Künefe is a very popular dessert in Turkey which we will also find widespread throughout the Middle East. Very simple to prepare, it requires the main ingredient, kadayıf, which unfortunately I must say is not easy to find in US. Kadayıf pasta is mainly prepared based with flour, water and salt. It is a typical ingredient of Middle Eastern cuisine. It is a pasta cut into very thin threads used for many dessert recipes. These are intertwined threads that are wetted with sugar syrup. Keep the recipe ready for when you unexpectedly find kadayıf. Once I found it in an Italian hypermarket! Ingredients 500 gr of kadayıf 250 gr butter…

What is Ayran ? Refreshing yogurt-based drink. Milk? No, Ayran! Anyone who looks at this drink usually exclaims “So, do you drink milk to accompany your dishes?” Actually, ayran is not milk at all. It is a refreshing yogurt-based drink. It is highly appreciated by all Turks, it is drunk to accompany various dishes, such as lahmacun (Turkish pizza with minced meat) or any meat-based dish. I know more than one person who had an initially dubious reaction upon seeing the beverage. But once tasted, with the right dish, they were all enchanted. Now I will explain how to make this delicious beverage in your own home. Ingredients to prepare…

Stuffed Eggplants… Karnıyarık Here is another Turkish delicacy much appreciated by adults and children alike! Stuffed aubergines! In my house it was one of the many dishes served on Sunday or other special days. It is one of those dishes that recall the childhood of every Turk! It reminds me of the succulent dishes my mom cooked. The preparation is a bit long but it is really worth it. In Turkey, Karnıyarık are served with pilau rice or bulgur and cacık. Ingredients to prepare the stuffed aubergines Here are the ingredients to prepare the Karnıyarık, stuffed aubergines. 4 medium long eggplants 300 grams of chopped minced meat an onion a…

Homemade Iskender kebap recipe In this period, more than ever, I wanted to offer you a recipe capable of making you forget everything. In my opinion, it is the homemade Iskender kebap recipe. In my case, it’s a recipe for nostalgia. When I think about my childhood, my family, Turkey and France, I start cooking. So, here is the recipe for a homemade iskender kebap. Eating an iskender kebap is like going out to dinner in Turkey! Wonderful! It is a bit of a long process, since it starts the night before. Of course, you must also provide some pide bread to accompany this dish. Ingredients To prepare the meat,…

The pirinç pilavı, a marvel of simplicity Pirinç pilavı or pilaf rice, is the side dish that we see in almost all Turkish main dishes. In Turkey it is the star of the side dishes, because it is very tasty. Its preparation is simple and the result is truly excellent. I assure you that children love it, mine included. Ingredients Here are the ingredients to prepare the pirinç pilavı for 4 people. Rice for risotto (the equivalent of 2 glasses) 2 tablespoons of şehriye (also known as Italian rice) olive oil butter salt How to make it The first important step is to wash the rice to remove the starch.…

The recipe for Mercimek çorbası or lentil soup As you may have seen in numerous Turkish TV series, Turkish cuisine is very colourful and, may I add, tasty. Among the numerous dishes, there is no shortage of soups. Today I will show you the recipe of one of the simplest and most loved, soups, the Mercimek çorbası. Ingredients Here are the ingredients to prepare Mercimek çorbası. 2 glasses of peeled red lentils 2 tablespoons of tomato paste 1 potato 1 carrot Half a golden onion water as needed salt pepper or chilli How to prepare Mercimek çorbası Let’s start rinsing the lentils and put them to the side. Dice the…

The recipe for Nohut yemegi or chickpea soup For those of you who love Turkey, I will let you enter more and more into the world of Turkish culinary habits with this recipe of nohut yemeği. Legumes are widely used in cooking and this chickpea-based recipe is a Turkish specialty that can have many variations. Potatoes, carrots or vegetables may be added. The ingredients to cook it Here are the ingredients needed for the nohut yemeği recipe. 250 grams of dried chickpeas 1/2 red onion 100 grams of olive oil One minced clove of garlic 1 tablespoon with a mix of mint, oregano and cumin Tomato paste (one and a…

The recipe for the famous Turkish bread (Lavas ekmegi) Here, I’d like to share with you the recipe of Lavaş ekmeği, the famous Turkish bread. I often prepare it at home, as my mom did it before me,  and my grandmother before her! It is a recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation. During the summer when I was a child, I would dive into the scents of Turkey since that’s where I stayed with my family for about 3 months. Every summer I tried to discover and eat everything that I could not find in France. But one of my favourite foods was and still remains…

Here are the five best Turkish cuisine dishes which are not to be missed. In addition to Turkey being filled with mythical places to visit, you cannot discover Istanbul and Turkey without trying its colourful and delicious cuisine. Secrets of Turkish cuisine Turkish cuisine is one of the tastiest cuisines in the Middle East, which is why I have prepared a list of five Turkish absolute must dishes for you to try. 1. Börek, a timeless delicacy of Turkish cuisine Börek is the great star of Turkish cuisine, a recipe that cannot be missed. For that reason, it has been added to the list of 5 non-negotiable Turkish dishes to…

Hummus, made from chickpeas and sesame, and how to prepare it Knowing the cuisine of a country also helps to know its people, its customs and habits. We discovered the delicacy and flavours of Turkish cuisine through many colourful dishes. Today it’s up to a delicious and very simple meze (appetizer): hummus, a chickpea-based cream that never fails on Turkish tables. I’ll give you the simple and easy recipe so you can make it almost immediately. The ingredients for making hummus Here are the ingredients: 400 grams of canned chickpeas, drained and skinless a glass of tahini (sesame cream) Ki Group 65452 Rapunzel Tahini Sesame Cream, 250 gr 2 small…