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Pad Thai
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If your not sure what to order at a Thai restaurant you can't go wrong with Pad Thai! Definitely one of the most popular Thai dishes that consists of noodles, dried shrimp, chicken, red chillies, tamarind and thai basil. Some restaurants are now introducing a ‘chilli beef’ pad Thai which gives a whole different texture and flavour to the dish.
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Thai
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Thai Spring Rolls
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Not unlike the Chinese version, these are served in most thai restaurants you come across. Deep fried in pancake rolls, some are vegetarian and others include chicken, duck or prawns with herbs and spices. Usually served with a sweet chilli dip or a sweet plumb sauce, they are delicious as you crunch into the pastry wrapper and reveal the delicious contents!
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Thai
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Tom Yum
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The most famous of Thai soups, Tom Yum is spicy and sour and utterly delicious. Served usually with prawns and chicken, the flavours are created by crushing all the herbs into a paste and stir frying in oil. To make the soup, stock is added and topped off with fresh herbs. Tom Yum Soup is often served with a bowl of steamed rice.
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Thai
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French Onion Soup
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Soft and delicious caramelized onions are steeped in a beautiful broth, laced with cognac and white wine, a truly warming soup that is good at any time of the year. A crouton of bread with cheese melted on the top (usually gruyere) is placed in the middle of the bowl and eaten with the soup, dunked in so that the cheese oozes all the way through the soup!
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French
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Borek
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Eaten mainly as a starter or snack and similar to the Greek spanakopitta, layers of pastry are filled with either spinach and cheese or a spicy minced meat filling. Found in almost all Turkish restaurants and street takeaway vans who also sell kebabs and doner.
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Turkish
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Rillette
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Rillettes are the perfect party food, great for a mid week lunch and fabulous as something to share as part of a meal. Rillettes are made by simmering meats (usually pork, duck or rabbit) for a long time until they are mouth meltingly tender and then mixed into a rich paste. Served with crusty French bread rillettes can also be made from fish such as salmon, trout or smoked fish. We also found a vegetable rillettes made from eggplant and olive - not traditional but an alternative.
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French
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Bouillabaisse
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A rich and deep fish stew made from virtually any fish that you can find, originally made by the Breton and Normandy fisherman at the end of a days’ catch. The fish, heads and tails, are thrown into a huge steaming pot with saffron, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, peppers, celery, you name it. Any amount of fish and shellfish are used, but traditionally the rule is no less than five fish! Served as a steaming bowl with a rouille (a garlic style mayonnaise) and crusty French bread or baguettes.
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French
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Chicken Wings
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Chicken wings – barbecue marinade, spicy chilli marinade and even southern fried coating are predominant in American restaurants. Small wings and even tiny drumsticks are served, skin on with a delicate marinade and a selection of dips, such as barbecue, chilli, blue cheese and lime and pepper. Sometimes chargrilled and other times cooked in the oven and oozing in sauce. Starter portions are usually quite large!
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American
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Meat Loaf
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A staple dish in the USA, meatloaf is usually cooked in the oven and consists of a combination of meats such as minced beef, pork or chicken, laden with onions, herbs and spices and usually served with a gravy or spicy tomato sauce. Sometimes served with fries and salad or even coleslaw or roasted vegetables and even mashed potato, a classic meal eaten in households all over the US.
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American
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Burgers
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What is an American restaurant without burgers? Every US café and restaurant in Australia will serve burgers and plenty of different varieties and toppings. Usually come with bacon, cheese, barbeque sauce, jalapenos, lettuce and tomatoes inside a seeded bun. Other varieties include chilli burgers (served with minced beef) ranch burgers served with blue cheese and Italian burgers served with crisped up pancetta and mozzarella. Side dishes are usually fries and salads.
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American
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Caesar Salad
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Originating in New York, way back in the early 1900’s this salad is served in every restaurant in the US. Crisp Romaine lettuce is served with a parmesan and garlic mayonnaise, anchovies and croutons, with more grated fresh parmesan on the top. Some restaurants also serve this dish with a boiled egg, or serve as a Chicken Caesar Salad.
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American
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Fries or Chips
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Still predominant on menus, chips or fries are served in so many different ways now. Fat chips or skinny fries, curly fries, straight cut or skin-on wedges are all served with various meals or on their own. Some of the fries are served just salted, but others are seasoned with spices such as Cajun, to make them that little bit hotter. Usually served with dips or sauces such as barbecue sauce, ranch dressing or just plain tomato sauce.
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American
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Moussaka
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An oven baked lasagna style dish but with the pasta being replaced by layers of eggplant. In between the layers is a delicious mix of spiced minced lamb with oregano and tomatoes. The whole dish is topped with a béchamel sauce and baked in the oven until the top is bubbling and golden. Some moussakas have a more savoury custard topping. Moussaka is made differently from restaurant to restaurant and can include sliced courgettes or part fried potato slices, depending on the chef’s recipes.
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Greek
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Kleftiko
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A joint of lamb, usually a whole leg which has been slow roasted until it falls of the bone. Cooked with garlic, lemon, potatoes and onions with plenty of oregano and thyme and tomatoes. Often the lamb is wrapped in paper and sealed to keep in the flavour and left for many hours on a low heat. Very delicious and very Greek!
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Greek
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Spanakopita
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A Greek savoury pastry often served as a starter or a snack, consisting of filo pastry wrapped around a filling of chopped spinach, feta cheese, onions, egg and seasoning. The dish is usually served as a triangular pastry, but some restaurants make large trays, almost pie like, and cut out wedges to serve with a mixed salad and yoghurt dip.
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Greek
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Mixed Grill
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There are those times when you just want to try everything on the menu and the mixed grill is the perfect way to achieve that! Kebabs, doners, grilled chicken, lamb cutlets served together with Tabouleh, hummus, dips and pita bread - it is a wonderful way to experience a little bit of it all. Try some side dishes with the mixed grill such as spicy walnut dip made with roasted red capsicum, sundried tomato, garlic, spices and of course walnuts! Or you might fancy the garlic and mint yoghurt.
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Turkish
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Thai Green Curry
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Thai food is famous for its curries and the Green curry is probably the most famous of the lot. Made from fresh chillies, lemongrass, shrimp paste, galangal, garlic, lime leaves and coriander, Thai green curry paste has a fabulous distinctive flavour and is mixed with coconut cream to make the curry creamy. Quite often served with green beans and pea aubergines and mountains of jasmine rice, it is a heart warming dish that is loved by Thai food fans around the world.
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Thai
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Lahmacun or Pide
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This is the Turkish equivalent to Pizza! However, they are always served thin and crisp, no deep pan pizzas! There is usually a vast array of toppings but the most popular still remains cheese, onion and tomato, or a fine spiced minced beef and onion with peppers and tomatoes. Usually served with a good portion of salad.
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Turkish
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Boeuf Bourguignon
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Another classic French dish very hearty and wholesome. A rich red wine sauce with tender braised beef, carrots, onions and cubes of bacon or pancetta really fills you up. The addition of herbs and garlic brings out the flavour of the meat to perfection. Crusty French bread is served with the meal to mop up the juices!
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French
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Pate de Campagne
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Another rustic French dish, originated by farmers wives, particularly in the North of France made by using up any meat that was available, along with herbs, garlic and sometimes brandy or cognac. Usually rough cut and cooked in a terrine in the oven, served as a starter with bread and cornichons (gherkins)
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French
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Pancakes
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Served as part of a breakfast or as a dessert, you cannot escape pancakes in all forms and fashions in an American restaurant. For breakfast, which tends to be all day in American restaurants in Sydney, they are served with thin and crispy rashers of bacon and maple syrup. For dessert, they can be served with fruit and syrup, ice cream and even extra cream. Banana pancakes are one of the most popular served.
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American
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Mezze
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Traditional starter of an array of small plates of Greek food, similar to eating tapas style in Spain. Regular dishes include hummus (chickpeas with garlic and tahini) taramasalata ( fish roe), felafels and kofte (spicy meatballs or cigar shaped formed meat with herbs, spice and onions), grilled octopus, grilled halloumi cheese and an aubergine salad, plus many more. Served with pitta bread for dipping and cucumber and mint tsatsiki
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Greek
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Souvlaki
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An Amazing Greek dish consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. Check with the staff to the scale of heat as it has been know to surprise people! Be brave and add more spice with a hot chill sauce or soften the heat with garlic yoghurt or hummus
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Greek
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Baclava
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Very sweet and almost ‘teeth-curling’ this is a delicious Greek pastry served as a dessert and comprising of flaky filo pastry, crisp on the outside but with a gooey filling of cinnamon spiced nuts and dried fruit bathed in honey or a sweet syrup. Whilst sold in restaurants as a dessert, it is often found in Greek delis and sandwich shops.
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Greek
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Kebabs
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Try a turkish kebab packed full of salad, your choice of meat (chicken, lamb, donar or falafel) and sauce. Don't be afraid to ask for chilli sauce to pack the punch if you like it that little bit hotter.
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Turkish
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Dolma or dolmades
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A selection of vegetables and vine leaves are served, stuffed with seasoned savoury rice and herbs. This dish takes a while to be prepared but is well worth the wait, oozing with delicious juices. A long term favourite in Turkish restaurants.
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Turkish
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Mango Lassi
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Served in most Asian restaurants, it is probably a ‘signature smoothie’ type of drink. Fresh mangoes with yoghurt and light spices poured over ice – absolutely delicious and refreshing to the palate and takes away any heat from spicy food still burning your tongue!
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Asian
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Beer
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Singha and Kloster are the most consumed Thai beers. Singha was originally brewed over 80 years ago in Thailand by members of the Thai nobility. Fairly strong and ‘hoppy’ tasting, it is made from barley and has 6% alcohol content. Kloster is a much smoother beer and a little more expensive.
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Thai
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Whisky
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Some restaurants in Australia serve a selection of Thai whiskies. The whisky is made from rice and is sharp and sweet, but very high in alcohol content at 35%. Mekong and Kwangthong are popular brands. It is not a cheap drink to buy, even though its cheaper in Thailand than beer!
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Thai
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Lemongrass Soda
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Very refreshing drink made with lemon grass syrup and mixed with soda or sparkling water, garnished with lemon slices and served over ice. Sometimes garnished with Thai basil to give a more herby taste.
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Thai
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Thai Papaya Smash
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A wonderful cocktail mainly served in the medium to larger restaurants. Made with fresh papaya, orange and a shot of tequila and dash of freshly squeezed lime it has both a bitter and sweet taste. The addition of agave nectar brings more sweetness, but sometimes you have to ask for it.
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Thai
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Kir Royale
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Champagne based cocktail, with a touch of blackcurrant cordial. A kir is simply made with white wine and cordial, but the royale is always made with champagne. Usually served in a fluted champagne glass using house champagne. A great deal of champagnes come from the town of Rheims, where many large and well-known ‘houses’ are situated.
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French
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Chablis
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A classic French white wine from the northern part of the burgundy region, made primarily from the chardonnay grape. A very clean white wine but with a deeper flavour than Sauvignons, almost ‘flinty’ and with very little oaking apparent. Moderately priced, it vies for attention with Pouilly Fume and Pouilly Fuisse which are also very popular but tend to be slightly more expensive
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French
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American Beers
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Some of the larger American restaurants serve all types of beer including stouts, ales, lagers, wheat beers and special brews, sometimes up to 40 different types. The bigger restaurants will also tend to have custom brews, which are usually smooth and wheaty. Cider has also become popular, even though in the US it is not so prevalent. Bottled beers are also readily available and will almost always be American.
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American
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Manhattan
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One of the most famous American cocktails, this is normally promoted in most American-style restaurants. Cocktail list is usually pretty comprehensive, but the Manhattan is probably the most asked for. A mixture of whisky (usually rye whisky), sweet vermouth and bitters, it is stirred or shaken with great gusto and then strained into a cocktail glass. Sometimes it is served as a longer drink over ice in a highball glass. Decorated with a cherry or a slice of lemon, most restaurants will serve variations of this cocktail with other elements.
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American
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Ouzo
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Traditional Greek drink served as an aperitif, although Greek people will drink it at any time! Quite a firey spirit, totally clear until water is added and it becomes cloudy. Almost aniseed in flavour, not unlike the French Pernod, but stronger.
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Greek
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Rakomello
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This is more like a ‘hot toddy’ and made with the incredibly alcoholic raki spirit, but mellowed down with water, honey, cloves and cinnamon. Served hot, it is particularly popular in winter months – worth trying, it is quite unique, and the Greeks use it for ‘medicinal purposes’ !!
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Greek
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Retsina
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Another traditional Greek wine, not known for its smoothness. It has been resonated with pine to preserve the wine, an age old tradition from thousands of years ago. It pairs effortlessly with dishes containing herbs such as rosemary, oregano and dill and is a good accompaniment to chicken and fish dishes. Crisp and quite a herbal taste, but some people really like it. Retsina is also available in a rose version but not all restaurants stock it – do ask though, as it is eminently more palatable than the white version!
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Greek
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Turkish Coffee
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Known throughout the world for its strength and depth of flavour, it is normally ordered according to the amount of sugar you require! A little (az), medium (orta) or lots (cok sekerli). This coffee must be drunk in small sips, particularly as you will find lots of coffee grounds at the bottom.
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Turkish
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Ayran
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Definitely for the discerning taste, this is a liquid yoghurt drink made by whipping yoghurt with water and salt. It is served cold and fresh and must be drunk that way, no saving for later. It is served in restaurants, but also in Turkish delis and Turkish sandwich shops.
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Turkish
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Beer
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There are several good Turkish beers that some restaurants import. Efes Pilsen is the No. 1 beer which comes in cans or bottles. A good wheat beer is Gusta.
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Turkish
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