Functional and traditional nonalcoholic beverages in Turkey

Abstract

Traditional food is defined as a food having specific property, which differentiate it evidently from other similar foods in the way of the utilization of conventional ingredients or traditional composition or traditional type of manufacturing and/or processing method. Traditional foods are important elements of cultural heritage. They support the development and sustainability of countryside and lead to significant product differentiation potential for food manufacturers. Since ancient times, different fermented and unfermented traditional beverages including tea, coffee, ayran, kefir, shalgam juice, boza, salep, lemonade, gilaburu juice, etc. have been consumed. Raw materials such as myriad fresh fruits, plant seed, dried barks, flowers, roots, cereals, dairy products, and water have been used for preparation of those traditional beverages. Moreover, sherbets are known as popular traditional beverage, made from a mixture of a variety of fruits (tamarind, date, pomegranate, cranberry, red grape, rosehip, locust bean, etc.), spices (black cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove, etc.), and flowers (rose leaves, carnation, etc.), and further sweetened with the addition of honey or sugar. Traditional beverages have been drunk for quenching thirst or providing delight, and some are consumed for cultural and religious ritual, as well as for also used as a curing agent in medicine due to its health benefits. The main ingredients of those traditional beverage are well known to be rich sources of antioxidant components that may provide protection against oxidative damage, and thereby reducing risk of several degenerative diseases, lowering total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, improving intestinal flora, and having antimicrobial activity. Therefore, those traditional beverages could certainly be considered as a promising functional drink which could regain their popularity among health-conscious consumers. Recent researches are supporting their nutraceutical and therapeutic effects as well. This chapter highlights composition of Turkish traditional beverages and their preparation methods. Moreover, recent research findings on their functional properties are discussed.