Food and drink
Meze, rakı and coffee on a cruise
What meze are, how rakı is served and why Turkish coffee is on UNESCO's list, so you know what a Bosphorus dinner cruise puts on the table.
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A Bosphorus dinner usually opens with meze, small dishes served as appetizers, and ends with fruit. Rakı is an anise-flavoured grape spirit, served diluted with water so that it turns milky white. Turkish coffee, brewed slowly in small cups, is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. Soft drinks, Turkish coffee and tea are part of the ticket, while alcohol depends on the option.
Meze
Meze are small dishes served as appetizers in the cuisines of the eastern Mediterranean, and the word reached English from Turkish, where it means appetizer. A meze course may open a multi-course meal or make a meal of its own, and it is often served with spirits such as rakı. On a dinner cruise, the opening plate is a meze or starter plate, and the ticket says the evening caters to vegetarian, pescetarian and halal requirements. The dishes change with the operator and the season, which is why this guide does not list them.
Rakı
Rakı is an alcoholic drink made from twice-distilled grape pomace and flavoured with aniseed. It is a national drink of Turkey, and it is popular as an aperitif and with seafood or meze. It is served diluted with water, which turns it milky white. Under the Turkish standard, its alcohol content must be at least 40 per cent. One operator's package lists rakı among its unlimited local alcoholic drinks, with imported spirits charged extra, so check the drinks line of the option you pick.
Turkish coffee and tea
Turkish coffee and tea come with the ticket. In 2013 UNESCO inscribed Turkish coffee culture and tradition on its heritage list. Its entry describes beans that are roasted fresh, ground fine and brewed slowly on a stove with cold water and sugar, then served in small cups beside a glass of water. The coffee is a symbol of hospitality and friendship, so on a cruise it is the sociable way to end the meal, with the show carrying on around you.
Drinks by option
Soft drinks are unlimited on the ticket, and unlimited alcoholic drinks belong to some options only. Extra alcoholic drinks are available to buy, and tips are not part of the ticket. The rule for choosing is short: if you want to drink a lot, pick the unlimited-alcohol option and read its name, and if you want to drink little, pick the soft-drinks option and add a single drink if you feel like it. Do not assume that a cheaper-looking option includes the same drinks as another.
An evening without alcohol
The cruise works well for guests who do not drink. Soft drinks without limit, Turkish coffee and tea come with the ticket, so the soft-drinks option gives you everything except the alcohol, and the show and the view are the same. The dinner does not depend on alcohol, and the courses are the same. If your party is mixed, pick one option for everyone so that you can sit together, then let each person order what they like, bearing in mind that extra alcoholic drinks are charged on board.
Special diets
The ticket says the evening caters to vegetarian, pescetarian and halal requirements. Choose the correct line in the booking form, and use the notes field for any other need such as an allergy. A VIP menu and a standard menu are offered, and the lounge seating on the upper deck does not change the menu. Guests with strict requirements should say so at booking, not at the table, because a dining room serving many tables needs time to prepare a different plate.
Frequently asked questions
What is meze?
A selection of small dishes served as appetizers in eastern Mediterranean cuisines. The word comes from Turkish.
How is rakı drunk?
Diluted with water, which turns it milky white, usually with meze or seafood.
Is Turkish coffee included?
Yes. Turkish coffee and tea are part of the ticket, along with unlimited soft drinks.
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