Turkmen Drinks

Like the rest of Asia, tea tops the list of popular Turkmen drinks. Every household has their own china teapot and cups. Green tea, called gok chai, is drunk year-round, while black tea, or gara chai, is reserved mainly for autumn and wintertime and is generally more popular in western Turkmenistan. When prepared, black tea is often brewed with camel milk over hot coals.

Turkmenistan wines are also very popular. Among the most common are Dashgala, a dessert wine called Yasman-Salyk and the fortified wine Kopetdag. For teetotalers, Berzenghi mineral water is very popular.

Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy a fruit juice called bekmesam, while anyone who appreciates sour milk products should try agaran, made from sourdough and camel’s milk.