The belief of the Mother Goddess was dominant in Catalhoyuk, the oldest known Metropolis in Central Anatolia and in other civilizations in Anatolia. With the transition to settled life and belief in the Mother Goddess, people started farming. They started to store the barley and wheat they had grown (6000 BC). They realized that the barley in the storage was exposed to rain water over time and the taste of the water was different after it was fermented naturally itself. People developed the fermentation by trial and began to produce fermented water and use it on their dining tables. Today we call this fermented water, which they use as a table drink beer. In the period when the Hittites dominated Anatolia, polytheistic religions began to be believed. In this period, wine consumption began in religious ceremonies and tables in addition to beer. In the later period, as a result of the Aegean migrations and Greek colonization, polytheistic religions were again believed and wine was the most consumed beverage.

After the Turks entered Anatolia, the Kam belief became effective. Of course, the traditional drinks of Turks, sherbet, ayran, kumiss and raki have become the most consumed drinks. The consumption of alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and raki decreased with the conversion of the Turks (who were the rulers of Anatolia) to Islam. The reason for this is that we now have a monotheistic belief and alcohol consumption is against Islamic belief. However, despite being a Turkish state, Anatolia is like a mosaic. In other words, there are people from almost every culture, every race and every faith. People respect the beliefs of others, and even in the same city, you can hear the sounds of the bells while the adhan is being read. Or, on the one hand, while the Ramadan is celebrated, on the other hand, you can come across the Jews who accompany them during iftar.

In our other articles, we will talk about multiculture and old beliefs that have settled in our current beliefs…

Stay tuned….