One unexpected surprise of our trip was the a culinary delight of the cuisine. Tender beef and lamb. Local, vine ripened fruits and vegetables, including the most amazing tomatoes. Lots of roasted eggplant, olives, garlic. Tasty cheeses and yogurt. Orange or pomagranate juice, squeezed right before your eyes. We brought home some carob flour and and a bottle of pomegranate syrup.
Our first taste of Turkish was on the plane, where they served visne---sour cherry juice.
We read in two guidebooks that Turkey is only one of seven countries in the world that can feed itself. We can't find any info on references, or what the other six countries might be, but it explains how everything can be so fresh and ripe.
A traditional lunch
of a hot bean and meat stew and a salad. Simple. And as usual, fresh and tasty.
A traditional breakfast includes bread,
cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and
olives. Jams and fruits are usually included. And of course, tea (with
coffee available for tourists.) This was our breakfast in the village
of Mustafapasa.
One of our dinners included stuffed squash, pictured above. Another dinner included a dish with meatballs and cherries; while this sounds horrid, it was quite savory.
One of many unique desserts. Above was a type of walnut nougat, and slices of fermented fruit. Another dessert was of walnuts and olives picked green, before they ripened, pickled, then fermented in sugar. Sweet and unique. Then of course, there was Turkish Delight, sold at all of the markets.
A feast from the Farmers' Market.
Korkuteli Farmers' Market.
Right: Fish vendors
at the market. (No, we didn't buy any of these for the picnic.)
The downfall of visiting all the significant hitorical sites is that you're surrounded by tourists. But we also stopped at the farmers' market in the small town of Korkuteli, where we were the only tourits.
There was an aisle of kitchen goods, and one for toys and accessories. An aisle for all the cheese vendors, for fish vendors, and one with people selling dried beans and spices. One street seemed to have nothing but fresh picked olives for sale. And of course, plenty of very fresh, very ripe fruit and vegetables-- all organic. Turks are locovores, and restaurants usually serve only what is in season.
Unlike most markets in Istanbul, none of the merchants spoke English. But we got by with some stock phrases, lots of pointing and gestures, and learning to count in Turkish. We bought a huge bag of plums ($.33), several honey soaked pastries, and some tasty cheese. (No idea what kind of cheese, but it was yummy.) Our group all bought various items, and the photo at left reflects the picnic feast at a highway stop later in the day. Radishes as big as grapefruits, and a head of cauliflower at least ten inches across. Melons, bread, mushroom pastry, nuts, and dried fruit. No better way to eat!
We bought
cheese from this woman at the market in Korkuteli.
Almost the national breakfast for people on
the go, simits are like a dense pretzel, covered in sesame instead
of salt. Here, Bob purchases a simit from a street vendor. These
are even better when served hot.
Walnuts in gelatin.This snack
made of gelatin and walnuts is a great energy booster for a long hike
through Cappadocia. Wish we could find them here!
The dregs of our Turkish Coffee. Tea or çay (pronounced "chai") is everywhere, but
the thick coffee is not drunk nearly as often, and never at breakfast.
An interesting liquid refreshment in Turkey: ayran. It's
like a thin, slightly salted yogurt, and it's great with spicy food.
The popular alcoholic drink is raki, which tastes like anise. To Bob's disappointment, there are no microbrews. Almost everywhere we went, the beer available was Efes (think Turkish Budwiser.) In Antalya, he had the chance to try Gusta, which is more of a hefeweizen and not too bad.
We found Mado ice cream shops in all of the cities, but we didn't find this sticky stuff too impressive. (If you've ever eaten Japanese mochi, it's similar.) But we looked forward to rest stops with the commerical Magnum ice cream bars. (Especially the double caramel flavor. MmmmMmmm.)
