Thinly sliced yellow cheese (three slices at the most) on somewhat desperate looking white or brown bread and if we are lucky, served with a pre-packaged miniature volume of butter? Alternatively, a single croissant nevertheless discreetly decorated with a modest helping of jam placed along-side? Or if food is not your cup of tea to stay in the breakfast picture, why not opt for nothing more than a ‘coffee to go’ – which by the way I never fully grasped the meaning off as not the coffee in question walks independently anywhere but you would hold it in your hands? Tastes differ, breakfast offers greatly vary across the continent as well as in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland – granted. But more often than not today’s travellers in Europe feel somewhat short-changed, early morning nutrition-wise that is.
Fast forward to Türkiye… perhaps to a coffeeshop or a hotel located near you in town, or should you happen to read this column from afar, perhaps stirring up happy red eyed memories.
Choice matters
The inspiration for this first article penned for the Ege Eye ready to be published in what has by now become a new year, 2023 – which by the way your friendly columnist hopes you started in a relaxing, enjoyable, entertaining, and healthy and happy fashion – was based on my personal experiences with regards to how I discovered the splendour of having a breakfast in Türkiye. And that most definitely includes being treated to a ‘kahvaltı’ in the comforts of ones’ own four walls by wonderful extended family members, over time learning how to return the favour inspired by copying the fine cooking as practised by the charming elderly generation.
On the one hand there is the choice – imagine different white cheeses, yellow cheeses young or more matured, eggs mixed with local sausage called ‘sucuklu yumurta’, cucumbers small or big, most definitely tomatoes, various jams, bread, yoghurt, and many further delicious items. On the other hand, you have hot beverages that might feature tea or coffee yet not normally the stronger variety of Türkiye Coffee which is mostly served during the afternoons or after even more elaborate suppers as it is indeed, a rather ‘powerful’ brew.
Fair enough, but where does the hot soup enter the breakfast stage?
The hot soup phenomenon
Now, and so to make my point, we are leaving the much cherished ‘my home is my castle – image’ behind for a short while and let us instead picture a tired journeyman or journeywoman who just realized it is 6 a.m. having gladly managed an overland coach trip without little sleep, little sleep by definition…; by the way, there is no big difference between being on the road from Edinburgh to Victoria Station or from Ankara to Izmir, overnight travelling is tiresome but a necessity as a), you save time, and b), of course you save money on hotel expenses.
Then let us consider another traveller changing planes or being delayed or what have you – being deposited at an almost empty airport lounge with few if any fellow passengers around may be a daunting experience anywhere in the world, especially before sunrise.
Then all off a sudden you see that brightly lit counter, the restaurant, already open, friendly staff as if having landed or arrived on another much more welcoming planet or a part thereof. Which country are we talking about? Türkiye.
It may be 5.15 a.m. or 11.45 a.m., regardless of being in a busy intercity coach terminal or at an airport – chances are and without having compiled my own statistics yet approaching the 90 per cent probability, that one or more outlets will proudly promote their hot soup of the day, or two, or three, or more of them… Think lentil soup, tomato soup, mushroom soup, yoghurt soup as examples.
Which allows us for a perfect comparison, of sorts. Where many of our dear readers originally hail from a cooked breakfast was the (first) order of the day. Certainly, changes in how we go about our professions mostly cancelled that square meal eventually being replaced by the infamous ‘cuppa’. But still, is it not correct to say that a warming up of our stomach, hence a hot meal somehow makes good sense early in the day?
Thus written – many living with us in this fascinating country we all call home, Türkiye, have adapted themselves and declared a hot soup as their equivalent mornings comfort food item should they really not have time for other items on the regular ‘hot’ breakfast meal menu.
I tried it at 7 a.m. in Izmir’s Basmane district where all the coach company’s shuttle services drop you off, or at 1 a.m. at Ankara’s overland coach station before boarding another comfortable bus, or equally at 10 a.m. waiting for a flight at Istanbul’s brand-new airport – a hot soup served with some condiments of your choice plus some warm bread simply makes waiting, travelling so much more enjoyable.
And thus many restaurants even far away from any transport hub, and many families without any intent on going anywhere, took this custom on board and prepare a hot soup for or with breakfast, respectively (I know I keep on repeating the word ‘hot’; as in some countries many soups are served cold, think equally delicious Gazpacho in Spain).
Needless to say, that soup can be had at any other time of the day, too, but similar to what one would refer to as a breakfast steak I came across in many North American hotels enjoying a soup before the day really commences in earnest seems to be unique to Türkiye.
Give it a try if you like – and have a great morning wherever you peruse this article. And finally, let me wish you a nice first month of the new year 2023.
