food goodness

So far, I absolutely love the food and drink here.  The only food I haven’t liked is sucuk – Turkish breakfast sausage.  It’s the BF’s favorite, but it’s too greasy for me.  I’m told that this is as bad as hating bacon, but I don’t really like pepperoni, and that’s what sucuk reminds me of.

But enough about the one food I don’t like, because there’s so much that I love!  I’ll start with the drinks.  Turkish tea, çay, is served everywhere – salons, shops, church, people’s homes, you really can’t escape it.  It’s quite strong, so it’s mixed with hot water and as many sugar cubes as you like.  After trying it several times, I finally determined that I like it açık, light, diluted with more water for a less strong taste.

But something I do like strong is Turkish coffee.  The best I’ve had so far was today in Konak, the more touristy and slightly historical center of the Izmir, where we explored the bazaar and enjoyed this Turkish coffee (turk kahvesi), which at this cafe is actually cooked in the cup itself.

Also, I’ve become more of an aryan fan.  Aryan is a yogurt and water drink.  I used to only like a little bit of it, usually a few sips from the BF’s cup, but I’ve come to like it more and now order a cup for myself because the salty yogurt taste pairs so well with Turkish cuisine such as . . .

Adana Kebab!  But actually, that’s the BF’s plate.  For this meal, I had Sarma Beyti Kebabı (ask name), which is beef kebab wrapped in a thin bread, and covered in yogurt and spices.  It reminded me a lot of enchiladas 🙂

We don’t eat dessert with every meal, but the ones I’ve tried have all been so tasty.  Sütlaç, rice pudding, is one of my favorite’s.  Some Turkish desserts have ingredients that Americans wouldn’t think to put in a dessert, such as when the BF had a pudding like dessert that contained chicken breast, but it didn’t taste chickeny.  Or this dish, Künefe, that was kaşar cheese surrounded by shredded filo dough (same as what’s used in baklava), baked in lots of honey, and sprinkled with pistachio crumbs.  Kaşar reminds me of a combinations of mozzarella and swiss, so it was like eating a sweet version of friend mozzarella.  That may sound like a bad combination, but trust me, it was great!

These have all been delicious, but my favorite food so far have been the mussels.  I’ve been spotting street vendors selling mussels from time to time, but I’ve been told I should wait a least a week for my digestion system to adjust before I subject it to street cuisine.  Fortunately, this afternoon we sat down at an actual restaurant in Konak to enjoy these mussels.  Here begins my photo tutorial on how to eat Turkish mussels.

First, open the mussels from the “hinge” end by applying pressure to each side with your thumbs, prying them apart.

This will leave you with one mussel shell containing the meat stuffed with rice.  Use the empty shell to scoop up the meat.

Finally, squeeze as much lemon juice as you like onto your mussel, and enjoy!

Before you know it, your plate will look like this, and it’s time to order a second one!

I know some of you have been to Turkey or enjoy Turkish cuisine, so tell me, what’s your favorite Turkish food?  What have I not mentioned that I need to be sure and try?