Turkish Delicacies Pt. V

Nar!

That is the Turkish word for Pomegranate. I like it. It is short and succinct and not frilly. Nar is not a frilly fruit here like it is in the states. It is eaten quite frequently and can be found in amazing quantities almost anywhere.

You can get it fresh squeezed for just a few bucks. There's a pom..oops, nar tree just down the hill from us. It looks innocent enough. Also there are at least TWO kinds of nar available here. The regular kind and nar tatli (tot-luh), sweet pomegranate. What's the difference? Well, one is sweeter, but also in appearance. When I first saw the nar tatli, I thought the seller got a bad batch of them.

The good news is that the boy seems to love them. He can eat scads of seeds in one sitting, which is why I do not let him have scads of seeds in one sitting. It's a fruit, but that much can have negative effects. The other good news is that I like them. I think I have had four or five in the last month meaning I have had more nar in the last month than in MY ENTIRE LIFE!

I found a video for helping to peel them. I was quite adept at peeling them, but the video makes quicker work of it, so I'm thankful for that. If you like thousand piece jigsaw puzzles, you'll like my old method of peeling a pomegranate. The new way is logical. Here you go:

http://youtu.be/rnujQquKCQY

Regular nar

Some have six chambers, some have five.

Rubies!

What's left.

Nar Tatli, the sweet one. They are covered in these wounds. This is a nice lokoing one, but generally, they look much worse.

Salmon roe. No, it's the sweet pomegranate. Not as good as the regular kind, although I've only had one. I'll have to try a few more.

Maybe not a true Turkish delicacy, but the popularity of the humble nar means I included it in my list. Now I'm off to drink more Boza.

Turkish Delicacies Pt. IV

Salep! Boza!

Gezundheit? No! They're just two more wonderful drinks available this time of year.

It is my goal and duty to try as many flavors of this country as I can and I think I'm doing a pretty decent job of it so far. I read about two different beverages available only in the cooler months and it took some waiting, but both the cool weather and the beverages arrived on cue. First up was Salep, which I saw on a cool late October day, but couldn't find when I went back days and weeks later. It's okay. I see it in the stores now. What is it? Well wikipedia says this about it. I just know it's supposedly made with orchid root and it served warm and is a great way to warm up.

My experience with it came during a visit from friends on a day trip to Sultanahmet. It was cool, but not cold and I saw a man selling a drink from a cart with a lot of steam coming from it. I knew it wasn't the so-so chestnuts that are on every other street so I wandered up and saw the sign for Salep. I was so excited! It was 3 TL (~US $1.80) for a cup, not too bad. It it served with a dash of cinnamon on top.

Boy in tow. Drink in hand.

Ah, yes.

What is it like? Well, first off, it is hot as magma. Have you ever tried a big gulp of magma? I do not recommend it. Salep has amazing heat retention qualities. This drink is not for kids as they will have to hold onto the cup for ten solid minutes before the drink will be cool enough not to peel the skin off their lips.

After that, it is good. It is thick and sweet and very comforting. Thick as in a thin pudding. I don't remember a predominant flavor, per se, but it was good. You can also find Salep in the stores either as a pre-mixed drink or in powder form. We have a box of it that we have not cracked open yet.

Next up was Boza. I had read about Boza and was equally excited to find some one day in my outings. I found it at the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving. Boza is a fermented beverage made from millet. Again, here is what wikipedia has to say about it. Here are two more entries I found on the interwebs. One is from a food blog a friend sent and the other was discovered randomly, but I quite enjoy it.

http://cafefernando.com/a-winter-drink-that-makes-your-boobs-grow-bigger/

http://www.glamourgrannytravels.com/2011/10/06/boza-a-turkish-winter-drink/

I was happy to discover that the brand I picked up is from Vefa, the famous Bozacisi located in the Fatih neighborhood. It comes with it's own little packet of cinnamon. And what is IT like? It is sweet. It is tart. I was expecting something much more tart due to the fermentation, but it is very mild (and less than 1% alcohol). Leslie thinks it tastes a bit like apples and I think she's right. It is also very thick. I finish mine with a spoon. It can be served cold or warm, but I've only tried mine warm. And as the blogs say, it is usually accompanied by Leblebi, toasted chickpeas. I happened to pick up a half kilo of those from Malatya Pazari, famous makers of delicious Turkish Delight. I have to say that the leblebi really does add something to the Boza flavor. You have the toasted nut flavor of them with the tartness of the drink. It is quite wonderful.

So they look quite simliar and are found at the same time of year, but are quite different and delicious in their own way. Apparently, Boza is so nourishing, it was used to feed the Ottoman troops before it was banned due to Islamic restrictions on consuming alcohol. I am now supplementing my meals with it. Not really, it's just my new treat that I can justify drinking whenever because it is so good.

Play Date

The boy and I had a play date today* and it being held a bit further south of where are, but right up the hill from the Bosphorus, I decided we should take the boat and then a taxi instead of taxiing all the way. It's about a thirty minute walk to get to the terminal and the boat only docks for maybe three minutes so you have to be ready to go. The best part is, it'll take you to several stops along the Asian side and back to several European stops for 1.95 Turkish Lira or about $1.25. Cheap and fun.

*or yesterday. Oops. Stunned look on my host's face upon opening the door followed by the same look on my face. I felt silly, but had a good time since we took the boat.

The view before setting off. (I darkened the exposure to capture more detail. It wasn't this ominous looking.)

Passing a freighter.

Four story Starbucks right on the water. No boat-side service just yet.

Right next to the Starbucks is this lovely park and the ferry station.

I've seen these from a distance and they always look like they're going backward. It still does in this photo, but seeing it in person looked completely normal. This one is traveling towards the right of the screen.