Turkish Breakfast

Depending on whether it is a week day or not, Turkish breakfast shows some differences. If we consider a standard Turkish breakfast on a week day, it usually consists of bread, butter, jam or honey, olives, feta cheese, tomotoes, cucumbers, probably some eggs and mostly a cup of tea instead of coffee.

For the weekends, preparation of the breakfast table is relatively a big job. Family gathering around a breakfast table is pretty important for many Turkish family, especially for the mom. Having a good breakfast and nice chat with your parents/kids/spouse is valuable. Unlike weekdays, you dont have to rush to catch the school bus or stressed out about going to your job on time. So everyone has more time and more enthusiastic to sit on a dining table.

The variety of food usually increases for the weekend breakfast. Other than the items that I have counted above, there are probably some pastries (we call them "borek") filled with cheese or meat or potatoes. Also there may be Sucuk (Turkish style sausages seasoned with some species and garlic) with scrambled eggs. There is generally more than one type of cheese and again more than one type of olives and jams. It might seem weird but for some families eating french fries for the breakfast with a tomoto-garlic-pepper sauce on top is normal. (For example, for me, I am still missing my mom's breakfast french-fries.. so delicious!). Tahini and grape molases mixture is also one of my favorites. Another interesting thing is that we sometime have soup for the breakfast, especially if it is a winter morning. If you have never tried, I suggest you to do it. You might like it. Traditional "tarhana soup" can be a good example here.

I would like to mention another Turkish breakfast specialty here: It is called "menemen" and it consists of roasted tomatoes, green peppers, onions and eggs. I know some people are crazy for it.

Menemen:

Since I am living in Arizona, I want to say that I was surprised with the breakfasts here. I realized that each culture has its own lifestyle. Here, people are used to eat cereal with milk or peanut butter and jam on a piece of bread or sometimes just coffee and doughnut (or bagel) for breakfast. Isn't that interesting?

Whenever I am inviting my friends from other cultures for a Turkish breakfast to my home, they are also surprised by seeing french fries, or sausages on the table. But I feel and I hope that they are enjoying it very much.

The images are taken from:

http://www.egitimaileforum.com/forums/sabah-kahvaltisi-t7910.html?p=232142
http://bastav.com/yemek2.htm

Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee has a big place in Turkish culture. The coffee has a strong taste and there are lots of lovers. Turkish people usually prefers to have coffee after dinner especially if there are guests at home. Unlike other cultures, during breakfast, we prefer to have Turkish tea, instead of coffee. On the weekends, after the breakfast, while you are reading the newspaper, having Turkish coffee is a perfect decision. Coffee has affected Turkish culture so much that the Turkish word for breakfast, kahvaltı literally means "before coffee" (kahve 'coffee' altı 'before').
Also there are many interesting stories related to coffee. I will tell one of the most interesting one here. In Turkey, coffee is traditionally served to the groom's family by 'bride to be' during the first meeting of both parents (groom's and bride's). During the meeting, groom's parent is asking approval from bride's parent for the marriage of the young couple (which is a kind of formality). While they are talking, 'bride to be' serves Turkish coffee to the guests. The coffee should be well-made (which means it has perfect proportions of sugar/coffee/water and with thick foam (kopuk)) and well served (which means it is served without any spills and with a smiling face). In a way, it shows how skillful and nice the bride is. Usually, the last person that gets the coffee from bride is the groom. This is not a 'coincidence'. This is 'intentional'. Because the last coffee is special. Special for 'groom to be'. Usually the last coffee has other things in it which were not supposed to be there such as black pepper, salt, red pepper etc. ;)) Groom should be drinking it all without showing his discomfort ;) That means he will love the bride whether she is sweet or not (in a good day or a bad day). That is a small joke between bride and groom. You can imagine that the bride will be watching the groom secretly, after serving the coffee. It is a big laugh for bride to see groom's face after him tasting the
coffee.

"A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship."an Old Turkish Proverb

How to make Turkish Coffee

The necessary equipment to prepare Turkish coffee (Turk kahvesi) consists of a narrow-topped small boiling pot called an ibrik (basically a tiny ewer), or cezve, teaspoon and a heating apparatus. The ingredients are finely ground Turkish coffee, sugar and water.

There are different ways of making a Turkish Coffee. Here is how I usually make it:

- Add water to cezve (I measure the water using the coffee cups (fincan). If I am preparing a coffee for 3 people, I am adding 3 coffee cups of water to the cezve)
- Add sugar to cezve and stir it (The amount of sugar depends on how sweet you want your coffee to be. I like it medium to sweet. So I would add 2-3 teaspoons of sugar (for 3 people). Sometimes I add 1 small piece milk chocolate or dark chocolate)
- Start heating the cezve and add finely ground Turkish coffee (The amount of coffee is about 1 teaspoon per coffee cup. But the teaspoon should be over-filled)
- Cook the coffee while stirring it occasionally up to boiling point. (do not boil it yet)
- The foam that are created on top of the cezve should be carefully transferred to the coffee cups(fincan) by teaspoon. (you are making sure that your coffee will be with lots of foam.
- Boil the rest of the coffee briefly and add coffee to fincans. (since there are already foams inside the fincans, once you add hot coffee inside the fincan, the foams will be swimming on top of the fincan which is great!)
- You can serve it with a piece of chocolate or Turkish delight (lokum) next to it.

Afiyet Olsun.. Bon Apetite!

About Ramadan Dinner-2

After a big nice family dinner, it is time for the "cay fasli" which means "tea time" ;) This "tea time" is not special for Ramadan. In almost every Turkish family, whether or not it is Ramadan, there is a tea time after every dinner. I will specifically explain our "tea love" to you in another post because (believe it or not) there is a lot to say about it. ;)

There is also our wellknown "Turkish coffee" which is served after the dinner whoever prefers. I will give some information about Turkish coffee and our coffee culture in another post as well. In my opinion, especially after big meals such as Ramadan dinner, Turkish people tend to drink tea instead of coffee. But I would like to say that both the Turkish tea and Turkish coffee have a special meaning to our hearts and they are part of our culture. That's why I would like to write about them separately.

Anyways, generally we are not eating any dessets during the Ramadan dinner. However, we are saving little empty spot from our stomach's for upcoming dessert. ;) With delicious Turkish tea (I will stick to Turkish tea for this posting), there is always some dessert to serve. I have uploaded only one photo of the possible dessert as an example out of hundreds. This dessert is called "yogurt tatlisi" which means "yogurt dessert" (as you might have guessed).

During tea time, I believe everyone is a lot happier since
* we are not hungry anymore,
* we have eaten a delicious meal,
* we are together with our family and friends,
* nice and happy conversations are on the way,
* and we are thankful to God for all the things that I have just counted above.

During 30 days of Ramadan, there are several invitations like this. Some days you can be a "host" and some days you become a "guest". This tradition is strengthen our relationship with our friends, neigbors and relatives. We are not only sharing our food but also sharing our feelings, thoughts and concerns with eachother. That's why I think I feel very happy when Ramadan is approaching and I feel kind of sad when it ends.

PS: The dessert photo is from yemekgunlugum.blogs.com

About Ramadan Dinner-1

Hello again after a long break..

I will try to explain our feelings during Ramadan dinners. You remember the table from my previous post. Such delicious food were on the table ;)

During Ramadan, since we are not eating or drinking throughout the day, everyone is excited about the sun set and the dinner.

Again, our beloved moms are on duty! For my mom, Ramadan dinner table is a very serious business. She wants everything to be perfect. She is a lot happier when we are (her daughters)helping her. But in most of the cases, we were at the school or sleeping which means waiting to sunset. My mom is retired 3 years ago. I always remember her preparing the most beautiful food for the Ramadan dinner table. I still can't believe how she could manage both working outside the home and being a full time mom at the same time.

In most of the houses in Turkey, family gathers together for the dinner. More importantly, you have guests in the Ramadan for dinner. It is very important to share your food with your friends and neighbors. That shows the spirit of Ramadan.

So, as you can see from the previously posted picture, dinner table, there are more than 4 different types of food on the table. Here are the possible combination of food that will be on the Ramadan dinner table: (especially if you are expecting guests for the night all of them are possible.) Salad, two types of zeytinyagli (vegetarian style dishes such as stuffed grape leaves), soup, borek (stuffed fillo), main dish (probably something with meat or chicken) and dessert (might be baklava or pudding or something else) Doesn't that sound delicious?

Turkish Family's Ramadan (iftar) Dinner

I have just wanted to upload this Turkish iftar dinner table photo for you for now. I feel hungry already ;)

Ramadan in Turkey

Part of me was sad in this Ramadan because I wasn't in Turkey. I strongly believe that Ramadan brings happiness to homes all over Turkey. Families, relatives and friends come together sometimes during this 30 day of fasting to share food.

during Ramadan, before dawn each day, family members get up and partake of a proper breakfast together. we are calling that breakfast as "sahur".
in Turkey, as a tradition, in order to help people to get up for Sahur eating, there are "Ramadan Drummers". each night , about 2 hours before the dawn, each ramadan drummer assigned for specific area of the town, begin to play his drum while walking around that area. he passes around the buildings and apartments couple of times. for me, it is a very happy moment to hear our drummer. When I miss the drummer because of my deep sleep, I was feeling sad. Drummers are getting paid by municpality but they are also collecting tips twice in the middle and end of Ramadan from people (in the evening) by telling specific poems related to Ramadan and by playing the drum. you should have listened to these specific short poems, they are generally make you think and at the same time they are funny.

I am sure what is on the Sahur table is depending on the family members and their tastes in Turkey ;) but for my family, my father is kind of picky on subjects related to food. ;) so, there have to be either pasta or rice on that table served with "hosaf" (special light and sweet dish goes well with pasta and rice) or "yogurt" for him to be able to fast for the next day. I have 2 sisters and for us, getting up at the middle of the night is generally really difficult especially when we were younger. but, once you get up, family talk on the Sahur table is something special that I will always remember. as 3 sisters, the problem was whenever we see rice or pasta on the table, we were complaining a lot. my dearest patient and caring mom was always preparing something else for 3 of us as well. I feel like, during Ramadan, all moms are earning a lot of good deeds than any other people in front of God since almost all are very self-sacrificing and Devoted to their families and kids. I want to be like my mom but I don't know if I can be as patient and loving as her.

At sunset, people should also break fast. the dinner (we call it "iftar") table during Ramadan month is generally spectacular. iftar is a very important part of the Ramadan in Turkey. I will explain and give some specific examples of Turkish iftar on my next post. but I am telling you, since Turkish cuisine has wide variety of very very delicious food in it, you really should be in Turkey during Ramadan so that you can try them all :)

Holy month - Ramadan

I was very busy with my research at school and I couldn't write earlier. but here I am again.

For Muslims, last month was Ramadan which is a month of blessing that includes prayer, fasting and charity. So, what is Ramadan? I would like to explain a little bit.

During the ninth month of the lunar calendar, that Muslims believe God, or Allah, revealed the first verses of the Qu'ran, the holy book of Islam to the Prophet Muhammad. Ramadan celebrates the revelation of the Quran, the word of Allah, given to the Prophet Muhammad. For Muslims, fasting during the whole month of Ramadan, is one of the five pillars, or essential religious duties, of their faith. The main component of Ramadan is the fast.

During the blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking. Fasting teaches self-control, encourages a focus on prayer and the life of the spirit, and allows practitioners to devote their attention to worship, and draw closer to God.

Fasting is so important to Muslims for a number of reasons. First, when you are not paying attention to your mortal needs such as food, you may be able to become more in tune with God and your spiritual side. Also, the fast serves to remind Muslims of the suffering of the poor. This idea reinforces the importance of charity during Ramadan.

Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits -- essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. The Arabic word for "fasting" (sawm)literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.

Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person's body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of God.

Like in everyother Muslim countries, people were happy to welcome this holly month throughout Turkey where 95% of population believes in Islam. I will explain how we are (Turkish people) celebrating Ramadan, what we are doing and what kind of specific traditions we have during this month in my next post. I will try to post soon.. ;)

references:

http://people.howstuffworks.com/ramadan1.htm
http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/f/ramadanintro.htm

henna night 2

Bride's close friends carry the henna pot with the candles on it and sing the song together while making a circle around the bride. (bride is generally sitting on a chair in the middle of the room). since the song is very emotional, most of the time, bride and bride's mom (sometimes sisters) can not hold their tears and cry in this part of the night. (generally men can not understand this feeling. the reason for bride to cry is extremely weird and unbelievable for them. I don't expect them to understand because they are never that emotional anyways. that is the love between mom and daughter)

After that, the henna is going to be put on bride's hands by someone who is closer to bride except for the mom. My aunt did it for me. During henna night, I didn't let my aunt to put henna on my hand until after I've gotten a golden money on my one hand from the groom's mother ;) that is a kind of gift on henna night that a bride is expecting from her mother-in law.

After henna is on brides hand, the red henna gloves are put on hands. bride will hug the guests and and she accepts their good wishes. the music will be on throughout the night and there will be dancing on the floor (sometimes belly dancing) within ladies. before that groom can join to celebrate his fiancee and maybe they can have one dance together. (this part is not in every henna night. it can be different in other families)

and ofcourse delicious Turkish side-dishes especially deserts and beverages will be served to the guests. (bride's lady family members and close neigbors are helping for preparing and serving the food, thanks to them ;) )

I would like to also explain "henna" has a special and deeper meaning other than a "dye" in Turkish culture. It has a meaning of "devotion". Henna is not only for the bride but also it is put on men's hands (or hair) while they are going to do their military service. It is also put little bit on sheep or cow before it is sacrificed during Kurban Eid (a religious festival for Muslims) for Allah (God). The meaning of henna for bride is to be devoted to her husband; for soldier is to be devoted to his country and for sheep/cow is to be sacrificed in the name of God.