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Kar Şerbeti – Turkey’s Perfect Hot Weather Refreshment

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There is nothing better than seeing one of these signs in the Fethiye hot, summer months of July, August and September. When the weather is like this and you are dragging your weary body around the Tuesday market in Fethiye, the Kar Şerbeti sign is very welcome – think sighting of an oasis in the desert.

Kar Şerbeti Ice Drink

Welcome sight in hot weather

Kar‘ means ‘snow’ and ‘şerbet‘ means, well, ‘sherbet.’ Kar şerbeti is actually a handmade slush and on Tuesday, when we sat down to have one at the market, it was money well spent. Fruity ice on a roasting hot day; no comparison.

The three plastic bottles in the photo contain the fruit juices for the kar şerbeti. This particular stall has a choice of cherry, lemon and pekmez. Pekmez is the syrup of boiled down fruits with probably the most common fruit being grapes. This stall sells the grape pekmez.

Making Kar Şerbeti Slush

The ice is ground by hand to make a slush

No Slush Puppy machinery for a kar şerbeti. No, no, no, no. The big sack on the left hand side of the photograph is encasing a huge block of ice. When someone orders a kar şerbeti, a chunk of ice is chiselled off, placed in the metal bowl (like a pestle and mortar) and the lady expertly grinds it until it resembles slush.

The crushed ice is tipped into glasses, a glug of your chosen juice poured over the top and your kar şerbeti is served to you with a plastic spoon.

Turkish Slush Puppy

Cherry and pekmez kar şerbeti – so refreshing

And why is this superior to slush made in a machine? Well it just tastes home made. You get some little chunks of ice as well as your slush and you get some bits that are more fruity than others. And if you’re reading this, sitting in a hot country, well, how good do those kar şerbetleri look right now? 

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Turkey's For Life

Wednesday 20th of June 2012

@ theinterpreOr: That's interesting. Will have to look into that one more. Thanks a lot for your comment. :)

theinterpretOr

Wednesday 20th of June 2012

it is actually snow from mountains collected even in summer

Turkey's For Life

Tuesday 19th of June 2012

@ Lilli: They're just wonderful in this hot weather aren't they? Been tempted to have two kar şerbeti in the past but my friend got stomach ache when she tried to do two! Too much cold! :)

Lilli

Tuesday 19th of June 2012

I had a cherry-flavoured one at the Camkoy pazar on Sunday...delish!

Turkey's For Life

Friday 23rd of July 2010

I wish I had one right now, Janet!! Very hot. I wonder if it's a village thing Barbara and that's why you haven't seen it? Will have to ask around.

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