preferred are, depending on the season, melons, apples, quinces, pomegranates, green
plums and figs. Other fruits may also be served depending on the country.
Desserts prepared with glazed fruit can be served with cream on the side or with fresh cheese, which is
easy on the stomach. Quinces in thick syrup dressed with cream and oven-baked pumpkin in syrup are
two examples. Desserts from other countries such as poached pears also go well with rakı.
Sauces prepared with ingredients such as honey not cooked with the fruit, and desserts served with
walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, as well as frozen yoghurt, are compatible with rakı. Desserts can also
be served in a variety of ways. For example, smoked pineapple slices served with Roquefort cheese and
caramelised walnuts can accompany rakı. Cheese and dry or fresh figs with pomegranate sauce also
go well with rakı.
A parfait made with frozen fruit to finish the meal is a perfect accompaniment to rakı at the end of the
night.
Desserts featuring either dried or fresh fruit such as figs and apricots with a side of cheese or cream
also go well with rakı.
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30. Legumes are frequently used as meze or salad
ingredients in rakı gastronomy.
HARMONY BETWEEN RAKI AND LEGUMES
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31. Mashed broad beans are served with olive oil and dill dressing.
‘Piyaz’ salad made from white beans can be served with meatballs and rakı.
Cold mezes made from bulgur and fresh herbs and spices can be served with a squeeze of lemon and olive
oil dressing.
Black-eyed beans can be boiled and served with spring onions and an olive oil dressing as a delicious cold
meze together with rakı.
Hummus, made from chickpeas and tahini, has a place in many cuisines.
Lentil patties made from boiled red lentils, spring onions and fresh aromatics go well with rakı.
A boiled green lentil salad is another good cole meze for rakı.
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