Towards the end of our tour along the Ihlara Valley, one of the best things to do in Cappadocia, my friends and I started feeling hungry. Although we were approaching lunchtime and restaurant, when we stopped for a short break, we couldn’t resist the temptation of sampling some of the traditional food we saw some women were making right there. This is pretty much how we ended up preparing, or better learning to prepare, the delicious stuffed bread locals called Gozleme.
Due to its famously scenic landscape, Cappadocia is one of the most popular destinations in many tours of Turkey. For as beautiful as it is, however, hiking its breathtaking views will inevitably make you tired. And hungry. One of my travel companions and I were vegetarian, and since we know Turkish cuisine is pretty heavily carnivore, to avoid the risk of not finding anything to eat (or the usual cheese pide) we kind of “took advantage” of every time we were faced with meat-free meals, with the result that we were constantly eating because, in the end, something without meat was always available.
So in the middle of the Ihlara Valley, my friend and I felt compelled, once again, to “protect” ourselves in case our allocated meal didn’t involve anything meatless. Along with an ever-present orange juice, at the rustic rest stop, we also took a gözleme made traditional style and filled with cheese, spinach and potato, a real treat. And since the orange juice guys invited us to see how local women were making it, how could I waste the occasion of taking photos?
Gözleme is a Turkish pastry dish, and the women in the Ilhara Valley were preparing it truly the traditional way. They hand-rolled the thin dough, stuffed it with its fresh ingredients, sealed it and placed it on a metal plate on possibly the most authentic wood oven I’d ever seen.
Once cooked, two little giggling girls were in charge of the last steps, brushing the warm gözleme with what I think was a mix of butter and egg white, cutting it into four pieces and throwing it on our paper plates (always giggling).
Turkish traditional wood oven Placing it on my plate after brushing with butter and egg white
Needless to say, gözleme was delicious, and eating it on Turkish traditional carpets and cushions surrounded by tiny, cheeping baby ducks was probably what made it a memorable experience. After we had properly treated ourselves to this more than fulfilling snack, we made our way to the restaurant where, as usual, we also found a vegetarian option waiting for us.
On dirait notre ” zicchi ladu” en Sardaigne, du moins comme aspect.
Il n’y a pas à dire les cultures se rencontrent très souvent.
Très semblable! Et aussi bon!