the cleanliness of their kitchen and the skills of their cook, especially in meals of fish and meat. This type of meyhane had tall ceilings. There was also a barrel that came from Malta or Aegean islands. On the tables there were candlesticks. The meze plates were put around them. The chairs were usually short and wooden. Safa meyhanesi is the only meyhanesi today that has the same interior design as the old days. After the 1830s, Yedikule, Samatya, Kocamustafapaşa, Kumkapı, Fener, Balat, Galata, Ortaköy Arnavutköy, Tarabya, Büyükdere, Çengelköy, Üsküdar and Kadıköy became popular with their meyhane. Until the 1850s, clients preferred wine to rakı; however in those years rakı became more popular and thus meyhane changed to a place where people drank rakı. Cuisine A typical menu in a meyhane: Haydari Cacık Patlıcan salatası (eggplant salad) Semizotu with garlic yogurt sauce Pilaki (beans) White cheese Melon Seafood; octopus, shrimp, marinated sea bass Wine Rakı References Turkish culture Iranian culture Balkan culture Types of drinking establishment