Acikara, an Antalya grape
Those of you who knows me know how much I love Antlaya. I even took the table away from a guest because he called Antalya the vacation place of the commoners. Jokes aside, "Antalya is the greatest place on earth", regardless whether you believe Atatürk or not...
Elmalı is one of the districts of Antalya. As the name suggests, it is famous for apples but I remember it for the grape molasses festival. I had the chance to go to this festival when I was little but I always thought that it ...
Kadinbudu Kofte Recipe
This is a classical Ottoman/Turkish dish. When you are hungry walking the famous Istiklal Street, you find yourself a small local restaurant usually serving the artisans working around, and among them you will find, for sure, Kadınbudu Köfte.
They say the custom is using plain rice from the day before for making this. I'm ok with that! Good that it does not go to waste!
Look how beautiful the Kadinbudu Kofte looks!
The name translates to, literally, woman's thigh. I couldn't find ...
Turkish Cuisine 101: Aşure
Let's start with the pronounciation: It's like ah-shoe-reh. The name in Turkish comes from food aş, but I read it may originate from the word 10th in Arabic, because it is traditionally made on the 10th day of Muharrem (a month in Islamic calendar).
In Turkey Aşure (Noah's pudding) is a very traditional dessert. Interestingly it's one of the few vegan Turkish desserts.
The dessert is a tribute to Noah's ark and the great flood. The story says that after the great flood when Noah's ...
Indian Cuisine: Masala Biryani Rice
Ready? I have a good one!
A few months back, Alp was taking care of the organisation of a two week hearing in a luxury hotel. One day they had a bad experience, when they were working at i-don't-know-how-long-into-the-night, they were miserable with no water, no coffee and lots of dirty dishes. So he sent a nice (!) mail to the responsible person. The next day the responsible person came to apologize and afterwards they always had someone to take care of them. But the apology apparently ...
Turkish style “Spanish Omelette”: Potato Omelette à la Turca
So this is another recipe that I regret discovering very late. Even though it is a very classical potato dish, my family never ate potatoes for breakfast so probably that is the reason we never made potato omelette. I was enlightened when a friend made it for me when I was in high school. I clearly remember my shock and the new shining lights in my brain. Anyway. For Turkish cuisine, the trick of the potato omelette is cumin. After giving you the whole secret, here is how we do it.
Start by ...
A Turkish Family Breakfast: Menemen
I have promised a Turkish 101 on this blog and I have been delayed with our food challenges so at last, here is a classical Turkish dish: Menemen!
I have actually seen the same dish or very similar ones in other countries' family cuisine. Huevos rancheros, for instance, is the Mexican farm tradition. Melemeni, or strapatsada is the Greek version, although I should say we share a lot of or food culture with the Greeks so it is quite normal. Shakshouka is the version you can find in middle ...
Pho – Vietnamese Noodle Soup
Pho is a northern Vietnamese street food which became known to the rest of the world after with migrants after teh Vietnam War.
The biggest secret to a good pho is the bone broth. Well, technically broth in general. I once cooked vegetarian Pho with vegetable broth for a friend. But this time I will give you a recipe that is -I hope- closer to the original.
First of all you will need a lot of bones for the broth. Marrow bones are ideal for me. In fact, it's best to roast the marrow ...
Christmas/New Year Special Ginger Citrus Cheesecake With Goat Cheese
I have told you about the great original and local foods that one can find in French open air markets! In our market there is a lady who sells goat cheese that she produces. The last time I tasted her cheese, I dreamt of making a cheesecake with it. Since we were still on a diet, we planned it for the new year's eve.
My mother has a great cheesecake with oat-biscuits from Turkey, called Eti Burçak, but since the cheese is fresh I wanted a recipe that I won't be baking. I discovered Cafe ...
