Local lore has it that when passengers disembark a plane in Türkiye and almost everyone carries a mid-sized reusable carrier bag in their hands with the logo of one or the other well-known sweet brand names, that very plane will have originated in Gaziantep. ‘Antep’ – as in the often used and cherished short version – in southeastern Türkiye has over time turned itself into a gastro hub not just for city and region but an entire nation.

Another fascinating aspect of daily life in our wonderful host country is that Turks love to go places, regardless of relocating for professional reasons, embarking on a higher education course in a far-away city, due to family affairs or simply to go on a vacation. And wherever they eventually re-settle – if so deemed necessary – they carry not just fond memories of their birth town with them but bring the recipes for their much loved regional menus as well. Hence no surprise that for example up in İstanbul you will see restaurants bearing the name of a city, think ‘Urfa’ or ‘Adana’ Kebab, respectively. And Şanlıurfa is 1300 kilometres away!

But this article is about the other big Turkish Kebab location – Gaziantep.

Only that in Antep one will be able to enjoy many different meals indeed and not just that world-famous meaty dish. Before we talk about the city in some more detail let us introduce four such regional hot-picks, pun intended, yet one of them is most naturally to be consumed cold, Baklava.

All of them and more were recently and proudly displayed at food stalls dotted all over the metropolis and in the fine restaurants ranging from small and neighbourhood style to refined and classy.

At stake: GastroAntep, part of Türkiye’s Culture Route Festival 2024. Held in 16 locations over the course of eight months Antep was host to 500 activities and just over 1000 artists, chefs and performers coming to town from 14 until 22 September of this year.

Off we go: Baklava. You will have seen it in many shops here in our Kuşadası. Traditional Turkish Baklava in Antep is typically made of filo pastry dough, finely crushed pistachios, butter, and a sugary syrup.

It is baked first until it has its nice colour and soaked in that syrup immediately once out of the oven. It is one of the most common after meal desserts and a favourite gift when visiting family or friends.

Next: Kebab. There are quite a few possibilities but one you will certainly be offered during your stay is an Ali Nazik Kebab made out of lamb meat on skewers, then the skewers are removed, and the meat is placed on a pureed eggplant bed with a little yoghurt and spices plus garlic. If eggplant is not your thing minced meat on long skewers is an alternative, again the skewers are removed, and the long piece of meat is cut into three or four equally long pieces, then served with red onions, spices, garlic, and flat bread.

Hungry? Try Lahmacun, best described as a thin crust Turkish pizza variety only so much better. It is eaten with your fingers as you roll it, often adding peppers or mint in the middle before doing just that. They come in saucer size or full plate sizes. Some would eat them as a main dish yet over here it is a second or third starter.

Finally: a Yuvalama Soup. A yoghurt soup, warm, with chickpeas and delicious soft beef, not grilled but tenderly cooked, and no need for fork and knife as you eat your soup with a spoon only. As you would eat considerable amounts of meat during a complete Antep dinner (or lunch for that matter) the focus for this dish is not the meat as such but the combination of all ingredients. Three, four small pieces of meat usually do the trick.

Whilst heading to Antep to indulge in a weekend of eating, drinking and be merry the city is a true marketplace of many sorts.

There is the castle and the adjacent old town where tradesmen offer spices displayed outside their shop windows. There are traditional craftsmen selling copper or silver made products. There is a covered bazaar – even only mixing and mingling with the locals would guarantee a successful stay not to be forgotten any time soon.

World class attractions galore – the Zeugma Mosaic Museum is a must and setting guests back nothing more than 60 Tl (!) an absolute treat compared with other locations in the country where that ticket price would be unheard of. ‘The Gypsy Girl’ is the crown jewel in the building, you find it in section M32. There are many more museums including a Soap and Molasses Museum indeed.

Then there is the more modern part of the metropolis, luxury estates everywhere. Antep is a busy, entrepreneurial yet successful city and its inhabitants for sure are allowed to display just a little bit of their wealth. Never arrogant, modest, typically Turkish. Then explore the surroundings – a day trip to Rumkale overlooking the long and winding Euphrates River an absolute must-do.

You wonder how to get there? As our fine resort basically has its own next door Adnan Menderes Airport nothing could be easier – currently there are two direct flights per day whisking, or shall we say flying you there in just under 80 minutes. Top class hotels in abundance at reasonable prices, five stars starting at around 3000 TL per double room/breakfast included.

Kuşadasi is a wonderful resort – but why not benefit from exploring other parts of our host nation, too? Autumn and early winter season are perfect for city breaks as snow along the southern shores is a word reserved for dictionaries, not real life. Enjoy!

 

 

You Must Login For Comment