Wildlife

Turkey has lots of wildlife that we’d find very scary in Britain: wild bears, jackals, lynx (wild cats), wild boars, wolves and even leopards. A particularly rare animal that lives in Turkey is the Van cat. It looks very unusual, with pure white fur and different coloured eyes - one blue and one green.

However, you're more likely to see plenty of cows, pigs, goats, horses, donkey and sheep in the countryside. Turkish shepherds are extremely proud of their powerful, fierce, Kangal sheep dogs which guard their flocks from the waiting wolves.

Turkish bird life is also varied, with eagles, vultures and storks, as well as particularly rare species such as the bald ibis.

Food

Turkish food is influenced by Turkey’s location between the Middle East, Europe and the Mediterranean: it is made up of a mixture of all of these styles of cooking.

You have probably tried Turkish food already. If you haven’t, you may well do in the future. This is because Turkey’s most famous dish is also a favourite in Britain – the kebab. ‘Shish kebab’ – lamb grilled on a skewer – is the most popular kebab, although in Turkey there are hundreds of different varieties. The Turks eat a lot of lamb and fish, while the aubergine is the number one vegetable.

As well as exciting ingredients and tastes, the Turks also have some exciting names for their food. Have you ever heard of ‘imam bayildi’? It is a dish made from stuffed aubergine, and ‘iman bayildi’ means 'the priest fainted' in Turkish! Are there any British recipes with such strange names?

‘Mezes’ are another popular dish in Turkey, and are great for vegetarians. A meze is like a selection of lots of different starters, including cold, baked aubergine with onion and tomato (imam bayildi), and stuffed vegetables (dolma)

Turkish desserts are very sweet. They usually include fruit, nuts and pastry, and are often soaked in honey.

The national drink is called ‘çay’ and is a type of tea. It is made in beautiful, large pots, and drunk black without milk. The Turks also love coffee, drinking it black and very strong.

Sport

Wrestling is a traditional and popular sport in Turkey. Along with weightlifting, wrestling is the sport that Turkey usually wins medals for at the Olympics. Turkish wrestling is certainly very different from the kind we tend to see on TV today.

The Turks have enjoyed wrestling for a very long time – the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Tournament has been held every year for over 630 years! In this time, the rules have changed very little. The wrestlers oil their bodies with olive oil before each wrestling bout, making it harder to grab onto each other. After that, it’s pretty simple: you have to hold your opponent's shoulders on the floor, or make him submit. It’s a very rough and physical sport, but the Turks take it seriously, and are very honest. Hardly any cheating happens in Turkish wrestling, unlike many western sports.

Hundreds of wrestlers take part in tournaments, including children. The two wrestlers who get through to the final wrestle for the Gold Belt, made from solid gold. This final match can sometimes last for several hours!

Do you think you would enjoy wrestling?

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