When we moved to Turkey in 2003, we were introduced to a whole new world of unfamiliar ingredients and we soon realised our new life in Fethiye would be much easier if we learned all about them. One of these ingredients was (and still is, of course) a thick, beige, emulsion-type paste that we would …
Turkish tomato soup (Domates çorbası) – never ever disappoints. As a kid, tomato soup was my absolute favourite soup of all time. That was ready-made, from a tin! So when we first came to Fethiye on holiday and I realised it was also a traditional Turkish soup – well, happy days! Anyone who knows Turkey …
Do you remember last year when we went to the Üzümlü Mushroom Festival and we came across a street seller impressing the crowds by winding sticky, multi-coloured sweetness around a stick? He was doing a roaring trade and our friend told us it was Osmanlı Macunu; a traditional food from the Ottoman times. We didn’t …
Today’s recipe is not a Turkish recipe by any stretch of the imagination, so how has a recipe for homemade lasagne made it into our blog? Well, you may remember last Wednesday’s blog post was all about our love for visiting Istanbul and, at the end of it, we said we would be in Istanbul …
Today was the 2nd Karaçulha Camel Wrestling Festival, just up the road from where we live. With just a nominal entrance fee and proceeds going towards the local school, we would have been negligent not to go again. Last year, we entered the ‘arena’ (read ‘spare land’) with trepidation and a little excitement at being …
The first time we came across biber dolması (Turkish stuffed peppers), we were staying with a Turkish friend and his family for a few days. Early in the day, mum was already preparing the evening meal and I remember glancing at the hob and seeing a pan with a glass lid, steam hissing through the …
We’ve been writing this blog for two years now so it’s surprising that it’s taken us so long to get round to writing about this meaty staple of Turkish cuisine; kanat. Kanat means ‘wings’ (in this case, chicken wings). This post has been waiting backstage for a long time to see the light of day. …
For us, the most exciting part of being in Istanbul is the food; mainly the street food. Last year, we couldn’t keep away from the deep-fried hamsi at Karaköy fish market, returning on numerous occasions over the few days we were there. When we were back in Fethiye, we drooled at the very thought of …
The Turks are very proud of their coffee and describe Turkish coffee as their gift to the world. Ask anyone in Turkey what the most famous brand of Turkish coffee is and, without hesitation, the reply will be Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi. These days, under the ownership of Mehmet Efendi’s grandchildren, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi is an …
Kadın Budu Köfte – Lady Thigh Meatball. Hmm, well, where does this name come from? Ladies, I can’t help but think this particular type of köfte was named by a man who thought he was being humorous in declaring it resembled a woman’s thigh to his male counterparts before having a good old chuckle. If …