Cag kebab — written cağ kebabı in Turkish — is one of those dishes that can look familiar at first and then turn out to be quite different once you watch how it is cooked…
Date Archives March 2024
Kefir: What It Is, How I Make It & How I Choose It
Kefir is a tangy fermented milk drink made with a living culture of bacteria and yeasts. I have been drinking it for years, and I have also made it at home with reusable grains. That…
Turkish Ayran – The Quintessential Yogurt Drink
Turkish ayran is one of the simplest yet most recognizable drinks in Turkish cuisine. At its core, it requires only yogurt, cold water, and a little salt. The result is a lightly tangy, savory yogurt…
Armola Cheese: Seferihisar’s Traditional Dairy Heritage
Armola cheese is one of the local foods I associate most strongly with Seferihisar. I spent years making Armola in our family dairy and delicatessen. That work showed me how strongly the final result depends…
Seferihisar Lavender Festival: A Local Guide to Turgut Village
The Seferihisar Lavender Festival is one of the few local events around my hometown that I can recommend from first-hand experience. I was born and raised in Seferihisar, and I attended the lavender harvest festival…
Fish in Turkey: Popular Turkish Fish and How They’re Eaten
Fish in Turkey changes noticeably by region and season. Along the Aegean coast, where I grew up in Seferihisar, the fish I know best are sardines, sea bream, sea bass and red mullet. Their availability…
Turkish Food Culture: Journey Through History and Regions
Turkish food culture is more than just kebabs and baklava. It is a rich and diverse cuisine that reflects the history, culture, and geography of Turkey and its people. In this blog post, we will…
Turkish Kumis: The Magic of a Deeply Rooted Beverage
Kumis, also written as koumiss or qymyz, is a traditional fermented drink made primarily from mare’s milk. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts work together during fermentation, giving the drink its characteristic acidity, light carbonation, and…
Turkish Dining Etiquette: What I Learned Growing Up in Turkey
Turkish dining etiquette is something I learned at home long before I ever thought about writing about Turkish food. I grew up with certain habits around the table: waiting for everyone before starting, saying Bismillah,…
Turkish Yogurt: Tradition, Uses, and Cultural History
Turkish yogurt has a central place in Turkish cuisine and everyday food culture. It is served on its own, used in soups and sauces, mixed into meze, and transformed into drinks such as ayran. Although…