Refreshing Food From Turkey

Turkish Ice Cream

A popular tourist destination, temperatures in Turkey often exceed 30 degrees Celsius during the dry heat of the summer months. While holiday makers enjoy basking on the beautiful Turkish coast, topping up their tan, there is still the little matter of lunchtime is that harsh midday heat.

To avoid that bloated, baked potato feeling, I have put together a little list of my favourite, refreshingly light snacks from Turkey, to combat that beached whale feeling and escape the heat.Cacık

This is Turkish dip, which can be smothered on flat bread or eaten with carrot slices and green beans. It is made up of blended cucumbers, fresh yoghurt, garlic and mint, and really cools your face down after a morning under the sun.

Yaprak Sarma

Yapral Sarma is a great snack and can be stored in the fridge ready to eat at any moment. They are simply vine leaves wrapped around rice, onion, currants, peppers, cinnamon and mint. Again, the freshness of the mint combats the hot weather, while the rice makes sure you stay full for the rest of the day.

Dolma

If you like aubergines then Dolma is an absolute must. Made by filling dried aubergines (or peppers) with rice, onions and mixed spices, Dolma is a perfectly healthy holiday treat!

Ayran

Turkey is home to a bounty of deliciously fresh and juicy fruit, which, when mixed with a little yoghurt and spring water, makes a fresh exotic milky smoothie, perfect for the summer months.

Tea

The Turks certainly enjoy their tea. Any time of year you will find swarms of Turks at street side cafes slurping down a fresh cup of cha, or ‘cay’ in the Turkish language.

You can have a cube of sugar but no milk or lemon, but the tea is refreshing enough on its own, and available in quantity.

Dondurma

Finally, a holiday wouldn’t be a holiday without a taste of ice cream or Dondurma. Translated literally, Dondurma means ‘freezing’ in Turkish. This very special ice cream is internationally renowned for its alternative texture and delicious flavour.

To prevent the ice cream from melting so quickly in the stifling Turkish climate, Dondurma contains an ingredient called salep, which, together with a resin called mastic, gives the ice cream a chewy texture.