Pumpkin Sweet (Kabak Tatlısı)

Makes 6-7 servings

6 medium slices / 1 kg pumpkin * 4 cups sugar (800 g) * 2 cups cold water

To garnish:

200 g walnuts * 3-4 tbsp kaymak (or whipped cream without sugar)

Peel the pumpkin and cut into slices giving them an oval shape. Arrange the slices in a large pot and sprinkle them with the sugar. Then add the water. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes, until the water evaporate. Place the pieces of pumpkin in a big serving plate or in individual dishes. Decorate with walnuts and, if desired, serve with kaymak.

The kaymak combines perfectly with desserts and honey. It is cream with a consistency similar to butter. You can replace it with whipped cream without sugar. Soon I will talk in detail about the delicious kaymak.

Fried Bread with Cheese (Peynirli Yumurtalı Ekmekler)

Makes 4 servings

8 bread slices * 2 cups milk * 200 g kaşar cheese (or cheddar) * 2 eggs * 2 tsp thyme * 1 tsp red pepper * 1 1/2 cup crumbled bread * oil to fry

Put the milk in a deep bowl. Dip each bread slice in the milk, and place them in a large plate. Cut the cheese in slices and place two of them over four bread slices. Cover with the remaining ones. Mix the eggs with the red pepper and the thyme. Put the crumbled bread in a plate. Pass both sides of the bread on the crumbled bread and then in the eggs. Fry in very hot oil. Serve hot.

Fried Cauliflower (Karnabahar Tava)

1 cauliflower * 1 cup crumbled kaşar cheese (or cheddar) * 2 coffee cups flour * 1 egg * 2 coffee cups corn starch * 1 bottle (33 cl) of mineral water with gas or beer * salt * oil to fry

Wash the cauliflower and separate the flowers. Cook with water and salt. Then, wash with cold water. In a bowl, place the mashed cheese, the flour, the egg, the corn starch, the water (or the beer) and the salt. Pass the cauliflower on this sauce, one by one, and fry.



This dish is a delicious appetizer and is included in the many Turkish meze (appetizer). The meze have a very special role in the Turkish cuisine, and many times the Turkish meals are composed by a group of various meze.

Lokma and Tulumba (Lokma ve Tulumba Tatlısı)

Lokma and tulumba are two versions of a kind of a sweet very typical in Turkey. There is also another, called halka tatlısı with the shape of a ring. The dough is very similar to the one of the Portuguese farturas or churros. It is fried and then dipped in very hot sugar syrup. They are crusty and melt in the mouth...

Chicken Croquettes (Tavuk Köftesi)

Makes 4 servings

2 chicken breast (without bone and skin) * 1 cup water * 3 old bread slices * 1 onion * 1 tbsp minced parsley * 2 eggs * salt * black pepper * grated bread * 3 tbsp oil to fry

Boil the chicken in one cup water, on low heat, for about 25 minutes. Mince the chicken with the hands or use the mixer. Moisture the bread in some water and squeeze it. Mince the onion and the parsley. Mix the chicken with the bread, one egg, onion and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Thoroughly mix all ingredients. Take portions of the mixture in the size of an egg and give them a croquette shape. Whisk an egg. Place grated bread in another recipient. Put oil in a frying pan. Pass the croquettes first in the bread and then in the egg. Pass them again in grated bread and fry them. Serve hot.

In Amasra...

Amasra is a beautiful and welcoming port town located in the Black Sea border.

View of Amasra

In the Black Sea region, women have an important role in the agriculture and also in selling the products they produce.

Black Sea woman sells garlic, spices, jams, sunflower seeds and other products, in Amasra.

In Amasra, in the Black Sea border, especially during the summer, many women sell several products, namely strawberry and cornelian cherry jams and other products from the soil.

Sunflower seeds (ay çekirdeği). The consumption of sunflower seeds is very popular in Turkey. Usually they can be bought roasted and they are eaten at any moment of the day.

Cornelian cherry (kızılcık). This fruit is mostly eaten in jams.

Beetroot and Yogurt Dip (Yoğurtlu Pancar Mezesi)

Makes 2 servings

4 tbsp plain yogurt * 1 beetroot * 2 garlic cloves * 1 tbsp dried thyme * salt

Place the beetroot in a cooking pan, cover with water and cook until it gets soft. Filter and let it cool down. Cut into small and thin pieces. Reserve. Place the yogurt in a small bowl. Add the beetroot pieces, the minced garlic, the salt and the thyme and mix.

This dipping sauce can be served as an appetizer combined with other mezes, or as a complement of a main dish.

Dried Figs (Kuru İncir)

Organic dried figs

Turkey produces about half of the world production of dried figs, and is the second country in the world in the production and commerce of dried figs. Most of the dried figs are produced in the Turkish provinces of Aydın and Izmir, located in the Aegean Sea coast.

Mushroom Soup (Mantarlı Çorbası)

Makes 2 servings

200 g mushrooms * 1 tbsp butter * 2 tbsp flour * 3 dl water * 30 dl milk

Mince the mushrooms. In a cooking pan, place the butter and the flour and mix until the butter melts. Add the water stirring very well. When it boils, add the mushrooms and the salt and cook for 20 minutes over low heat. Add the milk and let it boil. Serve sprinkled with black pepper.

Turkish Rice Pilaf (Pirinç Pilavı)

Makes 4 servings

1 cup rice * 1 1/2 cup water * 1 tbsp butter * salt * black pepper

Wash the rice and place it in hot water for 15 minutes. Melt the butter and add the rice. Fry the rice for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the water, salt and pepper. Close the lid and cook until all the water evaporates. Turn off the fire. Put a kitchen towel between the rice and the lid for 10 minutes. Remove the towel and serve hot.