Bulgur is a very big part of our cuisine as it becomes the main staple around Southeast of Turkey. Exactly as mentioned on The Penguin Companion to Food; Burghul (bulgur) is cracked wheat, wheat which has been parboiled, parched, and coarsely ground… The wheat is parboiled after the harvest, dried,…
During his college years, he told me they -5 to 15 people!!!- used to stop at Lades (2) Lokantası (just across Lades Lokantası ) for lunch, just to have this menemen. I can imagine the small place filled with students on a budget, hungry and mopping each and every bit…
What is a Bayram without candies! My granny used to buy chocolates filled with mint, cherries and sorts, my memory seems to fade… But what I do remember is that me and my friends used to sneek in the house when she was out and fill our pockets with these…
Tea! Tea is welcoming, tea is friendliness, tea is Turkey. You do not have to ask for one, you are immediately provided with it. At every home, a household is the tea professor who is in charge of mixing different tea brands in different ratios, creates a formula for making the best…
Ramadan amongst other things, means understanding each other, being tolerant and respecting each others beliefs. Fasting all day long and breaking your fast, making iftar with your family, your loved ones at home would be the typical Turkish custom. İftar sofrası -fast breaking meal- consists of dates and olives to start…
In many cultures food is always used to respect the dead. In the house of the dead in Gaziantep, Southeast Turkey this ritual consists mainly of lahmacun, eggplant kebab, börek with olives and others. People pay their respects by bringing a tray of lahmacun freshly baked from the neighborhood oven to…
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…
The book is out! This is my first book as a photographer, I have to say I am very excited! Ateşin ve Güneşin Tadı, Gaziantep Mutfağı ( A taste of sun and fire, Gaziantep Cookery) is a collective work, me being the photographer, Aylin Öney was the editor, Suzan Aral being…
You know the rule, if the locals are lining in front any of the eateries, dive in, you most probably are going to get a treat. La Ideal, was packed when we got there, seems the tiny place was always cramped. Impossible to find a table, we squeezed in and found a…