Turkey 250: Intro to Turkish Cheeses

If you are a self proclaimed cheese-aholic like myself, Turkey can be a wonderful but also intimidating place.  As cheese and yogurt are staples in Turkish cuisine, the natives have found many different ways of expressing their fondness of this dairy delight.

While there are many different types of cheeses in many cultures,  the Turkish varieties may be harder for expats to decipher because most of them aren’t popular in the West (at least not where I was shopping).

In order to make it easier,  I’ve compiled a list of Turkish peynirler (cheeses) that I have personally tried, and when I know it,  comparisons to American equivalents.

Not to be confused with Indian paneer… Peynir just means cheese.

Also,  it is important to know that every peynirci (cheese maker) can produce a slightly different tasting cheese… And even different batches can vary! For example, I prefer the tulum from the beach peynirci more so than the city one. Make sure to get a taste before you buy! They don’t mind handing out samples.

So without further ado,  and in no particular order…

Turkish cheeses

Beyaz peynir : the ubiquitous cheese Turkey is known for (and the one I could actually find in specialty stores in the states).  Salty and briney,  this is a more moist version of feta.

Tulum: prepared similarly to cheddar (kept in a press and aged), this cheese is moderately dry and crumbly, ranging in flavor from a mozzarella+cheddar baby to a taste I can only compare to cow skin.  This can be aged in skin (deri) or a standard press. If you get the opportunity,  go for the izmir tulum.

Ezine: Ezine is a softer, very moist cheese that can be made from goat (my fave) or cow milk. It can be slightly sweeter than others,  and is great at kahvaltı with bread.

Kaşar: tbh, it’s kind of Turkish mozzarella.  A stretched, fresh cheese with all the mozzarella properties you crave.

Lor: Turkish ricotta, the cheese curds that are forced out of the whey remaining from bacterial fermented cheeses.  Should be eaten in handfuls (or not. But that’s my personal recommendation). Tulum lor and kaşar lor are delicious.

Çökelek: not to be confused with lor,  it is a bit drier and comes from ayran (watered down yogurt )  rather than whey.

Labneh: Turkish cream cheese… Which I have not eaten or tried to cook with (yet), but I see it all the time at the store.

Süzme peynir: the most moist and spreadable cheese I’ve found to date.  The flavor is similar to cream cheese, but it is slightly firmer and you can pick it up without getting a mess on your fingers.

Küflü peynir: Turkish blue cheese.  Just do it!

One thing that is very important to consider when buying cheese (from a peynirci), is that they don’t have preservatives. Well, at least not a lot if they do at all. That means that the cheese you buy at the pazar won’t taste the same a week or two later (depending on the type, the change can happen slow or fast). This is because of a little thing called oxidation. Oxidation causes fats in cheese to break down, making the flavors we love/hate. As time progresses (especially if your cheese has a lot of surface area) oxygen will act on the exposed parts of the cheese, changing the flavor! Like I said before… You may love it or hate it. For example: 2 week old tulum tastes like how a cow’s skin smells… And I hate it! That doesn’t mean the cheese is spoiled, it’s just aged!

To limit oxidation:
1. Don’t cut up your cheese until you are about to eat it
2. Store it in whey/brine
3. Cover it in a film of oil (good for lor and çökelek, which can be pressed into a box)
4. Eat it quickly!

While this list is in no way all inclusive,  it does cover your basics.  While the time I spend in Turkey increases, I hope to come back to this post and add more!

“Maybe you should change it up”

When I lived in the US as a hijabi (roughly a year), I didn’t go through any particularly difficult trials due to my scarf.  Sure, people would give me weird looks (that I never noticed), and maybe thought something strange…but it never truly impacted my interaction with other people.  Honestly, I expected a bit of trouble- but nothing bad happened.  Allah sukur.

Maybe I’m particularly lucky/blessed, or my white privilege over-rode the hijab.  Either way, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we started packing our bags to move to a predominantly Muslim country.  Surely my outward display of faith won’t cause problems there.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

As I described previously, Turkish people are not actually people- but walking, talking, political opinions (something I particularly loathe about Turkey).  While I was constantly surrounded by people of many different opinions and backgrounds, I never felt that their ideologies should impact how we treat each other.  For instance, I have no problem being friends and hanging out with atheists, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, even wiccans/witches (as one of my friends calls it- a game of friend bingo).  As long as we have respect for each other and don’t cross boundaries- it’s all good here.  I don’t expect everyone else to abide by the rules I guide my own life by.

But oh no, not in Turkey.

 This became painfully obvious as we prepared for a rather political trip.  We would potentially be visiting with politicians/gov’t officials, and therefore we made special preparations.  Nice clothes, a splash of perfume, everything actually matched…

And then, Anne suggested I wear my headscarf differently, in a less obvious/more Turkish-culture turban style.  At first I thought I misunderstood, my Turkish only being mediocre.  I asked hubby what it is she said…and he felt that the statement needed no translation, because it was silly.

 Oh, so I heard right.

  While I know she was saying this from a place of love, it still made my blood boil.  Who are these people, these people who think they can judge me based on how I wrap my scarf around my neck.  What do they think they know about me because I chose to cover?  It almost makes me laugh.  But only almost.  Many people think that the current government is particularly religious, making things easier for religious conservatives and harder for liberals.  Most of this chatter comes from the latter.

 As a moderate conservative (religiously, but don’t assume you know my politics), let me tell you…that’s not true.  Particularly when it comes to the gov’t, it’s hard for everyone.  Turkey is going through a lot of growing pains, and everyone has to struggle through it.

But I have a suggestion.

Instead of drawing a line in the sand, lets all just be people.  Lets do our own things, in our own houses, and stop sticking our nose in everyone else’s business.  Because we aren’t politics. We are people.

Meh, fat chance.

Hunt for the Holy Grail- Instant

Instant coffee (rather than filtered) is the typical go-to in Turkey if you want to drink coffee,  but not Turkish coffee.  There are three different types of instant coffee- plain,  2 in 1, and 3 in 1. The 3 in 1 contains powdered milk and sugar in the instant mix, while 2 in 1 comes without the sugar.  Personally,  we usually go for the 3 in 1 so that we don’t have to buy any creamer.  In order to be fair,  I am judging only 3 in 1 plain coffees from each brand.

Flavored coffees (like hazelnut and mocha) are also available,  as are those with foam (köpük) with types like cappuccino.  Specialty instants like these will get their own judgement after I complete a few other categories.

One of the big failings of instant coffee, in my opinion, is that they tend to be very flat rather than bold flavored,  and you can’t really smell the coffee without nearly drowning your nose in the cup.  Let’s see how these brands fair…

NESCAFE

Nescafe is one of the most popular instant coffee brands in Turkey. Actually,  as I recall,  it is also one of the more easily procured ones in the US as well!  Let’s see how it fairs for a coffee nut:

Taste: 6/10
This coffee is sweet.  Sweet,  sweet, sweet.  Also,  there is almost no true coffee bitterness /boldness in the flavor.  Likely the creamer ratio is too high, binding up the bitter tannins from the coffee into the milk proteins. It’s not bad, but it’s not strong.

Texture: 7/10
As is a typical problem for instants, without the addition of actual creamer,  the coffee is a bit thin.

Aroma: 5/10
This coffee has almost no smell,  unless you stick your nose directly in it.

TOTAL: 6/10

Not bad at all,  but leaves room for improvement.  Likely using plain instant and adding the sugar and creamer yourself would give you better results. But this 3 in 1 really lacks in the boldness I crave,  which carries over into the aroma and taste category.

VIP

I actually tested the 3 N 1 but all I had to take a picture of was this.

This brand is predominantly carried by BİM grocery stores.  I believe it is the store brand, but I don’t want to lie to you.  I still haven’t figured it out.  Let’s see how they did…

Taste: 8/10
This coffee has a much stronger coffee flavor than Nescafe,  and isn’t quite as sweet.  While the prior is more like a dessert,  this coffee is more like that morning cup I’m looking for

Texture: 7/10
As mentioned before… Instant coffees can’t help themselves

Aroma: 6/10
This brand is slightly stronger in aroma than Nescafe, but not by much.  You can start to smell the coffee from around 3 inches from the cup.

TOTAL: 7/10

This brand’s taste boosted it’s score, but it is still failing in typical instant coffee areas.

CAFEX

This brand is carried by A101 grocery stores.  Much like VIP,  I believe it is a store brand.  I think the picture may have given it away… This is my favorite instant!

Taste: 9/10
This brand really nails it in taste.  It has a clear coffee boldness and a subtle sweetness /milky flavor that doesn’t over power.  The only reason I don’t give the taste a 10 is because I don’t want to jump the gun when there are brands I haven’t tried.

Texture: 8/10
Maybe it is an illusion created by the very nearly full bodied flavor, but the texture feels slightly creamier/thicker than the others.

Aroma: 9/10
You are able to smell the fullness of traditional coffee as soon as the hot water hits the powder in the cup.  The person sitting beside you will be able to tell you are drinking coffee. AGAIN,  I hesitate for a 10 because I haven’t tried all the brands yet.

TOTAL: 8.5/10

While I am hesitant to find a perfect cup in the instant category,  I did promise to judge each type of coffee alone.  This is definitely my favorite brand of instant right now!  However, there are a few brands I have been suggested that I still need to try.

The hunt for the Holy Grail

Since I’ve come to Turkey I’ve been on the hunt for the Holy Grail.  My Holy Grail isn’t so much about the cup, but what’s in it.

I’m talking about coffee (no surprise there)!

I thought it would be fun to share the hunt with you guys,  and maybe it’ll help other expats who are having coffee withdrawals.

So,  I’m planning on having at least 3 installments, comparing instant coffee brands,  Turkish coffee brands, and finally,  filtered coffee brands (most likely Cafe brewed,  because I’m not willing to drop the kind of money a coffee machine is here).  I didn’t think it was fair to compare different coffee types to each other,  since it is kind of an “apples to oranges”  scenario.  I will,  however, give my overall favorite across the board.  Lastly,  I want to rate the coffee on a scale from 0 to 10 based on smell,  taste, and texture.

First,  let me describe my ideal coffee.  As anyone in a predominantly coffee drinking country knows, everyone has different ideas of the perfect cup! For me, I prefer a medium roasted filtered coffee (a slight bitter taste in the back of the tongue, but not overpowering), with a slightly creamy and smooth texture from half and half.  I do like my coffee slightly sweet (two spoons of sugar in a large “American cup”) but not dessert-like.  I’m always down for additional flavorings, particularly nutty (hazelnut, almond,  pecan,  etc) and sweet (vanilla, mocha, white chocolate,  etc).

I expect the first installment will be INSTANT,  and I hope to have it ready by next week.

If anyone has any suggestions,  let me know!

Cheese-less cauliflower is a thing

If you are a proper American, you will have probably experienced cauliflower as a gratin (baked in cheese) or raw,  in a salad.

I am here to blow your mind.

I was rather pleased with boiled cauliflower doused in olive oil, lemon, and garlic, this new recipe brings cauliflower to the front and center stage on your table.

Maybe it’s just me, and I’m the only one thrilled with this recipe (that I literally learned just before writing this).  But if you’ve been looking for a more substantial way to incorporate cauliflower into your diet; I present to you…

Ingredients

1 cauliflower,  cut into medium pieces

1 onion, diced

1 carrot,  diced

1 sweet red pepper,  diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

6 tbsp jarred tomatoes (or tomato sauce)

Salt AND pepper,  as desired

1 cup ground beef (optional)

Dried jot peppers (optional)

Hot water

Enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your pot

Preparation

1. Cook your meat in the oil with the carrot. Once mostly cooked,  add the onion and pepper.

2. Once the hard vegetables are soft and cooked,  add the tomato paste and mix into the oil, cooking the paste until it is a darker red (maybe 1 min).

3. Add the cauliflower,  sauce,  and spices.  Mix well and cover,  allowing the cauliflower to cook in the tomato sauce for a bit (if using canned sauce, you may want to add a pinch of sugar to remove the added sourness). Note: consider scoring thick cauliflower stems to speed the cooking process.

4. After approximately 10 to 15 minutes,  but before the tomato sauce begins to burn,  add enough HOT water to just cover the cauliflower.  Cook on low,  covered,  until cauliflower is soft.

Optional: if you are feeling spicy,  lay dried peppers on the top of the food after adding hot water and let it cook on low with the rest of the food.

Serve with fresh bread and yogurt/spicy pickles..

Afiyet olsun

Who are you and what have you done with my Clorox?!

I never considered myself to be a “brand loyalty” person, but I found out that I secretly am.  It’s even a secret to me! 

  This doesn’t tend to be an issue for foods that I am not accustomed to, or I am always willing to branch out in (i.e. cookies, snacks, cheeses, and the like).  However, it appears I am a stickler for my chemicals, cleaners, and non-edible products.

 Take bleach, for example.  Here, a common brand name is Güldal.  Their product is even in the same style bottle as bleach in the states

It looks like bleach, smells like bleach, behaves like bleach, but because it doesn’t say clorox, my brain refuses to accept this product as bleach.  Similarly, toothpaste has been a struggle.

You’re not COLGATE

  Another big one for me is mayonnaise.  If you are a self-respecting southerner, you will only purchase and use DUKES mayonnaise.  However, the options for mayonnaise are limited in Turkey, since it isn’t the most commonly used condiment around here.  I grudgingly buy you, random turkish brand…but my heart will never accept you.  Not like we use mayo that much anyway…

Don’t even get me started on coffee.

WHY!?

  Honestly, I would even purchase store brands (Walmart/great value, Publix, etc) in a pinch, but even that was okay in my heart of hearts.  Those are brands that I’ve atleast witnessed on the shelves or seen others using in my 25 years in the United States.  These peculiar new brands do not resonate with me like the ones back home.  I’m certain this will change as my mind adjusts to these shelves stocked with strangely named products and brands. 

  Do any other expats struggle with this mental disconnect?

 

Turkey 315: Cultural sayings, session 2

It was my husband’s idea to continue this segment of Turkey Lessons indefinitely, and I will probably make a new sub-category for it. This idea arose when I was listening to the song Bangır Bangır by Gülşen.  Fair warning- great song, crap video IMO.  If I wanted to watch scantily clad ladies twerking, I’d watch an American video.  But that’s just me 😉

Anyway, I listened to the song, filled in the lyrics, and found a few things I didn’t understand the translation of.  That’s when hubby said that I should put such things on my blog, that many other (american) English speakers may run into these cultural differences as well.  Here are three that he had to explain to me (two are from the song- do you hear them?)

Gül gibi- like a rose

Turkish meaning: something that is nice/enjoyable/lovely.  For example, if hubby is watching a movie and I come in and bother him, he may say to me “Babe, I was watching this movie gül gibi…why are you bothering me?”

American meaning:  Like a rose also means lovely, but usually we refer only to women in that way. You can’t perform an action that is “like a rose” in (american) english, unless you are being quite directly figurative.  E.g. She pricked me, like a rose.  Meaning, the girl is likely both beautiful and also “thorny” in her actions.  Turkish isn’t limited to such direct meanings.

Havalanmak- to hover

Turkish meaning: Besides actual hovering, figuratively hovering means to have an elevated sense of self worth. Be stuck up/ full of one’s self.

American meaning: Again, besides the literal meaning, hovering usually means to stick close to someone.  A lot of times this is used to intimate that the hovering person either doesn’t trust the person who they are hovering over (in romantic relationships), or they are very controlling/worrying (parents).

Güven vermek- to give trust

This one is particularly confusing for me, because the use of this verb is opposite in American English and Turkish. For the sake of the explanation, let’s refer to the person who is actively trusting as the truster, and the person who is being trusted is the trustee (because objects, direct objects, etc are just no fun).

Turkish meaning:  In Turkish, the trustee “gives trust” to the truster.  Effectively meaning that giving trust, in Turkish, means doing something that indicates trusting the trustee is a good idea. E.g. I  give trust to my manager when I give them a full write up of the project.

American meaning:  In American English, however, it is the truster who gives trust to the trustee. Normally in English you can get away with simply saying they “trust” rather than “give trust”, but you can say “give” to make the sentiment stronger. E.g. Your friend must give you a lot of trust/ trust you a lot if she co-signs your apartment with you.

So,  hopefully, I will have many sessions of Turkey 315: cultural sayings in the future.  Let me know if you like this idea!  As I said before, figuring out how to speak culturally rather than directly translating is one of the key (and hardest) parts of becoming fluent in a language.  Drop a comment below if you have a few cultural sayings you’ve figured out that you want to include!

Turkey 650: Turkish Family Residency Permit-How To!

Today, after weeks of preparation, we finally went to the immigration office in Izmir to turn in my documents for my residency permit.  Alhamdulillah and Allah cok sukur, we got it right the first try!  Let me tell you right now, so many people/websites/officials told us different things- that I was very concerned about succeeding in this endeavor.  Several friends told me about their struggles of getting a work permit for Turkey, and that really had me wondering if I would be ok.  Well, here I am, with a successfully completed Family Residency Permit!  It appears as though being married to a Turk makes a huuuuuge difference when it comes to the residency permit process.

I really wish someone would have told me straight how the process went…so now I am going to tell you!

Keep in mind that every situation is different- and these are a few of the things that made our situation unique:

1. I am American, my husband is Turkish
2. We have been married 2.5 years, so citizenship eligibility is right around the corner
3. Hubby is awaiting assignment to his job by the government- he isn’t just jobless
4. We went EVERYWHERE for these things together, and with his dad.  I feel like having a “team” helps the process
5. We applied and completed everything in Izmir
6. I have no criminal record

If I were a Cuban male, married for five minutes, and applying in Kayseri by myself- would things be different? I have NO idea.  That’s why I want to really impress upon you that what I did and what worked for me may not work for you.  But this is how it went….

 What you need:

4 photographs of you, within the last 6 months, BIOMETRIC (Biometrik)

1 photo of your spouse, BIOMETRIC

Your passport, and a photo copy

Your spouse’s Turkish ID and photo copy

Proof of 24k TL from the bank, in your spouse’s name (from the day of your application)

Proof of Turkish insurance

Your Turkish marriage licence

Proof of Turkish residency for your spouse

Your vergi (tax) number

Your entry visa

$145 (in TL, at the exchange rate of the day) and 55TL

What is a family residency permit?

The family residency permit is intended for allowing the spouse (and children) of a Turkish citizen to remain in the country for 2 years.  The 2 years is kind of pre-determined.  Whether or not you can make it less, I am not sure.  However, I am pretty sure that you can’t make it more than 2 years on the first application.  This is my understanding.  I went for the 2 years permit even though I am eligible for citizenship in a few months, because that citizenship process takes forever- and it is better to be safe than sorry.  A friend of mine recently applied for citizenship based on bloodline, around 3 months ago, and she is still waiting for approval.

The good side is that it seems like the easiest/ cheapest permit to obtain. On the bad side, you don’t have the right to work.

Biometric photos

We obtained our biometric photos from a “foto kent”. Biometric is basically just a face close up with a white background.  I was scarved and also wore some makeup- but nothing crazy (a bit of blusher, eyeliner, light eye shadow, and filled in eyebrows). If you look like someone else, they may not accept it.  No problem with being covered though. Ask for a digital copy- it will make filling out your online application form a lot easier.

Passport/ Turkish ID

I think this is pretty straight forward.  Make sure you copy the page with your info and picture on it.  Turkish IDs need both sides copied.

Proof of money

The proof of money was also a lot simpler than I though it would be!  You simply go to the bank and ask for the proof from your Turkish citizen spouse’s account. It will be signed by the bank worker on duty.  If you have your account in dollars rather than TL, ask the bank associate to include a statement of what the value of the dollars would be that day, in TL.  That worked for us- but if someone at the immigration office is having a bad day, they may not accept it.  Fair warning.  ***IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU OBTAIN THIS FORM THE DAY OF YOUR APPOINTMENT

You can spend it all after you’re done 😉

Proof of insurance

Ok, this is where the situation becomes uniquely married.  That is, I am covered under my husband’s SGK- national health coverage.  If you just got here, you will have to pay a fee for it (unless it is after the elections on Nov 1, 2015 when you read this- then I have no idea).  There is a form to obtain from the SGK office, and something to print off from online to prove you are covered.  Bring it all.  Heck, we even got a special form from the SGK office with my name on it saying I am covered too, just to be safe.

No need to buy private insurance when you are married ;).

The first lady we saw at the SGK office told us that we had to get all of these forms to prove that we just arrived in Turkey and had been in the US previously.  What a headache.  We asked someone else, and they said a stamped passport was enough.  This is a GREAT example of how things in Turkey sometimes depend on the person you talk to.

Turkish marriage license

If you got married outside of Turkey as we did, you would have to file your marriage with the Turkish consulate.  You will receive the aile cuzdani (marriage license).  We did this the week after we married. YOU NEED THIS. If you haven’t done it yet- do it now!

Spousal residency

Again, as we just arrived, we had to go to some building that said nufus on it…don’t ask, this was when we just got here about 2 months ago, and have hubbys father sign a paper saying that hubby was living in Turkey again.  You are going to need that form.

Vergi/tax number

When you are a non-citizen who wants to have a bank account or do something financial with the Turkish government, you need a tax number.  You will be able to get this with your passport at your local Vergi Dairesi.  It takes a few days for the system to register you, so do this early.  You need this number to pay your fee.

Entry visa

THIS is something that took me FOREVER and a lot of STRESS to find out.  If you are coming into Turkey and intend to get a family residency permit.. you can enter on an E-VISA/tourist with no problems!  Everywhere I looked it said E-VISAs can only be used for short term residency permits.  Well, that was a big fat lie.  You can get your visa for entry into Turkey as simple as click, click on the internet!  Bring a copy of the print out when you go to the appointment.

$145/ 55TL fee

This is where we hit our snag today.  The fee for a 2 year family permit is pretty low compared to others, that I have heard.  Is this because Im American or because it is a family permit? I have no idea. But that was the fee.  PLEASE note, so you don’t make our mistake, the $145 should be paid in TURKISH LIRA according to the exchange rate of THAT DAY.  You will pay at the vergi daire that is closest to your immigration office.  Bring two photocopies of your receipt!

The application form

The application form is pretty standard and easy to answer.  YOUR permanent address should be the one in your home country.  You only have to answer the questions in red.  The area that was confusing for us was the “supporter’s work/income” section.  Because we had the proof of funds, we simply put 1000TL for the income, because you are basically showing 2 years of minimum wage when you show the 24K TL in the bank.  I don’t know if this could be a problem for someone who is NOT waiting for a gov’t job. As hubby understood it, if you have the cash in the bank- the income is not important. Either way, it worked out.  Also, I filled out and sent in this form the day before the appointment (because that’s all we had open).  I heard that if your visa runs out while you await your permit appointment that it’s ok…but I don’t like pushing the limits.

I want to stress- very much stress- HIGHLIGHT, UNDERLINE, and BOLD:

everyone and everywhere is different

It is unfortunate that, as I have come to realize, everything can be made more difficult when someone is in a mood.  If the bank teller doesn’t like you, they may not give you a form stating turkish lira and dollars. If the vergi daire person doesn’t like you, your form could take longer to process.  If the immigration office person thinks your hair needs work, they can say your insurance proof is insufficient and you need more documentation. That is Turkey.  Sure, if you complain you can probably get around all that nonsense- but it is a head ache none the less.

If you have any other insights for different countries/ cities/ situations, please send me a message or drop a comment below to help out the others in your situation!

 GOOD LUCK!

Turkish…stuffing?

Today was an incredibly busy day!  We cleaned the pantry, shelf by shelf, prepared sardines for tomorrow, and generally cleaned the house (we’re talking pulling out the couches and everything…which I guess isn’t such a big deal when your floors are wood).  Another exciting part about today was trying a brand new Turkish food!

Between spending my summer four years ago in Turkey, and grabbing recipes from various Turkish food websites, I’ve had a fairly representative taste of Turkish cuisine!  However, today I had something totally different- something called ekmek karıştırması.  That basically means something like “stirred bread”.  While it may not be something mind blowingly different, it was very welcome in another way.  With Thanksgiving coming up in just over a month, I find myself looking for things that remind me of home.  This little dish reminds me of Thanksgiving day dressing/stuffing- with a Turkish twist!  Plus, I’m always down for a way to get rid of stale bread.

Ingredients

1 medium onion,  diced

1 large carrot,  diced

4 eggs

4 tbsp margerine

3-4 loaves stale bread

Salt

Cumin

Black pepper

Mint

Olive oil

Preparation

Put diced onion and carrot in a large pot with the olive oil.  Cook until soft

Add eggs,  whole.  Let the white fully cook while leaving the yolk undisturbed (not critical,  I just like to make sure the white is well cooked)

Add the margarine and mix the eggs together.  Cook the yolk fully.  At this point it should look like scrambled eggs.

Moisten the stale bread with water, squeezing it like a sponge.  It should no longer be hard.  Pull the bread apart into approximately ping pong ball sized pieces or smaller,  adding it to the pot.

Mix the bread into the veggie/egg mixture along with your desired amount of salt. The mixture should be somewhat dry.  Mix the pot occasionally,  you want the bread to get slightly crispy and brown.

Once your bread pieces are partially golden brown and crispy,  partially soft, remove from the heat and add spices as desired.

Normally served with ayran or cacık

Afiyet olsun!

Geçmiş olsun!

My hubby has recently fallen ill as the winter winds have begun to tease their way into the Mediterranean summer heat.  Fall,  and may I add that it is my first fall in Turkey,  is just around the corner. Thankfully I have not yet fallen prey to the seasonal cold that has touched our home.  In the spirit of staying well as we all brave the seasons change,  here is a recipe for the tea my Anne has been giving us.  She told me it’s best for bronchitis and phlegmy lungs,  but it can be used all the time.  I included the Turkish words for some of the ingredients that I didn’t recognize by sight.

Ingredients
1 cinnamon stick
1 chunk ginger root
5-6 rose hips (kuş burnu)
1 lemon butt (mostly rind end)
1 pinch chamomile
1 pinch mallow blossom (hatmi çiçeği/fatma gülü)
1 pinch linden
1 twig sage
1 pinch clove
Honey or molasses to taste
4c water

Preparation
1. Bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil.
2. Add the remaining ingredients,  cut the heat,  and let rest around 5 minutes.
3. Cut tea with hot water to stretch it

Fills around 6 Turkish tea cups

Geçmiş olsun!