FOODS OF THE MONTH

Dut (dewt), are the dried fruits of the white mulberry tree.  They are semi sweet, chewy, sometimes a hint of coconut, and are great alone, in trail mix, or interchanged with raisins.  It is suggested that snacking on dried mulberries could prevent damage from stress and protect the cardiovascular system.  Hmmm...maybe I should increase consumption.  There are plenty of both red and white mulberries in Turkey as the leaves of the trees are used to feed the silk worms for their silk industry.

Malta Erik or Maltese Plum aka Loquat, is a fruit tree of SE China.  An evergreen, it is often grown as an ornamental shrub or tree in the U.S.

Flowers appear in the autumn and the fruits are ripe in spring.   The fruit grows in clusters from round, to oval to pear shaped, with a yellow to orange skin. The skin is very thin and when ripe peels easily by hand.  They are best eaten when they are soft and feel over ripe.  They definitely taste better than they look.

 The fruit is white, yellow or orange.  About the size of an apricot or small plum, they have a tropical taste, sweet and a little acidic...a mix if peach, citrus and mango.

 

 They can have from 1 to 5 large brown seeds, often leaving very little fruit.  The seeds dry well and add a new look and texture to natural pot pourri.  

 Kos Helva, is a very sweet treat of a tahin or crushed sesame seed mixture, whipped, with peanut, pistachio or hazelnuts folded in, and placed between two "gofrets" or wafers.  We purchased this at a street stall when we were visiting Golyazi just to see what it was.

Mezes, or appetizers, are the variety of small dishes served before the meat portion of the meal or as a light meal in itself.  Sometimes they are served all on one plate, sometimes each meze has its own dish.  No matter how it comes, it is always served with some sort of bread, often the special bread called "puf ekmek" or puff bread, a very yummy flat bread, similar to a pita, but much thinner, and is served hot and puffed.  When you touch it, it deflates.  

Along with the puff bread, this mezes plate (in Side) contains from center to right:  Cucumber spears; Sigara Boregi Peynirli (Cheese Cigars) - a light puff pastry filled with white cheese, and fried; Acili Ezme Salatasi (a juh luh) or "Turkish Salsa" is a thick spread made from finely chopped fresh tomatoes, red and green peppers and some spices, it's heat varying from mild to fire alarm;  Yogurt, thick and creamy; Patlican Salatasi (Smokey Eggplant Salad); Hummus - thick spread made from pureed chickpeas and tahini and often includes cumin; Cacik (ja jeek) - yogurt with garlic and cucumber, often served as a cold soup, it is light and refreshing and we use it as a dressing on salads, dip for veges, a sauce for kepabs; Turkish potato salad.

 The mezes at this meal (in Priene) were all served individually; we actually went to the counter and chose the ones we wanted, which sometimes is the case.  In the front is the lovely thick Yogurt; Sigara Boregi; Pancar (pan jar) - beets; Yaprak Samasi - Grape leaves stuffed with a rice mixture; Taze fasulye -Fresh green beans cooked in an olive oil and tomato sauce.

Each restaurant will have a different selection and may have their own specialty, but they will always be fresh, served with a fresh bread, and can be a mixture of hot and cold mezes.
 Afiyet Olsun - Bon Appetit