Artichoke chips, paté, zeytinyağlı enginar, sauteed artichokes…. Artichoke cooked every way, for all, from all. It may sound ridiculous to you but artichoke is the king and queen of the vegetables summoned, for me. Not a true vegetable, but belonging to a thistle family, is like a calling for its…
Pazar changes its color like seasons. Fruits, flowers, vegetables even the stalls selling homemade produce change… spring is one of the liveliest times and as the summer approaches, I was not surprised to see the heap of clothing switched to heap of sun bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts… Some may be taken by…
Hamsi may not be the king of fishes or the fish king itself for most of us, but Karadenizliler -locals of Black Sea region- have an emotional attachment to hamsi. It is more than a fish, but a life culture there. Even when you ask a Karadenizli about another fish,…
In Turkey we love eating pickled vegetables especially during winter time. With grilled fish, bulgur pilaf, soup, bean or chickpeas stew, as well as any other hearty meal, giving them a little zest. Most of the households love making their own pickles, everyone have their not-to-share recipes, at the end…
Where would mankind be without wheat! A freshly baked bread’s small is more stimulant then many other things, as if challenging the world of flavors… Tırnaklı ekmek in Anadolu, getting social and named tırnaklı pide in big bad Istanbul, is for me one of the delicious forms of bread. This kind of…
I can hear you saying pistachio belongs to Gaziantep… You are right, but you know food is geographical more than belonging within a city’s border. You may hear Gaziantep locals complaining about Urfalılar, claiming themselves as fıstık growers, sellers and exporters… Me, I had the chance to walk around the…
Sitting by the beach… After countless ice cold beer sessions we ordered a humble lunch, with a view like this. Kızartma, being the ultimate guilt free vacation food, stuffed courgette flowers, garlic and tomato dressed purslane salad… All very fresh and equally delicious. Calamaris sauteed slowly with olive oil, soft,…
It was almost 6 in the morning, we met with Bayram Usta of Elmacı Pazarı Güllüoğlu at Bakırcılar Çarşısı, had a quick tea and I followed him through the small streets of Gaziantep, we ended up at the soup eatery. The baklava gang was having their breakfast when we arrived and ordered…
One morning we went to eat the best boyoz by far, at this soon to be learnt cheerful bakery at Alsancak. Hungry enough, we grabbed a table and looking around I got up and went inside to pick our share of boyoz and eggs. Ordered one and one for both…