Let us take these as the Turkish national drinks, the other being Rakı, which because it is claimed by many lands, will not be the subject of our inquiry. Much like hummus, which actually isn’t very popular here in my region, we can leave the central argument aside, save to mention that doğanay is often consumed in alternation with rakı. Together they make a complexity of notes, the licorice aftertaste of the rakı and the palate cleansing hot peppery flavor of doğanay. I prefer the “acili” version — the word for spicy is only one letter different from the word that labels emergency entrances to hospitals: “ACIL”
I think it fair to say that doğanay is the drink for strong men, at least in my experience, it is not a preferred choice of most other classes. I have written before about tea (çay), about which everyone is fairly well in agreement. I’m laughed at for my morning purchases, often combining things most others have clearly defined rules for consuming.
On the label, doğanay is described in English as “fermented black carrot juice,” but my informants tell me it is actually turnip juice. One often sees one thing and then learns it is another — much is lost in translation. The drink is mysterious and difficult to navigate. The word doğanay, in fact means “moonrise.” It’s auspicious that I write about it now because the nightly moonrise has been spectacular, most recently resembling, exactly, the moon on the ubiquitous Turkish flag.
Yesterday my very literary friend, Yasemin, was distracting me from my work while I was busy on my phone and when she wouldn’t stop, I held up three fingers and told her “to read between the lines.” She doesn’t speak much English, so I translated using translation software and explained both the literary meaning and my more colorful intention. She chuckled knowingly.
Which is very Turkish. I suspect that these drinks, the watery salty yogurt flavor of ayran and the mysterious sometimes shocking taste of moonrise will survive even if its alcoholic cousin goes. This is Turkey, where things go on.
