Dave Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Fifteen people have died from poisoning after drinking fake Turkish raki, a strong aniseed-flavoured alcohol, at an Istanbul restaurant. The spate of raki poisonings began on Sunday when drinkers became ill, falling unconscious or suffering temporary blindness. Some of those poisoned had bought bottles of the fake raki from grocery stores. Local media have said the dead included the owner of a car park where the raki was produced in a makeshift distillery and the owner of a restaurant which sold the drink. The batch of imitation raki contained fatally high levels of methyl alcohol, Radikal newspaper said. Genuine raki contains 0.15 percent methyl alcohol but the illegal batch contained 57-97 percent, the paper quoted health officials as saying. Of the three people reported to have died in hospital on Friday, two were men in their forties, Anatolian said. Newspapers have said three women are among the dead. According to health authority figures, 29 people are still being treated in various hospitals for poisoning. Police detained nine people in the Istanbul district where the alcohol was produced and confiscated the makeshift distillery, local media said. Operations against fake alcohol production have since been carried out elsewhere in Turkey. Raki is regarded as a national drink in Turkey and is drunk in bars and restaurants across the country. See? We Armenians were right. Beware of Turkish food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arvestaked Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 National drink yegher. It's just a version of Ouzo or Tsipuro as are Sambuca, Pernod, and Arak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2005 National drink yegher. It's just a version of Ouzo or Tsipuro as are Sambuca, Pernod, and Arak. ...and oghi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arvestaked Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 (edited) What do you mean by oghi? The Western Armenians call Ouzo and/or Arak oghi and the Hyeastantsis call Vodka oghi. As far as I know, it is not really anything on its own. When I want Ouzo, that is what I call it, but it is Ouzo. Edited March 9, 2005 by Arvestaked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 My entourage calls ouzo, oghi. It's the Western Armenian way of saying it, just as arak is the Lebanese way of saying it... as far as I understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arvestaked Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Arak is made in Lebanon. Ouzo is made in Greece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vava Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 I had always thought of Oghi as Vodka Is there an Armenian version of those anice based drinks (like ouzo)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Oghi is also called aragh. Tata sings "Aragh@ ber, aragh@ ber, aragh@ ber, anush akhper aragh@ ber, aragh@ ber, aragh@ ber". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arvestaked Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 I had always thought of Oghi as Vodka Is there an Armenian version of those anice based drinks (like ouzo)? style_images/master/snapback.png That is because you are probably Hyeastantsi. No need to use confused emoticons. As far as I know, for Ouzo-like drinks, a Hyeastantsi would say anise or anisi oghi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nazarian Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 That is because you are probably Hyeastantsi. No need to use confused emoticons. As far as I know, for Ouzo-like drinks, a Hyeastantsi would say anise or anisi oghi. style_images/master/snapback.png Aragh in Armenia is vodka. I have not encountered anise flavored aragh there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpa Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 (edited) Aragh in Armenia is vodka. I have not encountered anise flavored aragh there. style_images/master/snapback.png Allright you guys! Relax! Take a Sip or two! Speaking of which. Where is he? Once again WA rules. As far as we are concerned "oghi" is that 50% spirit flavored with yanasun. We have no idea what Yerevantsis call "oghi". At times it may mean vodka, which by the way is also a 50% alcoholic beverage. The artsakhtsis will gladly poison us with their "Tuti Oghi". To see what I mean got to Language and read "Oghi". I will not discuss the subject where "Turkish" is the keyword. Edited March 14, 2005 by Arpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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