A Recollection of Turkey Part 1

The tummies took a trip to Turkey and Italy over the summer and naturally continued their food adventures there. Unfortunately, we weren't able to log all the wonderful meals along the way in real time due to patchy internet connections and wanting to be outside soaking in the sights and sounds while we were there instead of being holed up in a room typing on a computer.

Needless to say, inertia set in after we returned and we never quite got down to it. Still, I know the tummies definitely look back with fond memories on what has got to be 2 of the outstanding cuisines in world culture. Here are some of the highlights:

Apple tea would soon become one of the simple pleasures that we would enjoy on a regular basis. Something to just sit back and relax with and for a much needed pick me up.

Can't quite remember what these were called but the first dish (with the rice) tasted a bit like a bolognese sauce while the second dish was a stew. Something has to be said about Turkish rice. It is absolutely delicious! What is the secret? Potentially butter and salt... (Mr Tummy faints)

No visit to Turkey would be complete without having a kebab. This is afterall, the country that gave us this wonderful meaty wrap which unfortunately has been copied poorly in various parts of the world. (Mr Tummy has suffered through a few of them and lived to tell the tale)
When done properly, it can only be described as deeply satisfying. =)

Since we were going to Italy next, it made sense that we try the local "pizza" to see how it matched up. Much more meaty here and with a lot less cheese and tomato but still a great meal. The dough is very thin but has a nice bite to it. Very dangerous because you can end up eating a lot of this without realising it! (Guilty!)

I thought this was really odd. What is the granny doing on the front of the Lays packet? Is it targetted at grannies (or grandpas)? Is it granny flavoured? (hope not!) Is she a famous granny in Turkish cooking? Is it "just like granny made it"? Did they run out of budget for the supermodel? The mystery continues...

The tummies returned to the scene of the first dinner to partake of their house specialty (which you had to order hours in advance because they put the meat in a earthernware pot and let it cook among the coals). I kid you not but they call it the "Cappadocian Crack Pot Specialty" (something clearly lost in translation). Anyway, it tasted very similar to the previous night's dinner (the one that tasted like bolognese) despite the theatrics of our host cracking the pot in front of our eyes with a hammer and scooping out the hot fillings. Slightly disappointing

The next day however, the tummies had a real treat when they went to the nicest restaurant in town... MMMmmm (Part 2 to follow)