British GQ - 04.2020

The Turks’ approach to the day’s most important meal is

reverential and traditional, turning it into a daily ceremony,

a celebration of the country’s diverse cuisine. And why not

when you’re blessed with such abundant riches? From

strong and creamy cheeses to aromatic olive oils, abundant

fresh fruits to deeply flavoured charcuterie, the country is

one of Europe’s great breadbaskets. It’s these ingredients

which form the backbone of the great Turkish breakfast,

which is presented, almost always, as a spread of dishes,

even at home. At the country’s many fantastic hotels and

restaurants this is taken to an almost theatrical level with

whole tables heaving with honey-drizzled cheese plates,

herb-scattered savoury dips, brightly coloured jams, towers

of fresh bread, heaps of sensational pastries, and, of course,

menemen scrambled eggs, which come spiked with

tomatoes, green bell peppers and a host of punchy spices.

But before you get to all this of course there is the

matter of tea. Which is always freshly

brewed from leaves, never from a tea

bag, and comes served strong and

black in little glasses. It’s the perfect

way to kick-start your digestive

system before you start on the food.

And cheese is invariably the star of

the show. When you’re there you’ll

notice the ubiquity of beyaz peynir,

the country’s adored white cheese

with its dizzying range of regional

variations. It features in the classic

Turkish pastry, borek, which sees

layers of filo stuffed with cheese

and vegetables to create a

mouthwatering pie-like dish that

comes sliced and sprinkled with

seeds. Beyond beyaz peynir it pays to

seek out the country’s other cheeses,

such as Old Kasar, a sophisticated

cow’s milk cheese aged until it’s

centre becomes dry and flaky, giving

it a tangy, rich flavour. And don’t pass

up tulum, a crumbly white cheese

which is particularly good drizzled

with olive oil and scooped up with

a lavas flatbread.

In a Turkish

bakery you’ll

also find the

decadent su

boregi with its

layer of soft

dough and salty

cheese, and the

Anatolian

speciality,

ciborek, a

deep-fried

turnover stuffed

Strong and

refreshing, Turkish

tea is the perfect

aid to digestion

with ground beef. And those with

a sweet tooth will undoubtedly find

themselves hoovering up laz boregi,

a sweet custard-filled borek which

comes sprinkled with powdered sugar.

The breads are delicious and varied:

flatbreads (look out for the creamy

yellow bazlama), corn breads and

delicious rustic sourdoughs, the last

being particularly good when smeared

with muhammara, a blitz of roasted

red peppers, oil, nuts and spices.

Another spread that goes particularly

well with the sourdough is tahin-

pekmez, a heady concoction of tahini

and grape molasses.

As well as the menemen eggs,

the Turks are masters of the omelette

• don’t pass up the chance to try
  one with sucuk, the dried spicy
  beef sausage.
  Every Turkish breakfast worth its
  salt comes with a range of locally
  grown produce that brings a
  lightness and freshness to the table:
  ruby red tomatoes, flavoursome
  regional cucumbers and a bowl
  containing at least one (often more)
  of the country’s 40 different kinds of
  olive. From the banks of the Bosporus
  to the edge of the Anatolian
  peninsula, regional variations abound
  but there is one constant: a Turkish
  breakfast is always lovingly made,
  full of flavour and for adventurous
  foodies worthy of a trip in its
  own right.

Menemen eggs

come spiked with

tomatoes, green

peppers and a host

of punchy spices

The basis of any

Turkish breakfast is

supremely fresh

ingredients, from

cheese and bread to

meat and pastries

04-20GoTurkey_3403018.indd 98 14/02/2020 14:43