I would not be wholly comfortable to begin without acknowledging and being incredibly grateful that I was able to travel this year. When things had slightly improved and travel to some countries was possible, I escaped, along with my mother, for a few weeks, to explore Turkey.
I am grateful that I was able to see Turkey beyond Istanbul, to see its countryside, its seaside, its mountains, many a service station and to also spend some time living with a close Turkish friend of mine, and her incredibly generous family.
So without further ado, I will get started on the food. Breakfast, there is a lot of breakfast, I ate a lot of breakfast and I have not complaints.
Breakfast
We stayed in several different hotels but the gist of a Turkish breakfast is some form of eggs, surplus varieties of cheese, vegetables including fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, honey, salami/sausages, great yogurt and olives.
I like all of these things very much and I have no qualms about being subjected to such a breakfast every morning, with a slight variety depending on the part of Turkey we were in.
We also stayed on a beautiful yacht for a few days and I adored the breakfast there. Like above.
I was also extremely lucky to stay with my Turkish friend, Ece, whose family went above and beyond subjecting me to the most lavish spreads, with a different theme everyday.
This one was based on salamis and sausages, as I had casually mentioned that I would quite like to have some good sausages before I left and there they were, in abundance, the next morning. It would be wrong for me not to mention how wonderfully juicy the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are, and how well they complement the heaviness of the fried goods.
This was another one of the breakfast spreads. Where Ece’s mother prepared for me these pillowy fried breads alongside an egg menemen. There was also some great home made apricot jam and the most sumptuous fruit honey I have ever had, amongst the multitude of other things you can see on the table.
(I helped make the little fried breads!)
I also had one Turkish breakfast at a fancy café and that too did not disappoint.
Meat
Unfortunately, the pictures I have of all the meat dishes do not quite do justice to the amount of meat and kebabs I ate. Turkish kebabs aren’t fiery but more mellow in flavour.
(beef kebabs , home-made kebabs & surplus side dishes)
However, once I discovered Pul Biber (Turkish chilli powder with a slight tang), I could not get enough of it on any of my food. Its a crossbreed of dried chilli flakes & sumac.
Beverages:
Chai
A strong brewed black tea, which I had at every opportunity possible. I love tea, I love black tea and I love Turkish black tea.
Turkish Coffee
Something I have always been a fan of, but maybe not for those who don’t like a strong and bitter coffee.
Ayran
Last but not the least Ayran, the hero. It’s a tangy yogurt drink much like lassi (the salty kind not sweet). I love salty lassi and so naturally love Ayran, its great in the heat and was available everywhere.
Having talked to many people about this, it seems salty yogurt drinks are only liked by those who have grown up with the taste. Those who try it for the first time in adulthood either despise it or don’t see why one would choose to drink it. Each to their own!
Fruit & Vegetables
Very angry at my past self for not capturing more of the produce in Turkey. Whilst travelling in between destinations, I saw many melon, chilli and olive farms amongst others. The fruit there seems to at least x5 the size of that available in the UK and each oozing with flavour.
Sweet
I know I haven’t mentioned the infamous baklava and Turkish delight, well because I feel it goes unsaid that it is nothing like the type available in the UK. I had always thought Turkish delight was not to my palate but I was proven wrong, some variations are quite something. Even though my sweet tooth is limited, the pistachio baklava was the best pistachio sweet I have had.
I also had two very quirky ice-cream flavours (Tahini & Turkish Cheese). Everyone around me didn’t quite understand why, but together it tasted like a peanut butter cheesecake, which surely is not a bad thing!
Thank you to this very unique country for providing my mother and I with such a memorable holiday in this very unusual year. It is a beautiful corner of the world, erupting in colour, seeped in cats with endless history, and one which everyone should visit.
Shanzé