I thought it would be helpful to have a printable PDF of the Bazaar Cheat Sheet that I posted yesterday. Click the image below to download a printable PDF that you can take to the bazaar with you.
Click the image to download a printable PDF
Turkish Produce Cheat Sheet
Turkish Produce Cheat Sheet
I recently found a very helpful cheat sheet for Turkish markets. Here at Incirlik Air Base, there is a regular series of articles on the base’s home page called “Ask Mehmet”. He recently wrote a great article called “Finding Local Markets.” I encourage you to check out the whole article for instructions about shopping at an Adana Fruit and Vegetable Bazaar. I think you’ll appreciate the list he’s put together below. Click the image below for a downloadable PDF of the list that you can take to the bazaar with you.
Click the image to download a printable PDF
Vegetable – Sebze (sab-zah)
bean – fasulye (fah-sool-yea)
pea – bezelye (beh-zell-yeah)
cabbage – lahana (lah-hah-nah)
spinach – ispanak (ihs-pah-knock)
carrot – havuç (hah-wuch)
cauliflower – karnibahar (kahr-ne-bah-are)
tomato – domates (doh-mah-tess)
potato – papates (pah-tah-tess)
artichokes – enginar (ehn-ghin-are)
cucumber – salatalik (sah-lah-tah-like)
corn – misir (mis-ihr)
pepper – biber (be-behr)
red pepper – kirmizi biber (kihr-mih-ze be-behr)
green pepper – yesil biber (yeh-sheel be-behr)
radish – turp (tuhrp)
egg plant – patlican (pot-le-john)
leek – pirasa (pih-rah-sah)
okra – bamya (bahm- yah)
mushroom – mantar (mahn-tar)
onion – sogan (so-o-aahn)
garlic – sarimsak (sah-rihm-suck)
lettuce – marul (mah-rule)
fruit – meyve (may-veh)
apple – elma (el-mah)
pear – armut (are-mut)
orange – portakal (pohr-tah-kahl)
tangerine -mandalina (mahn-dah-lee-nah)
cherry – kiraz (ke-razh)
banana – muz (mooze)
peach – seftali (shef-tah-lee)
grapes – uzum (ue-zuem)
plum – erik (eric)
melon – kavun (kah-woon)
watermelon – karpuz (kahr-pooz)
grapefruit – greyfurt (gray-fuhrt)
apricot – kayisi (kah-ye-se)
strawberry – çilek (chee-lack)
pomegranate – nar (nahr)
Ayran – A classic Turkish Drink
Ayran
Although this post is a part of the “Adana Food Guide,” I’m introducing a beverage today; namely Ayran.
Ayran is a simple Turkish drink made of yogurt, water with a little bit of salt for flavor. Honestly, when I first came to Turkey, there was not much more disgusting that I could imagine than plain yogurt and water. I’ve grown to love Ayran though, and there are some meals that I simply cannot enjoy without a big glass of ayran. Frankly, I can’t imagine living without it, and thankfully I’ll never have to since Yogurt is easy to make and water is pretty abundant.
Noitce the cup of Ayran with straw at McDonalds
A fun fact about Ayran that is that it is a very popular alternative to cola for kids when ordering happy meals at McDonalds. My kids were raised drinking Ayran as their beverage whenever we eat out and often at home and they love it.
I know that Americans are rediscovering fermented foods, “Greek” Yogurt and lactic acid fermentation, and I can’t think of any better way to get those probiotics into your system than with a big glass of Ayran.
How to fall in Love with Ayran: I haven’t always liked Ayran. One day in my first year in Adana, after a long run, I was offered a glass of şalgam (a very tart drink made with fermented black carrots). I accepted reluctantly and took a big gulp. I had tasted Şalgam before, but hated it. Now I was trying it with an open mind and a very thirsty palate. I’ve loved it ever since. I tried the same thing with Ayran a few weeks later and have loved it ever since. I encourage you to try Ayran after a workout or at some other time when you’re really thirsty. It really quenches your thirst, and I think trying it when thirsty is a key.
I also think it’s helpful for Americans to remember before trying Ayran that peoples all around the world enjoy salty beverages and that although it’s not “normal” for us, it’s common around the world and worth a try. In fact, versions of Ayran exist in Albanian, Arab, Armenian, Bulgarian, Greek, Kurdish and Persian cultures, so I think it’s really worth giving it a try.
A simple recipe for Ayran found at Ayran.com goes like this:
Plain Ayran
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
Combine all of the above in a blender. Mix for 35-40 seconds. Also after blending, at the top, you will see bubbles and that’s the best part. Makes 4 portions.
You can read about more Adana cuisine in the Adana Food Guide.
Film Review: Hidden Turkey
Film Review: Hidden Turkey
Click to buy on Amazon
I recently watched the PBS Documentary, Hidden Turkey. Hosted by food historian Bruce Kraig, this hour-long program was a fun, informative introduction to Turkey that featured outstanding scenery, off-the-beaten-path exploration and an all-around entertaining hour of programming.
A country with such a rich of history, vast geography and vibrant culture can hardly be summarized in an hour long program, and thankfully, the producers did not attempt to be comprehensive. Rather they took the time to explore a few aspects of the culture that might not be experienced by the casual traveler. The film takes viewers to the Black Sea region and spends time exploring the Tea industry and the classic foods of the region, then visits central Anatolia and focuses not so much on the classic touristic spots in Cappidocia, but rather on the food traditions of lifestyles of the people still living in this historic region. It wraps up by delving briefly into the religious tapestry that makes up the history of this ancient land.
I learned some interesting facts about Turkey in the film. Among those are the history of calling the bird that Americans eat on Thanksgiving “Turkey”, the fact that grain was first cultivated in Turkey and the theory that all stuffed pastries and pastas of both Eastern and Western cuisines originate with Turkish dishes made with Yufka.
Whether you’re an established traveler in Turkey, or someone planning a trip to Turkey, I think you’ll find Hidden Turkey to be a fun and informative way to spend an hour.
What came first: The Turkey or Turkey?
I recently watched the PBS documentary “Hidden Turkey”, and learned that there is actually a connection between the country Turkey, and the bird that we call by the same name.
As the story goes, The French word for Turkey is “dinde“ which means “From India.”
Turks also believed that Turkeys came from India, and thus named the bird “Hindi” (Hindistan is Turkish for = India)
The English believed that Turkeys must have come from Turkey, because they arrived on ships that had been trading with Turkey
All of them were wrong however as Turkeys were first domesticated in Mexico and brought to Europe in the 16th century.
Although Turkey isn’t all that popular of a meat these days in Turkey, they are still raised and eaten throughout modern Turkey, apparently however have a lively history in this land.
Go out for Sunday Brunch in Adana
52 Things to do in Adana – Go out for Sunday Brunch
One of our favorite things to do in Adana is to get out on a Sunday morning for a nice lazy brunch. There are many places in Adana where you can have brunch. The general format involves multiple tables with a generous selection of cheeses, olives, jellies, jams and honey, bread, pastries, some type of meat like Sucuk (Turkish beef sausage), boiled eggs, omelet bar, fresh veggies, sigara böreği , orange juice, limitless tea and nescafe, some cereals, yogurt and some cold salads. Think the typical Turkish hotel breakfast on steroids.
If you’re new to Adana, you may think that this doesn’t sound very breakfastey. I encourage you to embrace it and enjoy the variety available in Turkish brunches and expand the borders of what you consider breakfast food. I’ve grown to love olives with my breakfast and even an occasional tomato and cucumber.
At a Turkish brunch, you can expect a relaxed atmosphere and no expectation that you’d clear out of your table in a certain time frame. This is meant to be a relaxed time to enjoy a newspaper, a book or company with friends while snacking, nibbling and drinking Tea.
You can expect brunch to run from about 9:30 – 1:00 at most places.
My favorite place for brunch is Ekotepe and my wife’s favorite place is Pastabahçe. You can’t go wrong with either place. Other places to check out would be The Hilton, Mado, Kaktus Park or Bosanlı Hotel.
Posted in 52 Things to Do, Adana
Laser Tag at Optimum Outlet Mall
Laser Tag at Optimum Outlet Mall
52 Things to do in Adana - Every week I attempt to answer the question “what is there to do in Adana?” with my series 52 Things to do in Adana.
Adana Optimum Outlet Mall is Adana’s newest shopping center, and is constantly improving its offering for things to do in Adana. They’ve recently opened a Lazer Tag park that really provides an exciting way to spend an evening with friends.
The playing area is 400 square meters on two floors with a mythological themed interior design. The sound and lighting effects provide a high adrenaline environment and the guns and vests they issue you for use is of a very high standard. The record keeping system for the teams to look at after playing are really fun as well.
I was invited to a birthday gathering where we played Lazer Tag and this was my response; “That was a lot more fun than when I last played laser tag 10 years ago!“ It seemed that everyone (men and women of wide ranging athletic abilities) all had a great time. The Laser Tag area can be found in the “Fun Gate” area on the third floor of Optimum Outlet Mall above the movie theatre, just behind the bowling alley.
The regular price is 10TL per person for 15 minutes, but if you go on Monday, the price is only 5TL for 10 minutes. The low price allowed us to play two games which was just enough action for everyone to get nice and sweaty and to get the competitive juices flowing. I should mention that our group was all young adults (and a few of us older ones), but this would be an appropriate activity for preteens, teens, or adults of all ages. If you’re looking for a great place to have a birthday party, or just a fun night out with friends, I highly recommend Laser Tag at Optimum Outlet Mall. Many of the staff speak English and reservations can be made by calling 0322-333-3407.
- TRANSLATION: Across the world, 3 million people play this game every day. Lazer Tag has finally come to Adana
Posted in Uncategorized
Top 6 places to take your Valentine in Adana
Top 6 places to take your Valentine in Adana.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and men, it’s good to have a plan. What better way to celebrate this hallmark holiday than with dinner at an upscale restaurant? The six restaurants below are among my best recommendations for a fancy dinner in Adana. I’ve linked to the restaurant’s website and provided a phone number for making reservations. I’d recommend arriving early if you don’t have reservations; however the restaurants below featuring fixed menus all start at 8:00 pm. Please feel free to comment below if you’d like detailed directions to any of these places.
Western – Turkish Blend
The Terras Restaurant
- Terrace – Terrace Restaurant is one of Adana’s enduring establishments for high quality food in a sophisticated atmosphere. Their menu is a perfect blend of Turkish specialties and western options. I’m told that the owner is a very serious foodie and this is why the standards of quality have remained high for so long. Terrace’s Valentine’s Day program consists of a fixed menu of Cheese platter, hot and cold Turkish appetizers, spring rolls, a main course of fish or chicken and deserts. Soft drinks are included in the price of 50TL. They will have acoustic classical Turkish music. The program starts around 8:00pm. 0322-226-0343 Directions here
- The North Shield –A beautifully designed Irish pub, The North Shield is one of the nicest places to have a beer and a western meal in all of Adana. They also have an extensive selection of single malt whiskies. North Shield is a block south of the train station on Ziya Pasa Blvd Map. 0322-458-6262
- Park Zirve – One of Adana’s fanciest restaurants, Park Zirve is putting two special events on Valentines day. The first event is a dinner with a fixed menu, unlimited drinks and live music for 95 TL. Although the price may seem high, I can virtually gurantee that you won’t be disappointed with the quality of the meal. The second event is an evening of dancing to a DJ in their club with a cover charge of 30TL (one drink is included.) For reservations call 0322-231-2404. Map
- Şato (Website in English) Şato restaurant is a beautifully designed restaurant in North Adana with an outstanding menu. They will be putting on a special program for Valentine ’s Day. For 80TL, you get a full meal (appetizers – hot and cold, salad, the main meal of Kavurma (a meat and vegetable dish which is amazing), desert and unlimited drinks. They will have live Turkish acoustic folk music performing. 0322-233-1444 Map
Seafood - Kumkapı –is a nice fish restaurant near the Burger King in Gazi Pasa Neighborhood. If you want a simpler night, you may want to take your valentine to Kumkapı for a quiet dinner and follow up with deserts and coffee at Mado or Starbucks on Ziya Paşa. Map0322-458-3238Traditional Adana Cuisine
- Gazi Paşa Restaurant – I’ve written recently about Gazi Paşa Restaurant, and I’m very fond of the place. This could possibly be the most sophisticated place to have true Adana Kebap in the world. If you want to have traditional Turkish food this Valentine ’s Day, but want the luxury of a fancy restaurant, Gazi Paşa Restaurant is the perfect place for you 0322-453-3550.
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- The Terras Restaurant
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- Şato Restaurant
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- The North Shield
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- Gazi Paşa Kebap
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- Kumkapı Seafood
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- Park Zirve
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- Park Zirve Promotional Flier
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Posted in Adana, Adana Restaurants, Lists
Tagged adana, incirlik, restaurants, romantic, sevgililer gunu, turkey, valentine's day
Restaurant Review – Pastabahçesi Restaurant
Restaurant Review – Pastabahçesi Restaurant
One of our favorite places in all of Adana is Pastabahçesi Restaurant. “Pasta” is Turkish for “Cake” (not to be confused with “Makarna” which is Turkish for “Pasta”) so Pastabahçe could be directly translated “Cake Garden”. Pastabahçesi Restaurant combines a great view of the lake, amazing architecture and high-quality food to brand itself as one of the best places in Adana to get a meal, have deserts and coffee or have a lazy brunch. One unique thing about Pastabahçesi Restaurant is that they offer a great brunch spread on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Pastabahçesi Restaurant has an extensive menu with many very good western dishes and I think it’s the best place in Adana to get a burger. The urban legend of Pastabahçe is that the founder was well known among her friends for making amazing cakes and was eventually pushed by friends into opening a little cake shop ,“Pasta,” in Gazi Paşa neighborhood. There she developed a strong reputation for making the best cakes and pastries in Adana. With a son who studies culinary arts in France, she eventually opened the most beautiful restaurant in North Adana; Pastabahçesi Restaurant. Pastabahçe Restaurant still makes amazing cakes and also is one of the best places in Adana to buy artisan breads and pastries.
We can’t get enough of Pastabahçesi, and when we lived closer, we were there for brunch about once a month. If you want a great experience of Turkish dining at it’s best, I can’t recommend Pastabahçesi enough.
You can visit their website here, and find directions here.
Posted in Adana, Adana Restaurants
Tagged adana, adana restaurants, incirlik, turkey, turkish food
Picnic at Sarıçam Park – 52 Things to do in Adana
Picnic at Sarıçam Park - 52 Things to do in Adana
52 Things to do in Adana - Every week I attempt to answer the question “what is there to do in Adana?” with my series52 Things to do in Adana.
If you need to get out of the city without driving for an hour, than an afternoon picnic to Sarıçam picnic area might be just what you’re looking for. Sarıçam Picnic area is about a 20 minute drive from the city center or from Incirlik and we’ve charted out the route for you.
There are not many (or any) services there, but that’s not always necessary. Sometimes all you need is some picnic tables in the middle of a forest and a place to make a fire for hot dogs or hamburgers. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’d suggest a quick trip in the car to Sarıçam Park.
We most recently visited this park on a Saturday in late January, 2011 and this was the assessment: There is a little forest of pine trees right off of a main road with plenty of picnic tables and fire pits where one could make a fire and have a picnic. There are some swings and slides that are pretty beat up, but our kids loved them. On the back side of the picnic area is a wooded valley that seems to have some walking trails through it, although we were unable to explore much. I look forward to getting back there with one of the kids to explore more later in Feb.
Getting there is pretty easy. The key is that you have to get on the Imamoğlu/Kozan road. After that, it’s just a matter of looking out for the signs. Below are directions from Incirlik, but the same directions could be used from the city center, only you’d be traveling East on E5 to the freeway exit.
Directions from Incirlik:
- Get on the main highway outside the alley (E5) and go west (toward Adana).
- Drive half way to Adana until you get to the road that takes you to the freeway (autobahn). You’ll see green signs that say “Mersin”. Turn north (right).
- There are two main exits off of that road before getting to the freeway. You want to take the second exit, which will be on your left. Follow the signs that say “Imamoğlu/Kozan”, which means you’ll go up a few blocks and take a right.
- Once you get on that road, you’re home free. You just have to drive 10-15 minutes until you get to a restaurant called Hanım’ın Çiftliği. After that restaurant, you’ll see a little picnic area with a rustic little security shack at the entrance on the right. You’ve arrived.
When you see these signs on the right, you're about 1km away from the destination
Now, it’s possible that at high-season, a city official might be there to charge a small fee, but there was nobody there when we visited. I’d recommend going on Saturday rather than Sunday to avoid the crowds, but if you’re going in winter, even Sundays shouldn’t be too crowded.
If you’ve been out to this spot, please leave your feedback in the comments. I’d love to hear what you thought of it.
Here’s a little video that shows the park in all it’s glory. As I said, nothing super special, but a good place for a picnic
Posted in 52 Things to Do, Adana, Adana Day Trips, Adana Parks
Tagged adana, outdoors, parks, saricam park, things to do in adana
