Gobble Gobble Turkey Gobble

It’s mandatory that I make at least one pun involving Turkey. It’s a big country. It can handle it. However the title is also quite apt. I have started planning my travels a little differently to those through the rest of the Middle East. While before I had focussed on the people and the sights, I am now concentrating on the food. And what food. Turkey has a reputation that spreads throughout the region as a nation of food-lovers. Everywhere, food is either being grown or eaten. Turkey is apparently one of only a few countries in the world who can feed its population to excess and still export a substantial remainder.

So as I criss-cross the country, I’m sampling the best of the regional specialties. In Gaziantep, Baklava was the order of the day. Apparently, the best baklava shop in Gaziantep vies for the title of the best in Turkey/the world with one other in Istanbul. We’ll see how it pans out. Malatya is famous for its apricots, whether fresh, dried, mashed, whatever. A lot of the dried apricots you buy in supermarkets come from around here. While I didn’t find the fresh ones overwhelmingly different to those back home, the dried ones definitely had an added flavour. They are definitely better at the source. Kahramanmaras is known Turkey-wide for its ice-cream, mixed with the flour of an orchid root. This makes it elastic and chewy and means it can be hung off meat hooks; a taste/texture sensation worth visiting this town just to try. At present, I’m in Bursa, home of the almighty kebap (kebab). Today I saw the grave of Kebapci Iskender, the man who created the very first one. Random fact: the kebap is actually the national dish of Turkey. Something to keep in mind when you’ve had a big night out and craving some doner times. Today I also tried olives from Iznik. They are probably the best I’ve tasted, and I get the feeling that the seeming forest of olive trees surrounding the town produces much of the world’s supply. Future plans include: Afyon, where the milk and cream is apparently so good because the cows graze on legally grown opium poppies over spring; Istanbul, for its Turkish Delight and the competitor for best baklava; and more else besides. The food here is amazing. There are dessert restaurants, that’s right, dessert restaurants on every street. I’ve eaten so much baked rice pudding I would laugh, if only I could be more sure my stomach wouldn’t explode.

As for the sights and sounds, there have been a few standouts. Foremost amongst them is the underground villages in Cappadocia. I think I mentioned in a blog about Egypt that I went to an underground labyrinth cemetery and was mightily impressed. That was like a sandpit tunnel to this place. An entire village carved into the soft rock underground, complete with a winery, stables and giant communal kitchens (photo). Eight stories of interwoven passages (no grid plan, just windows and tunnels to everywhere), enough to house an entire village for up to six months if an enemy army happened to invade. It was incredible. The ‘fairy chimneys’ in Goreme were fun for a bit too. There are a few different shapes, but most form when there are two different types of rock, with the toughest being on top. As erosion occurs, this tough top layer protects the rock directly below it. The results can look like mushrooms, cones or spires (photo). They are meant to be Turkey’s big tourist puller.

In other news, my knee is getting better, either thanks to the knee-strap I ended up buying or the chiropractic advice from back home. I no longer walk like a pirate, but I’ve kept the voice because I find it amusing.

So that’s Turkey for now. Oh, and don’t bother going to Ankara. Aside from seeing Ataturk’s memorial, there’s no reason to visit. I’m heading south-west from here and plan on tracing the coast up to Istanbul. My next post may be from Troy or Gallipoli. Somewhere around there. But I really wish I was back in Brisbane instead. Really.