When people search for Turkish holiday traditions or “holidays in Turkey,” they are usually mixing two different ideas. The first is the religious bayrams, Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı. These are often family-centered: morning prayer,…
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Ramadan Pide: Turkey’s Traditional Bread for Iftar
Ramadan pide is one of the foods that immediately takes me back to the Ramadans of my childhood in Seferihisar. For me, it is not simply a round bread covered with sesame and nigella seeds….
Doner or Gyro: The Delicious Duel Between Turkish and Greek
In the vibrant world of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, two dishes stand out for their irresistible flavors and intriguing similarities: the Turkish Iskender doner or Greek Gyro. These culinary delights, while sharing some characteristics,…
Yuvalaça – Seferihisar Traditional Food
Yuvalaça is one of the traditional dishes I grew up eating in Seferihisar. I do not make Yuvalaça myself, so I did not want to present this recipe as if it came from my own…
Gut Health: Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Everyday Food Habits
Gut health has become one of the most widely used terms in modern nutrition. It appears on food labels, supplement bottles, social media posts, and wellness articles. However, the term is often used so broadly…
Tipping in Turkey: How Much to Tip at Restaurants, Hotels & Taxis
Tipping in Turkey is voluntary, but that does not mean tipping culture is absent. In my experience, whether people tip — and how much they leave — depends heavily on the type of place, the…
Istanbul Street Foods – When You Come to Istanbul, You Must Try It
Istanbul, a city that straddles two continents, is as famous for its historic architecture and vibrant culture as it is for its diverse and delicious street food. When you visit Istanbul, sampling the street food…
Cag Kebab: What It Is, How It’s Made & How It Differs from Doner
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…
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 Recipe: How I Make Seferihisar Armola
This Armola cheese recipe is based on the version I made for years in our family dairy and delicatessen in Seferihisar. Armola is one of the local foods most closely associated with my hometown, but…
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…