Bulgur Pilaf

Bulgur is a very versatile grain and a widely used ingredient in Turkish cuisine. Since it’s whole grain and rich in fiber, I find myself frequently replacing white rice with bulgur. When making pilaf, it’s better to use coarse bulgur rather than fine one which is generally used in salads and koftes.

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Turkish Mezes: Albanian (Style) Liver (Arnavut Cigeri) with Onion-Sumac Salad

A very popular Turkish meze is a liver dish called Albanian (Style) Liver ("Arnavut Cigeri" ). To my surprise many years ago, in a conversation with an Albanian friend, I learned that there was no such dish in Albania. Ever since I kept wondering where the name came from. Couple of weeks ago, I finally had my answer!

According to Evliya Celebi, a well-know 17th century Turkish traveler, Albanian workers throughout Ottoman land were the poorest and could only afford this street food served inside a sandwich. Thus, this dish became associated with Albanians.

A must with Arnavut Cigeri is onion, sumac and parsley salad. Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice with a tart, sour lemon taste.

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Poached Eggs Turkish Style (Çılbır)

You might think that yoghurt and egg will be an odd combo, but all it takes is one serving of "Çılbır" to change your mind. Çılbır is a great comfort food you can eat any time of the day. It can be prepared in no time and all you need is some eggs, yoghurt and fresh-baked crusty bread!

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Turkish Mezes: Samphire Salad (Deniz Börülcesi Salatası)

Samphire Salad is a very popular meze served in fish restaurants in the Aegean coast of Turkey (i.e. Izmir, Cesme, Kuşadası, Ayvalık, Cunda Island). Samphire is a vegetable found in sea shores around tidal creeks. It’s quite salty as it absorbs a lot of sea salt (so no need to add any salt when cooking!). You can find it in farmers’ markets in abundance especially in spring and summer months.  

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