It’s All About Food

Monday, 15 August 2016
Alsancak, İzmİr  — Turkey
Temps: Hi 92F (33C) / Lo 72F (22C)

It’s been two weeks since I left Mui in Eskişehir with his mom and sister, and returned to İzmir to spend time with my mom and sister.

Truth be told, we haven’t done much outside the house.  With the temps ranging from 96F to 102F (36C to 39C) it’s been much too hot to spend time outdoors.  That changed a bit this weekend … a cold(ish) front came through, dropping the temps down a bit.  Not for long, I’m sure, but we’re delighted to get a respite from the overwhelming heat.

Looking back on what we did do, however, everything revolved around food in one form or another.  Make sure you’ve already eaten before you proceed with browsing through this post :-)

We wrap up lunch at B’ready with a yummy double-chocolate brownie and uniquely presented, refreshing sour cherry iced tea.

Breakfast in Turkey is like no other anywhere else in the world.  It’s a feast that consists of a selection of small dishes shared family-style.  These breakfasts are known as serpme, a word that essentially means “sprinkled” … an appropriate description for the way the tapas-like dishes are sprinkled around the table.  Add to these dishes things like cream and honey, cooked-to-order eggs, sucuk [Turkish sausage], fresh breads and pastries, and gözleme [a type of flatbread filled with various savory toppings] … well you can understand why I describe breakfasts in Turkey as a feast.

Breakfast at Turkuaz Café in Ildır on a lovely Saturday morning.

An outing to Urla this past Saturday held a surprise in store for us — a harvest festival.  The town square was filled with kiosks where locals were selling goods ranging from handcrafted items and throw rugs to fresh-from-the-field produce.  After wandering around and buying some produce to take home with us, we wrapped up our outing with lunch at a small eatery that serves food cooked home-style.

Meatballs in a tangy broth at Ömre Bedel Yemekler [roughly “Food Worth Your Life”].

One last meal worthy of a mention in this post … an early dinner at Veli Usta Balık Pişiricisi [fish restaurant].  While we all enjoy the fish dishes on offer at this restaurant, we tend to order a variety of meze [Turkish tapas] instead … that’s what happened again this time.

Left: Murat’s plate with [clockwise from the left] sun-dried mackerel; purslane and
yogurt salad; octopus; roasted eggplant dip; a typical Cretan dip made with cheese, pine
nuts, olive oil, and garlic; marinated perch; and shredded carrots.  All yum-yum good.

Right: grilled calamari rings … much tastier (not to mention healthier) than deep fried.

I think I made your mouth water enough, don’t you think ;-)

© 2004-2016 Two to Travel.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by ERIN ERKUN.

Wrapping Up Turkey 2014

Sunday, 22 June
Alsancak — İzmİr, Turkey

Our last day in Turkey!  After bidding his mother farewell, Mui joined me today at mom’s apartment.  But before I get to what we did today, I’ll do a quick wrap up of yesterday.

Saturday saw us having breakfast at Tepe Kahve in Urla, visiting with Mui and his mom at
the beach house, and having dinner at Levent Marina in the city.  We spent today at
home, venturing out for dinner at Midpoint, a short walk from mom’s apartment.

Saturday, 21 June …

If I had to summarize the day, I’d have to say it was about people and food.

When I was a child, we spent many a summer day in the Aegean resort town of Çeşme.  Back then there was no freeway connection.  Instead, we used a narrow, winding road that carried bumper to bumper traffic unless we got an early start — especially on weekends.  Often we skipped breakfast, stopping at one of two rustic cafés en route to grab a bite to eat.

We didn’t go all the way to Çeşme today since we had other plans … just as far as Urla to have breakfast at Tepe Kahve (Hilltop Café) [website in Turkish], one of those cafés on the Old Çeşme Road.  The place has expanded since my childhood — with good reason.  It’s still a popular stopover, with people exiting the freeway specifically to come and dine here.  There’s also a university campus nearby now, which has increased its customer base.

With a busy day ahead of us, we got an early start, arriving at Tepe Kahve around 9:00a.  Only a couple of tables were occupied, but that didn’t last long.  Shortly after we sat down to breakfast at a table on the lower terrace, cars started filling the parking lot.  Most of the newcomers preferred to eat on the upper terrace, so we got to enjoy a quiet meal.

Beautiful, well-tended hydrangeas decorate Tepe Kahve.

It didn’t take long for the table to be filled with enough food to feed an army … starting with the usual olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, cheese, and farm-fresh butter.  Then came an herbed tomato paste spread, cream and honey, cheese curd and black mulberry jam, cooked-to-order fried eggs with feta cheese, and even fried eggplant and peppers topped with tomatoes and yogurt.  Farm-style bread, hot-from-the-pan pişi [a type of fry bread], and flatbread just out of the oven accompanied all this good food, which we washed down with fresh-squeezed orange juice and glasses of the ubiquitous Turkish tea.

This is just the beginning of the breakfast feast …

which includes pİşİ (top right) and black mulberry jam over cheese curd.

To say that we were stuffed would be an understatement!

When possible, Murat buys organic farm eggs for their weekday breakfasts.  His usual provider was closed, but Tepe Kahve had fresh eggs for purchase.  When I say fresh, I mean just-laid, warm-from-the-chicken fresh.  Packing them securely into the egg cartons Aylin brought from home, we headed to our next stop — a visit with Mui and his mother at the beach house in Narlıdere.

On the way there, we drove by Zeytin Parkı [Olive Park] in Güzelbahçe, which literally translates as pretty garden.  I had read a short article about this municipal park in the newspaper, but had no expectation of seeing it on this trip, so it came as a nice surprise.  The centerpiece of the small park is a collection of bronze statues placed around a 150-year-old olive tree, underscoring the importance of the olive industry to the millions of people whose livelihood depends on it.

The bronze figures, set around a 150-year-old olive tree, represent
a family that makes its living from the fruit of the tree.

Two of The bronze figures sculpted by Cumhur Ata Türk represent
the women of the family collecting olives that have fallen to the ground.

We found Mui and his mom waiting for us on the terrace.  My mother-in-law was anxious to show me the room she has deemed her “museum,” so after saying our hellos, she gave me a tour.  With family photos from three generations arrayed on the walls, it is a room filled with memories.  Should have taken a photo, but neglected to do so ... next time.

A happy reunion on the terrace of the beach house.

Next came … you guessed it … more food.  What can I say; it’s all part of Turkish hospitality, and we helped by contributing a cake.  Not only did Mui have tea and pastries to serve us, but ice cream as well!  Can you say double-stuffed?

At 91, Mui’s mom is still going strong,
living on her own and traveling when the opportunity presents.

Around 1:30p, we left to run errands and rest-up for an evening of … yes, even more food.  Luckily, we had time to digest what we’d already eaten before Murat and Aylin dropped off mom and me at Levent Marina where we met up with Mui and his mom for dinner at Sipari Restaurant.  Joining us were our friends Hakan and Ferda.  Regular readers might remember them as the couple that hosted us in İstanbul last November before we embarked on the back-to-back cruises that returned us to the US after our fall-winter 2013 vacation.  We had no expectation of seeing them this year, but a happy coincidence put them at their beach house on the outskirts of İzmir, so getting together was a not-to-be-missed opportunity.

Dinner at SİpARİ with the moms, and our friends, Hakan and Ferda.

We enjoyed a light dinner — a few mezes [Turkish tapas] and grilled fish; so no one had to roll us home.  Actually, Hakan and Ferda were kind enough to give us a ride back to mom’s apartment even though it was out of their way.

Back to Today …

Actually, I don’t have much to write about today … which is why I combined the posts for these past two days.  Murat drove out to the beach house late morning to pick up Mui.  They arrived at mom’s apartment shortly before noon.  After some chit-chat, Mui and I excused ourselves to organize our luggage, separating what we need in Helsinki from what we only need on the expedition voyage that will follow.  The plan is to leave the ‘Arctic bags’ at the airport hotel, where we will be joining our Quark group a week from Monday.  With only our ‘city bags’ in tow, it will be easier to take the airport bus to the city hotel, our base for exploring Helsinki and environs next week.

We were done with our travel-prep chores in time to go out for an early dinner with the family.  We went to Midpoint, a casual restaurant overlooking the lawn of Swissotel Efes, just a short walk from the apartment.  A few mezes; a couple of entrées to share; wine and beer to toast one last family gathering before we leave tomorrow.  Not to be overlooked, dessert took the form of ice cream at Cremaria Milano ;-)

Left: The last family Dinner of this trip to Turkey is at Midpoint.
Right: Man on Horse by Fernando Botero stands on the grounds of Swissotel Efes.

Yes, this trip turned out to be a lot about food, and only a little about exploration.  What can I say?  It was hot, hot, hot … so I limited my outings.  And of course, Mui was busy with contractors.  Next trip, we’ll return to a fall schedule that should be more conducive to being out and about.  In the meantime, see you in Helsinki, Finland tomorrow.

A Whole Week Gone By … Ending with Day Trips to Urla and Alaçatı

Sunday, 27 October
Alsancak — İzmİr, Turkey

This whole week went by in the blink of an eye.  Didn’t do much until the weekend came around, nor did I exercise the camera shutter a great deal.  In fact, the photos that accompany the words summarizing Monday through Friday are all from previous visits to İzmir ;-)

Monday … taking a shortcut through Kültürpark [Culture Park] Mui and I went to Basmane Garı [gar = train station] to pick up his ticket for a weekend trip to Eskişehir to visit his sister.  While we were out and about, we also bought a new cell phone for me as the ancient one I was using gave up the ghost.

Tuesday … Mui flew to Ankara to spend the remainder of his time in Turkey with his mother.  I spent the day getting settled in after being on the road for weeks on end … laundry, ironing, balancing the travel budget — such exciting chores.

Wednesday … a high-speed walk on Kordon [the waterfront promenade] — the first of many while I’m in town; at least that’s the plan.

Clockwise from Top Left: the outdoor waiting salon at Basmane Garı;
KÜltÜrpark; Reyhan — at the Optimum outlet mall; İzban route map;
optimum; a phaeton on the kordon waterfront promenade.

[optimum photos and İzban route map courtesy of their respective websites]

Thursday … shopping!  Not my favorite pastime, but with luggage space at a premium for the varied itinerary on this trip, I did not pack dressy clothes for the cruise that will take us from Turkey back to the US.  Hopping on the İzban lightrail system, Aylin and I went to Optimum, an outlet shopping mall in the ‘burbs.  After long hours of browsing, I managed to pick up a pair of silky black slacks, a chiffon blouse, and cute little dress booties.  We capped our outing with tea at Reyhan Pastanesi [pastane = patisserie].

Friday … afternoon tea with my cousin, Ruhan, and his wife, Cici [sweet, pretty].  Her name is actually Serpil, but the nickname Aylin gave her when she married into the family has stuck through the years.  Referring to our visit as afternoon tea doesn’t do justice to the feast with which Serpil tempted our palates.

Ruhan Abİ and Serpİl
with my aunt (who passed away a few years ago),
and their daughters, Duygu (left) and Asli.
Taken Christmas eve 1984 at mom’s condo.

P.S. [Updated in 2014] — I am especially glad now that we made the time for this visit with my cousin; he succumbed to cancer and passed away in February 2014.

That takes care of the week.  Now for the weekend — which saw us making two day trips west of the city … one to Urla, a town I don’t recall visiting in recent years; and another one to Alaçatı, a town that we visit on every trip I make to Turkey.

The mid-point marker is Urla, where we went yesterday;
the end point marker is Alaçati — today’s destination.

Saturday, 26 October …

After breakfast at Aylin’s, we piled in the car and went to Urla, a small town located on an isthmus about 25 miles [40 km] west of İzmir.  Mom and Aylin wanted to pick up some fresh produce from the Saturday farmers market first.  Then we went to Lale Katmercisi, a small eatery specializing in a square-shaped pastry that can be prepared either with sweet or savory fillings. 

Lale Katmercİsİ
[Photos courtesy of LöplöpÇüler]

The collage above pretty much sums up how a katmer is made.  What isn’t so evident is that the dough is rolled out, and spun around in the air if necessary, to render it so thin as to be nearly transparent.  Since we were having it for lunch, we opted for a savory katmer to share.  And we added an order of çi börek, a traditional deep-fried savory pastry that was introduced to Turkey by the Crimean Tatars.  Dessert was sakızlı keşkül, an almond based milk pudding … in this case with mastic gum added to give it a slightly different taste and texture.

Katmer	Çİ Börek

Admittedly, this wasn’t the healthiest of meals.  So, after lunch we followed a meandering route back to the car … to make ourselves feel better about the calories we had ingested ;-)  I don’t know that the walk helped our waistlines, but I did enjoy browsing through the antiques market with my camera, and grabbing a quick shot or two of the Fatih İbrahim Paşa Camii [cami = mosque].

From lanterns, to door knockers, to bells decorated with traditional evil eye beads.

Fatİh İbrahİm Bey Camİİ and its feline guardian.
The 16th century mosque was constructed on the orders of an Ottoman governor by the same name.

Our day wasn’t quite finished.  Back in the city, we dropped off our market purchases at home and headed to Tea & Pot, a cute tea house — and one of our favorites — in Alsancak.

I didn’t take any photos at Tea & Pot today, so this collage from 2012 will have to do.
ZEYNEP AND NİHAN (top right) are the proprietresses of Tea & Pot.

And that’s how yesterday went.  Moving on to …

Today …

Aylin once again hosted mom and me for breakfast.  One of these times I will remember to take some photos; she does put on a nice spread!  Afterwards, we headed to Çesme where we visited the market.  While mom and Aylin shopped the fresh produce stalls, I checked out the countless booths selling clothes at heavily discounted prices and came away with a couple of collared t-shirts to add to my cruise wardrobe.

If there is a theme to the blog posts I put up about my trips to Turkey it’s probably food!  That’s because there are so many quaint and cozy places where one can eat a meal, have a pastry or two, or simply enjoy liquid refreshments.  Charming little cafés, bistros, tea houses … all with a different ambiance — a personality, if you will.  There are always some new places that Aylin and Murat, together with Mom, have scouted out for my enjoyment.  Today was no exception.

After completing our shopping, we drove the short distance to Alaçatı for a late lunch at Asma Yaprağı [which translates as “vine leaf;” website in Turkish].  In operation since new year’s eve 2010, this lovely little restaurant is on a quiet street lined with houses that have second floor bay windows that are very much like enclosed balconies.

Asma Yaprağı

The proprietors pride themselves on featuring traditional Aegean recipes cooked with fresh, seasonally available ingredients and produce.  The daily menu is listed on a chalkboard, but diners don’t have to rely on it to make their selections — they can go right into the kitchen and see what’s what for themselves.

Taking advantage of the beautiful, sunny weather, we took a table in the courtyard — which had the advantage of giving me several photo ops in addition to providing a setting for dining al fresco.

We did a tapas style lunch, ordering several small dishes to share … from the kızılcık şerbeti (a lemonade type drink made with cranberry-like berries, and flavored with a cinnamon stick), to ot kavurma (braised herbaceous greens) served with yogurt, to kabak sinkonta (a regional zucchini dish), to saç kavurma (braised meat cooked in an iron skillet) served with bulgur, to pirinç yemeği (a dish made with rice, tomatoes, and peppers) … everything was delicious and sated our appetite so well that we didn’t feel the need to top off our meal with dessert.

Where to start … that’s the dilemma!

Clockwise from Top Left: Ot kavurma; saç kavurma; herbs for seasoning the
saç kavurma, kabak sİnkonta, kizilcik Şerbetİ, and PİrİnÇ yemeğİ.

What a way to top off not just the day, but my third week in Turkey!