Did I mention that I quit my Turkish language class? Well, I did. My classmates and the teacher wanted to get serious about grammar and homework… NO. I want to talk about food!
A Karin sheep intestine in front.
Anyway, although I am no longer taking formal classes, I have not quit learning random Turkish phrases. I learned a punny one the other day.
The four common types of intestine offered here.
Adana is famous for various dishes like the Adana kebab, but the one that is also famously from Adana is the şirdan. But this is not the only part of the sheep’s intestines that gets eaten. I learned the name of this other part when I was discussing Halloween costume plans for this year. I could go as a kebab, or a sirdan. Last year, I planned to go as a glass of ayran, the Turkish yogurt drink, but decided last minute that it was too hot to wear a costume with padding (as I had planned a cascade of cotton padding to mimic the bubbles of freshly shaken ayran). So then what to do this year? It will still be hot at the end of October — probably around 88 F (31 C) so I need something lightweight and cotton… no, not a cotton ball… as that has padding.
Back from my aside… I wanted to go as a sheep’s intestine. But the famous one is too “rude” in the British sense of rude. So maybe I could go as the round sheep intestine. It’s shaped more like a haggis. But, in Turkish it is called a “karin” which is hilarious because “karin” is also “your wife.”
Maybe I will go as a “karin” and hold an inflatable “husband” next to me…
But it also sounds like it would require stuffing. And that would be too hot.
Sunset reflected in the mezze counter at Lakerbalik.
There is a type of restaurant in Adana, a “balik” restaurant, that basically serves as a waterside place (usually) where they serve seafood, but also mezze. And breakfast. Turkish breakfast is a big deal. But Turkish breakfast can be confusing in Adana because liver kebabs are a traditional breakfast in here. (If you search for “breakfast” in google maps, you will also get results for liver… I already did that. I like eggs for breakfast.)
Back to the seafood restaurants. Most of them are along the river and lake in Adana. That does not mean that the seafood is from the river and lake. Most restaurants get their supplies from Metro, a Costco like store. The Mediterranean is about an hour from Adana so maybe the fish is from a purveyor from there? I usually order breaded shrimp. If you order the fish, they will cook and filet it for you. Sometimes the filleting is down table side.
Fish counter at Lakerbalik.
The way it works at the seafood restaurants is that you choose your mezze and your fish. The staff then bring them to your table. Some places have photos online or on a menu but I prefer to see what is in the counter. I search out the spicy yogurt dip since I like spicy food, but there is a wide variety including eggplant salad, bean dip, and many dairy based dips.
Selected fish grilled and served.
There will always be bread and usually a “green” salad which is not just green. At some places, the bread will be freshly baked or warmed pita style bread. At others, they use the cheap standard white loaf. And as in the photos, the bread is the white loaf made into toast. The bread is unlimited.
Green salad, spicy yogurt dip, cheese salad, and bread.
Many of these restaurants are elegant a bit fancy, and often expensive. If you want a less expensive but equally nice view, then choose a non-balik place. Usually a water pipe/night club type of place that also serves breakfast or brunch (kahvalti is usually from 9-2). Many of these have amazing views. The views may also be people watching and in some places everyone will get involved in a friendly way. For example if there is a birthday or marriage proposal, everyone will sing and clap along.
A view of Seyhan lake.
Whether you go for breakfast or dinner, the dress code is up to you. Some where shorts and t-shirts (most men) and some where more formal clothes. Depending on the weather, people will sit outside or the restaurant will have opened the walls to the outside. Another thing is that there will always be smoking. And tea. No meal is complete without tea or coffee.
Sometimes having coffee or tea ends with tea or coffee. I’ve gone for coffee and then been offered tea. The tea is usually stronger than the coffee. The coffee offered is Turkish coffee which is a tiny cup and not filtered (so don’t drink all the way to the dregs at the bottom). Also, if you have Turkish coffee, you might find someone who knows how to read coffee grounds and they can read your future.
Tea, or “cay” – “chai” is always available.
As for the seafood restaurants, I do not frequent them often because some of them cost me $65 per person. That is expensive for a meal in Adana. But the price of food is a whole other discussion…
It is funny how one thing leads to another… for example, there is a movie out now about a guy who was trying to go home to Ithaca… and then I find a pizza place run by a guy who returned home to Adana FROM Ithaca. New York, not Greece.
A view over my slices of Ali’s Favorite.
This Adana guy worked at Ned’s Pizza in Ithaca, NY for five years and now he has opened a place, Pizza Borsa, that serves the same food. In Adana. He makes a delicious spicy pizza.
The pizza guy’s English is probably only slightly better than my Turkish. Luckily Señor Suleyman was there. He is there to help with the tea. Or so it seemed. Turns out that he owns the building, is a retired engineer who speaks some English. His daughter in law runs a pilates studio upstairs and his eldest son, Ali, has a pizza named after him, Ali’s Favorite. It is my favorite too. It has beef bits, mushrooms, and fresh cut jalapeño.
This pizza place is a mishmash of design and I do not know how long before the food has to be adapted to local tastes… Nope, never mind. It already happened. I tried the garlic knots and somehow, they were the most Turkish thing I have ever had. Is it the dried oregano?
Do you recall that scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the father explains that everything was invented by the Greeks? Don’t mention that here in Türkiye… or rather, just use the same logic but assume that the Turks invented it.
Take for example, “Greek yogurt” — strained thick plain yogurt. It is called “süzme” if you are looking for it in the grocery store. The plain non thick yogurt is actually although fairly thick, but this stuff will not separate and you can stand a spoon up in it!
Testing a different brand.
Oh, and we should mention that yogurt is actually Turkish. The word come from the Turkish yoğurmak “to thicken or curdle” but the actual process also come from the Turkish peoples who moved from the central Asian steppes into Anatolia and Mesopotamia. The assumption is that yogurt was discovered by mistake when some milk was left in a goatskin… did you read my article about the goat of all cheeses?
The Ottomans made yogurt a big part of their cuisine and yogurt continues to dominate modern Turkish food. It is completely normal for Turks to eat yogurt as one of the sides of their every day meal (like eating ketchup, olive oil, or butter with everything). I see lunches that comprise of one container of meat or beans, one container of grain, maybe rice or bulgar, one container of yogurt, and one container with lemon, parsley, and a pepper, either spicy or not. In the dining room at work, there is always bread free for anyone to take to make their meal. This ties into cultural practice of providing bread or meals to those in need.
One of the main Turkish beverages is made from yogurt and water. Ayran is often served with a foamy head, created by running the yogurt mixture through a pipe or blender.
Adana? Where is that? That is the reaction one usually gets to mentioning Adana. Although the city may not be famous, the Adana kebab (kebap here) certainly is. So what is it exactly?
It is a hand made artisanal hand minced lamb (must be from a male sheep younger than one year) elongated meat patty shaped around a metal skewer. It is grilled over an open charcoal fired grill. The Adana kebab is always grilled well done. There is a high percentage of pure white tail fat chopped into the meat mix to add juiciness and flavor. Non spicy red bell pepper can also be chopped in with the mix. The mixture is minced with a special crescent shaped cleaver, called a “zirh.” The percentage of meat to fat is 5 to 1. After the mixture is made, according to the recipe, it should be rested for a day.
There are some assumptions that the Adana kebab is spicy. It is not. Although the accompanying jalapeño chili can be. Each portion of Adana kebab is about 180 grams and it takes a master’s touch to make the meat mixture stick to the skewer so that it can be turned often while cooking. While the meat is cooking, the juices are soaked up with flat bread. This bread is served with the meat. It is fun to watch the master (“usta”) form the kebab. It takes a bit of water and a lot of skill to quickly move the hand up the skewer creating a wave of meat.
Like all kebabs, there will be the obligatory free salads (Don’t pay! They should be free!) and a grilled chili pepper and tomato. The kebab is served with flat bread, usually pide, so you can make your own delicious bites. Like most food here, you can spice or flavor the food as you like, with a sprinkle of red pepper powder, salt, or drops of lemon.
The typical drink with the Adana kebab is ayran, savory salted yogurt, or şalgam, fermented turnip. Or ice cold raki, alcohol made from grapes and flavored with aniseed.
Adana is proud and famous for the Adana kebab. Now that the Adana kebab is a designated cultural origin food, the city holds festivals of kebabs…
My informal guess is that there is a kebab shop on every block. At least one. Maybe two or four. So every day is a kebab festival!
Of course I tried the specialties of Antalya. At first the hotel person told me to go to a place called Seven Sultans, or something like that. But I told him that I wanted to go somewhere that locals would go to, not tourists.
Just a two minute away from the mega tourism of Hadrian’s Gate, one finds local Antalya. I walked past the touristy juice bar and found, around a corner, Arabin Yeri.
The menu.
They were friendly in there even if they spoke no English and I spoke no Turkish. They conveyed to me that they only had the two top items on their menu. I managed to convey that I was dying of heat and thirst and they immediately brought me a bottle of cold water. Then I said that I only wanted a single shish kebab. They said that the portion was six kebabs of kofte (meatball) kebab. So I got a half portion.
The lamb kebabs.
I asked if they had “cag kebab” as I was told that this was the specialty. They only had the two items on their menu… More about cag kebab another time.
Arabin Yeri.
So I got the “piyaz” which is a cannelloni bean salad. It has tahini dressing, olive oil, onions, tomatoes, and hard boiled egg. And parsley. Always parsley. One is supposed to drizzle lemon juice on it and more olive oil to taste while stirring it all up. Then eat with spoon.
I wrote that I would return to Antalya. I would go back for the Korean ribs and food and Kore Dimibang. Maybe it’s shallow of me, but as my friend says, “You do you, and I’ll do me.” And me is going back for those ridiculously delicious beef ribs.
Part of the menu.
On the last day I was in Antalya, I had enough of eating lamb/mutton. I found this newly opened Korean restaurant. The beef ribs are marinated for 72 hours so one has to order ahead. But lucky for me, they had some already marinated. I had one bite and ordered a second portion to go. I almost missed my flight…
Cold rice noodles with spicy sauce.
The cool noodle dish was also perfection on a sizzling hot day. The cool slippery noodles and the spicy sauce were refreshing together. The drink of the day was a tomato and basil spritzer. No alcohol. The tomatoes were peeled and sweetened so they tasted almost like jujubes. To Koreans, the tomato is a fruit (it is) so they treat it like a fruit in drinks like this one.
Tomato and basil spritzer.
Now, why would this Korean couple open a Korean place in Antalya. Through their staff, who speaks Turkish, Korean, and English, I found out that it is because this couple honeymooned in Turkey many years ago and had this dream of opening an authentic Korean palace cuisine inspired place. I wish them good luck. I do not know how they will survive with adaption their recipes even more. Note the grilled pepper on the ribs… that is very Turkish. The chef even makes his own noodles. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that Turks like their pasta soft… not al dente… so they might appreciate the chew on his hand crafted noodles.
Open kitchen with hand made noodles.
But, the name of the restaurant and the flavors were Korean. The name is taken from the famous Korean cookbook from 400 years ago. This harks back to my favorite place in Dhaka.
Where the names comes from.
I told them that I wished they were in Adana and they said that if they had success, then maybe they would be some day. Sigh. One can hope.
Kore Dimibang is on a one way street near the coast in Antalya.
Did I mention this yet? One of the startling things about Adana is the hairy goat cheese. It’s called “tulum” and it’s an aged white cheese. Tastes good. But the packaging is a bit hairy.
A cheese waiting outside a store.
The tulum is made by filing a goat skin and letting it age. This was a practical solution in the days of yore. One does not have to buy the whole goat of cheese. As customers buy the cheese, the top is peeled down, the outside of the cheese is scraped of bits, and then the cheese is cut.
A tulum cheese being opened.
But, when I’m driving along and see one of the headless tulum cheeses with arms straight out… I’m reminded that I’m not in Kansas. Especially like the other day when the smiling cheese lady (in the photo) fed me a piece freshly cut from the goat.
Some people, mostly foreigners, find this a bit gross and reminds them of why they want to be vegan. So maybe I should have done a warning…
At Kebapci Euup Usta, this is the standard free salads/mezze with a kabob meal.
When you order Adana kebab, or any kind of kebab, you will be given some free dishes. This is how it is supposed to be. If a place charges you for these salads that they bring to you, don’t go there again. Also, don’t go back if the place charges you too much (Recently I was charged 3,000 Turkish Lira for a mixed grill for two people — that is too much!).
These free salads or appetizers will arrive before your meal but you can continue to eat them during your meal to use in your sandwich. Most kabobs are eaten as a handheld wrap. There will usually be salt and red pepper powder on the table as well. Some places include grape molasses which alongside the lemons allow you to create your own dressing for the sandwich or salads. Most of the salads area already dressed with grape molasses or sumac. Most places will include a plate of herbs and lemons. Always parsley, often mint, and sometimes dill too. Many Turks will eat parsley straight up while waiting for the rest of the food. Sort of treating parsley like a breadstick.
At Han Kebap, they give you individual salads and “cig kofte” wraps.
Really basic places will give you smaller portions or simply the herbs and the onion salad. And large places will give you lots of salads including the basics, some with shallots only, cooked onion salads, and some even include baked “pizza” items like pide or lahmacun.
At Han Kebap, their spicy wet salad is excellent.
The thing with kabobs is that they are customizable and completely up to you how you want to eat it. I usually use a fork and knife. Many places will give you a fork and a spoon only. Many Turks use a spoon to eat the salads. I personally quite like eating things that only require a spoon.
At Hand Kebap, they serve mini pide with cheese. Yummy.
If you order a kabob, it will be served with bread, usually a flat or flatter bread like pita/pide, or a lavash/tortilla style bread. Some places have rice that you can order as well.
Chicken kabob.
Another thing is that all kabobs are served with a grilled chili pepper and a bit of tomato. This chicken kabob meal including the salads, an ayran yogurt drink, and tea cost me 540 Turkish lira. I’m told that it was a bit pricey but that I was paying for the view of the hospital… and the English speaking waiter.
Turkish meatballs are usually this shape although they can also be round.
I see the köfte (the Turkish meatball) everywhere in modern-day Turkish cooking. Never once have I thought how Swedish it seemed. It is surprising to think of it having a connection to Sweden. But, recently, I learned the origins of the Swedish meatball (köttbullar). Apparently, a Swedish King brought back the meatball from his travels to the Ottoman Empire.
In 1708, King Charles XII of Sweden decided to invade Russia. After a military defeat in 1709, he fled to the Ottoman Empire. The Swedish king went into exile for five days… but stayed for as a guest of the Ottoman Empire for five years. The Swedish king was at the Ottoman court for so long that the Ottoman treasury (who funded him) gave him the nickname, “registered immovable property.”
When King Charles XII returned to Swedish, he and his troops had acquired a taste for the Ottoman flavors ofmeatballs, stuffed cabbage, coffee, and sherbet. These foods entered the Swedish cuisine. The Swedish meatball was adapted to meet local tastes, including a creamy gravy, and lingonberry jelly. The first printed recipe for Swedish meatballs was in the 1755 cookbook by Swedish chef Casja Warg. As for the king, in 1718 when he tried to invade Denmark, again, he was fatally shot in the head.
Ikea in Turkiye sells the Swedish meatballs as a sandwich.
With the rise of Ikea, Swedish meatballs have become an internationally known dish. There is an Ikea store in Adana, out at the M1 mall, and they sell Swedish meatballs. You can even eat them at the cafe in the store. They are all beef as this is Adana.
In the freezer section at Ikea in Adana.
I wonder if the Turks enjoying the Swedish meatballs at Ikea think about the Turkish origins of their Swedish meatballs.
The large mosque and the 1,700-year-old Roman bridge.
Adana is not a touristy city, but, here are the things one can do as a tourist. But, first things first. It is hot in Adana. From June through October, the temperatures can be above 86F/30C. Not super humid. In July, August, and September the temperatures are above 104F/40C. I recommend late October or April during the Orange Blossom Festival, Adana’s biggest tourist event.
Visit the old town around the clock tower and the old bazaar street.
Walk across the Roman bridge, still usable after 1,700 years.
Get a Turkish bath in a 500 year old bath house. Çarşı Hamami was built in 1529. Yes, you read that right. This bath house is located east of the main tourist street with all the shops. It is near the big clock tower.
A touristy sign in a touristy bit of Adana old town.
Visit the large mosque, Sabancı Central Mosque, the second largest mosque in the country. It is only 30 years old but is built in the style of the Blue Mosque which was built 400 years ago. While visiting the central park, walk along the river and maybe cross the hanging rope bridge.
The big clock tower and the main tourist street.
Buy some Turkish towels. I recommend venturing into the small streets downtown away from the touristy areas if you want better prices. I have seen Turkish towels range in price from $3 to $100.
For souvenirs, I recommend the womens’ cooperative, located near the clock tower.
Simit is the “Turkish bagel” or so they say. I did not think so until I had the kind that sort of reminded me of a bagel. There are subtleties to simit that I have not yet fully comprehended. Some are coated in butter, some are coated in sesame seeds, some are baked harder, and some are coated in molasses. These are the five types that I have discovered in Adana. Apparently the molasses one is special to Adana. (Scroll down to see it)
Fluffy sesame simitTwisted slightly chewy simitBaked like pizza simit – also chewy — pizza bottom crust.Dipped in molasses simit – crunchy and sweet.Kazan, I think. These are twisted, chewy, and basted in molasses.
There is an old simit shop that has been around for more than 100 years, supposedly. They do one kind of simit. The kazan. Each simit costs around 10 lira. Bread prices are controlled by the government.
Generally, simit is a breakfast item, or a tea item. There are simit vendors who roam the streets and usually the simit they sell is the kazan simit. Simit is often paired with a processed cheese product sort of like the pie shaped Laughing Cow. The Turkish variety is funkier and takes getting used to. I am now digging it.
I have my favorite places and those usually bake fresh simit all the time. It is wonderful to smell fresh baked simit and even better to chew into it.
