Feta Cheese Salad at Kırçiçeği   http://www.kircicegi.com.tr/en/index_en.htm

Ordinarily I’m not a feta cheese fan, but this was really good, not overwhelmingly salty at all.  Just a really rich taste reminding you that cheese comes from milk.  And the salad contained lots of arugula, the nutty/peppery leaf called roka here in Turkey .  A great deal of “white cheese” is eaten here for breakfast: I know I ate a ton when we traveled through Turkey on our motorbike.  It’s great on bread with strawberry jam.  I never would have thought of it as feta.  I always call it “white cheese” and ask for the kind with less salt.

“White cheese, commonly known as Feta cheese in the West, is mainly produced in the Marmara (Area around Istanbul) Region, is consumed in abundance. It can be produced out of sheep or cow milk, but the production techniques may change according to region. White cheese needs 90 days to mature in salt water. High fat content white cheese is soft and smooth whereas low fat versions are harder. It is an essential part of Turkish breakfast and used in börek.”  http://www.turkishculture.org/culinary-arts/cheeses-312.htm

  While in North Cyprus I read about Turkish Hellim cheese vs. Greek Halloumi and the cultural clashes over who really created this particular cheese with the rights to call it by a specific name.  Apparently there are Feta cheese wars also.    The following information comes from students in a history course at Cornell University.  Part of their study of inter-European history was the study of some foods associated with different countries.

“The Feta Cheese Dispute

Issues of Regional Identification Involving EU Regulations and “National” Brands of Food

by Mike Peluso, 11/20/2005

  Introduction

There has been an encouraging degree of cooperation in recent years among European countries, and it appears that the EU has helped to create a more defined sense of a truly "European" identity. The spread of ideas and culture has become more apparent than ever before. However, despite the recent successes of the EU, it has not gone without controversy. Specifically, a number of conflicts over food have emerged in the past few years. Despite the increase in cooperation, it has become apparent that there are still strong regional and national identity issues among many Europeans. In some cases, these national disagreements have extended to different types of food and the question of which culture they belong to. Feta cheese is one prime example, and it has been battled over by Greece, Denmark, and Germany, among others. The long-running disagreement over this cheese shows that cultural and economic concerns are still extremely divisive elements within the EU.

Feta cheese.

Feta cheese is a brined cheese that is made from goat and sheep milk. It is unclear exactly when it began to be produced in Greece, but it is discussed in several ancient Greek sources. For example, the Cyclops in Homer’s The Odyssey prepares a cheese from sheep’s milk that is believed to be feta [4]. Within Greece, feta has been produced in much the same way for thousands of years. The unique climate of the Greek mountains is believed to give feta cheese its distinct taste, with the main ingredient coming from sheep and goats that graze in the area. Greek producers have strict regulations regarding feta, including the stipulation that at least 70% of the product be made of sheep’s milk. The remainder can be made of goat’s milk, due to the difficulty in obtaining large quantities of sheep’s milk. It takes about an hour for the milk to coagulate, and then it is cut into large cubes. These cubes are packed away into barrels and refrigerated for about two months [5].

The interesting thing about feta cheese is that it continues to develop as it ages, much like fine wine. It will taste differently depending on how many months it has been allowed to age. The Greeks have been regulating this process since 1935, and their firm tradition ensures a cheese with a strong, salty taste. Other producers, like France and Denmark, often use cow’s milk in the process, and they may use coloring agents that Greek producers strictly prohibit ].” https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/his452/fetawars.html#history

Selap at MADO

Salep, a beverage from wild orchid.

My order of salep took a while to come; longer than Mary’s coffee, but it was worth the wait.  You sprinkle the chopped pistachio nuts and tiny raisons on the top and then sprinkle it with cinnamon.  The tiny pastry had more chopped pistachio in it.  This was my first ever Salep. 

Nestle version which can’t possibly compare to the wonderful stuff at MADO.

Salep  http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/salep-and-boza-history-and-recipe-of-special-turkish-winter-drinks/

A wild orchid, the basis of salep.

Orchids have fascinated mankind for more than 3000 years, not only with its aesthetic beauty but also with its medical might. The idea of making a drink out of this enchanting flower belongs to Turks, thanks to their religious belief. In the 8th century, Turkish people converted to Islam. According to the belief, they are not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages. So they came up with the idea of salep, a hot milky drink to warm you up during the cold winters.

Tubers of wild orchids are washed, boiled, dried and finally grinded into flour. This is the essence of this soft and warming, but also medical drink. The healing power of salep comes from glucomannan, which heals respiratory problems like bronchitis and cough.  It empowers the heart and the mind, stops diarrhea and warms up the body. Especially if it’s consumed with ginger and/or cinnamon, its effect is amplified.

(Last night I mentioned over the VHF radio that I wasn’t feeling great: my throat was sore and I was tired.  I wanted to explain why I wouldn’t be at Neighbors Restaurant to help celebrate Rick’s 63^rd birthday.   Someone in the marina office heard what I said and had the Pineapple Restaurant  send over some warm Selap.  I hadn’t known they were doing that so tried to send the Pineapple guys to another boat.  It took 2 calls to the marina as well as the marina manager coincidentally walking past to get it all straightened out.  That was very sweet and I do like my salep!”)

Where to Find Salep

    This precious flower grows almost everywhere in Turkey, and there are lots of varieties. Yet, some varieties are facing extinction. To get 1 kilo of salep flour, more than 1000 orchid tubers are pulled out of the soil. And it takes up to 7 or 8 years for the orchid’s tubers to grow sufficiently to use for salep production. Therefore, export of salep is prohibited. However, instant versions with salep flavor are exported.  (I paid 6.50 TL for my Salep which is about $3.75.  Given what it takes to make salep you would think it would cost more.)

[In Istanbul] the two common places to drink a nice warm cup of salep are Emirgan Sütiş (Sakıp Sabancı Caddesi, No:1/3; Emirgan, Sarıyer) and Öz Süt (İstinye Park AVM).

Home-made Salep

   It is easy to make salep at home … as long as you can get the salep flour. For six people, mix 2 tea spoons of salep flour with 2.5 tea spoons of sugar. Slowly add 3,5 glasses of cold milk, and stir. Finally boil the mixture while stirring on low fire for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot in a cup dusting with grinded cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger on top.  (Not your calorie free Diet Coke, but less than ½ tsp of sugar per person, at least in this recipe.  Not sure about the Mado version.)

Instant and Ready to Drink Versions

   Or you can also get the instant versions. Warm milk, add the flour, stir and finally add cinnamon. Unfortunately, they have more salep flavor than real salep, some as little as 0,3%. Some brands have even ready to drink versions. Those you just need to heat, add cinnamon and you’re ready to serve.

“It’s spring sir!”  Remember that line from MASH

Every day men are selling bunches of spring flowers around Marmaris.  These  were the ‘welcome home’ bunch we bought for “the other Randal.”

New Friends….

Mϋḡa   Mine and Moi   ….one of those “arms length photos.”

Mine is the manager of the marina Migros.  Mϋḡa is her younger sister visiting from Izmir.  They came to visit the boat one evening after work.  Both very sweet, lovely women.  Mine and I have been trying to teach each other a few words of our languages.  Every little bit helps!

Reyhan and Selahattin Ünver

Reyhan means “sweet basil” in Turkish which I think is a lovely name and fits perfectly.

I’d met Selahattin at the Sunday Market in Beldibi.  He sells some wonderful REAL candied bitter orange peel in sugar syrup and a type of fruit spread that Randal really likes.  One Sunday we happened to talk about boats.  Salahattin is retired Turkish Navy.  I said that when he had time he should come see our boat.  So Wednesday afternoon he and his wife stopped by for a visit.  Selahattin’s knowledge of English is quite good so he could interpret for Reyhan and me.   Randal and I plan to visit them at their home in the Amutalan section of Marmaris this week.

Reyhan and me

My RAGBRAI 21 sweatshirt.  That was the bike ride accross Iowa.  I know across is spelled with one c but the person who printed the sweatshirt did not. 

Reyhan had made this wonderful  gὂzleme as a gift.  It’s very light layers of thin dough and can be plain or filled.  These are the last few that still remain.

Last but not least….Mr Buttons who lives with his family on the boat Hideaway.

Every now and again I borrow Buttons and we go for a walk.  He is 15 years old so knows about everything there is to know if you’re a dog.  He’s a little guy, about the size of my last dog Belle and I think they would have gotten along famously.  Every morning Buttons goes with his “dad” Collin for their morning cappuccino.  Truly.  Buttons particularly likes the foamy parts Collin saves for him.  Buttons just made a visit to the local vet for his annual shots.  Though rather surprised to learn of Button’s cappuccino consumption the vet allowed that one or two cappuccino per week at his age couldn’t do any harm.  I think Collin might let him squeak by with a few more.  This is their routine;  when they get to the café in the morning, Collin goes in the front door to place “their order” and Buttons goes in the exit so he can walk past  all of the tables to sniff out and lick up all of the pastry bits other customers have kindly left behind on the floor. 

Collected blue bottle caps are “recycled” into wheelchairs for the disabled.

Big clear plastic bottles being filled with blue caps are visible around Marmaris.  I’d wondered about them but not enough to actually find out.  Just yesterday we passed one and Mary and I made some guesses which included recycling; though why the tops and not the actual bottles would be a question.   Well I now know the answer to “why the blue caps?”  It was provided by our friend Heidi Trautmann from North Cyprus.  Heidi had mentioned in an email her interview of Dr.Kudret Özersay : The man behind the new Social Movement ‘Toparlaniyoruz.’  While looking on her site for the article I noticed the words, “blue cap.”  Dr. Kudret Özersay is involved with much that is good in North Cyprus, including the collecting of blue caps to be recycled for the disabled. http://www.heiditrautmann.com/category.aspx?CID=8665257547 is the link to Heidi’s interview.

But that was North Cyprus.  So I Googled “blue caps and Turkey" and found the following article….

We had a huge comfy bus.

We stopped to take photos of Datҫa’s famous old windmills.   

February is well before tourist season so none of the windmills was available for visiting.  I did find the following website where folks were able to visit.  I wish I could take credit for the “La Mancha” reference!   We saw a half dozen of the new, industrial style windmills which I happen to like though folks say they are noisy. 

“When the sign says you have 10 km to Datca, you start to see modern windmills to your right. They are spread all over the land. Datca is known for being windy and is a popular spot for surfers. When you have around 5-6 kms to Datca, there is a dirt road to your right. That road leads to the old windmills, which are really close to the main road anyway.

The windmills were made around 1800s, right now they are either waiting to be restored or broken down. 2 of them are already restored, the biggest one turned into a café. When you go past the restored ones, a little walk uphill takes you to the other ones. When we observed them, we saw that they used to have three stories, first story had a fireplace, built in storage areas and a place to rest. Third story obviously had the millstone and the whole mechanism. Our observations were confirmed when we saw the third windmill still had its roof, stories and millstone in place. We figured the second floor was for storage. Everything was still in its place in this third mill, compared to the other two which didn’t have much left that wasn’t decayed, and had fig trees growing inside.

Seeing the mills in such state left our imaginations running. Even if they were broken down, (and weren’t in La Mancha), they were kind of fascinating.

http://www.lomography.com/magazine/locations/2009/11/16/windmills-datca

You will never go hungry on a Gwen trip….even if it was to a desert island or the moon.  There would be a coffee/bakery/something stop along the way.  And on the way back too!

Almond cookies

See the picture of the cookies on the top right corner?  Apparently Datҫa is famous for them.  Well they didn’t have any the morning we stopped there.  (I had a very thin sesame cookie that tasted like a cross between a simit and a cookie and was pretty good.)   But the folks at Nokta, being the gracious hosts that they are and not wanting us to miss out on the almond cookies, baked some for us.  We returned there late in the afternoon before returning to Marmaris so everyone could buy some almond cookies.  There’s no parking around the bakery so Taṣ, our energetic and always helpful guide, took our cookie order and went off to the bakery to get them while we sat on the bus.  I ordered 2 not realizing that each was the size of your hand and that when you ordered 1 cookie you got 2 as they come flat sides pressed together with the rounded side away.  (Picture a cookie the size of your palm; then picture 2 and then 2 more.  I had enough cookies for a lifetime.  They tasted like very moist almond flavored sugar cookies.  I have no photo as I inhaled one very fast and took the 3 remaining monster cookies in my bag and foisted them onto Rick, Mary and Robert.  Though Robert is very thin he could eat my three cookies without batting an eye.  If I’d eaten them my eyes would have been popping out of my head.  Sugar is addictive; one bite and I’m a goner.  It’s like; I’ll just have a piece and then it’s I’ll just have one more piece and then one more and that cookie is eaten and then it’s, I’ll just eat them all and be done with it.  And then I’m for sure sick. 

This is the Olive Farm and I’m holding  the bag with the bottle of Olive Oil that we bought.  It was more expensive than supermarket olive oil, but Datҫa is famous for its olives so we had to have some.  Just like we had to have the almond cookies that afternoon.  At least the olive oil is healthy.

Sampling the various types of oils and vinegars. 

We splurged and bought the Organik  which cost  25 TL for 500 ml.  $14.28 US

“This early harvest olive oil is bottled for people who like their olive oil a little sharp, with a peppery aftertaste.   To achieve early harvest quality green olives are harvested at the first sign of ripening…As the time window of early harvest of green olives is rather short, quantities of this extraordinary olive oil is always limited.” 

It’s great for dipping bread!

Our next stop was the small village of Datça Hızırşah Köyü  http://www.datcadetay.com/hizirsah1.html  is the website which is all in Turkish but shows what a small village town looks like.  The head of the village welcomed us and arranged an impromptu tour of the small workshop.  The ladies were quite charming and each took a turn at the loom to show us how the silk is woven.  It’s much like how the carpets are made though silk is so fine and delicate.  

The silk workshop building

The carpets were lovely and I like the way they cover the windows with different pieces of woven cloth. 

The weavers

The scarves were lovely but each cost 100TL or more

Datça rediscovers production of silk    

MEHMET ÇİL 09.06.2009

“DATÇA -Once famous for its silk production, the Aegean city of Datça is taking a stab at returning to its silk making glory days.  Four families are now producing silk in the city, and the first product of the season was released last weekend. Yaşar Aydoğan, who reinitiated silk production in Datça three years ago with his wife Müberra, said they received help from the city’s elders who were silk producers when they were young.

"Three more families joined us, and silk production in the region has revived," he said, adding the solidarity of people was significant.   Aydoğan recalled that every house produced silk in the Eski (Old) Datça neighborhood 25 years ago, "because silk production was the only source of income at that time," he said. "Every bride’s dowry included silk, but the art has disappeared over time."

The only living reeling craftsperson in Datça, 68-year-old Ummuhan Tekcan, said she was happy to see silk production return. "Today, I remembered those days 25 years ago," she said while working. "Just like in those days, everybody joins hands and works on the others’ cocoons."

The production in Datça is done using the traditional method. According to this method, silk worms are cultivated and fed with mulberry leaves until they start to spin cocoons.

Once ready, the cocoons are put into a large boiler filled with water boiled using wood. This is done to soften the cocoons to permit the unwinding of the filament as one continuous thread.

Getting the raw silk

Then the strands are reeled. Reeling is the process of unwinding the silk filaments from the cocoon and combining them together to make a thread of raw silk. As the filament of the cocoon is too fine for commercial use, three to ten strands are usually reeled at a time to produce the desired diameter of raw silk which is known as reeled silk.

Then the silk filament is reeled into skeins. The skeins are washed and hung dry to clean the worms. After a few washes and dryings, the silk is ready to weave.” http://arama.hurriyet.com.tr/arsivnews.aspx?id=11823228

Gwen bought some small silk draw string purses to use as wall decorations when she ever moves off her boat and ever has walls.  I loved the white scarf in the background.  With that you could wear an old t-shirt and jeans and be dressed up.  But in the North Cyprus I lost my Tana Toraja scarf.  In Jerusalem I lost my North Cyprus Scarf.  Now I have my very cheap, but lovely scarf from the Carmel Market in Tel Avivi.  I’ll probably never lose it as it was inexpensive.  It has to cost over X $$ before I somehow lose it.

I must say that part of me is very sorry I didn’t buy the scarf.  Most things were in the 100TL range so no one bought anything except Gwen….though we all would have loved a silk souvenir to support the ladies. 

The town “mayor” and our guide Taṣ.

The mayor wanted to promote his town so sort of kidnapped Taṣ for a whirlwind tour of the hill town. 

Xpat Patricia and the lovely weaver lady.

Patricia has an apartment in Iҫmeler but joins in on many of the Gwen trips.  The weavers didn’t speak English but Patricia could translate my question to them.  I asked if weaving was an art or a job.  One of the younger women whose photo I don’t have answered quite empatically that it was an art.  The others all agreed and seemed eager to express that.  I’m glad that Patricia could act as interpreter as it gave us a really nice way to intereact with the women.  Then this weaver, who is obviously my favoriet, took us  back into the weaving room to point out some photos of cocoons and the making of the silk thread which this woman also has done. 

School in ruins becomes a silk production center in Datça

DATÇA – Anatolia News Agency | 3/31/2010 12:00:00 AM | KENAN GÜRBÜZ

An empty school building in the Aegean resort town of Datça, which was about to collapse, has been repaired and now serves as a silk weaving workshop.

An empty school building in the Aegean resort town of Datça, which was about to collapse, has been repaired and now serves as a silk weaving workshop.

Datça Local Head Mustafa Kaya told the Anatolia news agency the project, which is in progress at the Hızırşah village, aims to help locals contribute to the economy and revive silkworm breeding and silk weaving in the region.

“A school building in the village was empty since the students are carried to a nearby school every day,” said Kaya. “The building was about to collapse, so we restored and repaired it and turned it into a workshop by putting weaving looms in.”

The local head noted that 20 women started their education on weaving with materials other than silk at first since weaving with silk is much more difficult that weaving with other materials. “Once they had experience in weaving, the women started using silk,” said Kaya. “Then the project was taken over by the Turkish Employment Organization, or İş-Kur. The women attending the courses learn silk weaving for free, plus they are paid 15 Turkish Liras a day for their work at the workshop.”

Yaşar Aydoğan, the coordinator of the project, noted that silk weaving has a long history in Hızırşah village and it has been a tradition for the locals for hundreds of years.

“Unfortunately, this tradition has lately been almost forgotten,” said Aydoğan. “We aim to revive this tradition.”

Aydoğan said the silk used in the workshop is also produced by locals from silkworms by using a traditional method. According to this method, silk worms are cultivated and fed with mulberry leaves until they start to spin cocoons.

Once ready, the cocoons are put into a large boiler filled with water boiled with wood. This is done to soften the cocoons to permit the unwinding of the filament as one continuous thread.

Then the strands are reeled. Reeling is the process of unwinding the silk filaments from the cocoon and combining them together to make a thread of raw silk. As the filament of the cocoon is too fine for commercial use, three to ten strands are usually reeled at a time to produce the desired diameter of raw silk, which is known as reeled silk.

Then the silk filament is reeled into skeins. The skeins are washed and hung dry to clean the worms, and after a few washes and dryings, the silk is ready to weave.

The workshop has 20 attendees, including both 18-year-old and 70-year-old participants. Ten women attend the morning courses while the other 10 weave at the workshop in the afternoons. “The aim is to keep the tradition alive while also contributing to local tourism and the family budgets of the women,” said Aydoğan. “Our first production was silk handkerchiefs. Then we moved to producing silk scarves, and now we can produce long silk fabrics. We plan to produce silk shirts and dresses. That will take our coats up but I believe that is worth it since the products will be silk.”

Aydoğan said foreign tourists visiting Datça also show interest in the silk products. “We prepare samples for them and do business according to the feedback we get,” said Aydoğan. “Last year, we sent samples to the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.”

Aydoğan noted that the silk products are very popular in the Datça region and many products such as sheets, quilt covers, pillowcases, etc. are produced from silk instead of cotton.

Women attending the workshop are also very happy about the opportunity. One woman said the project helped them have a job during their spare time. “We both earn money and contribute to the promotion of Datça culture. That is great,” she said.

[HH] Silk in Turkey: a glorious past

The silk industry is a 1,500-year-old economic, cultural and traditional activity in Anatolia, which was a very important stop on the Silk Road during the mid-15th century. In particular, Bursa and its environs became a big silk production and trade center. According to records, during the 1860s, there were 31 silk factories and more than 5,000 silk-weaving looms in Bursa alone. The beginning of the 1900s was the peak period for Turkey’s cocoon production. During 1908, 18,338 tons of cocoons were produced – a record high for Turkey. Unfortunately, following this period Turkish farmers began to pull out of the business due to the spread of low cost Chinese silk. Silk production began to drop eventually, reaching just 100 tons annually.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=0331100256122-2010-03-31

Tszina, who claims not to be a cat lover..and her new friend.

Strolling through town waiting for the return of our kidnapped guide.

The local gathering place for the men

This shot was too good to pass up.

This Seljuk Mosque was being renovated but we weren’t even allowed to peek in the doorway which did not please our guide Taṣ on little bit. 

So then it was back to Datҫa for lunch and a walk around town.  From there we went off to Eski Datҫa and one other surprise stop and then back to town to collect those almond cookies…but that’s for the next email as this one is quite long already.