A Taste of Turkey - Part Two

I couldn’t write about Turkey without mentioning the fabulous food we ate!

Who knew that goat’s milk ice cream was so delicious?  A double-scoop cone of mulberry and chocolate ice cream is as smooth as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Of all the trips we’ve taken, I don’t think we’ve ever eaten better bread, more consistently, than we did in Turkey.  Every restaurant baked a loaf of pide to order and brought it to the table so steaming hot that we had to wait to pick it up.  Soft, airy and savory, pide was one of the surprises of our trip.

I used to think I didn’t like baklava.  But I was blown away by how fabulous it was.  Naturally, we had to sample as many variations as possible, and my favourite was heavy on honey and light on walnuts.  I think I ate baklava every night in Istanbul and possibly one day at lunch, too.

Scenes from the Spice Market.

The Turkish food we ate throughout the country was delicious (and I haven’t even mentioned the kopkes or the kebabs), but it was fun to change it up on occasion.  And the most delicious change was eating at Ziggy’s in Cappadocia.  Cappadocia was beautiful but wintry, and after a day spent outside in the elements, we were so cold we barely felt like going out for dinner.

The minute we walked into Ziggy’s, everything changed.  The warmth from the fireplace coaxed us out of our coats, and the warmth from the owners made us feel at home.  Ziggy’s was named for their Airedale Terrier, who in turn was named for Ziggy Stardust.  I don’t think Bowie ever received a greater compliment.

My youngest daughter raved so much about the tortellini that when we came back a second night, three of us ordered it.  The Ziggy potatoes were perfectly spiced and addictive.  The miniature boreks (tiny pastries rolled in cinnamon sugar) were so wonderful that even those of us who were stuffed made room for them.

And at the end of the meal, the owner drove us back to our hotel.