The Ancients’ Form of Crock Pot: Lunch in Cappadocia
We were surprised to find a semi-outdoor shopping center in the middle of one of those unpronounciable village names where we stopped at an outdoor cafe for lunch. Because we were with our guide Janset, our lunch was already fixed and we just waited. It was lovely sitting there, watching the people. We saw a Turkish man smoking at a nearby table that looked exactly like Joanie’s brother Johnny. I know that offends Joanie, as she and Johnny are Greek -- but goes to prove that most people in this part of the world are “Gurks”... that is Greek and Turk mixture!!
Anyway, first they brought out two little puff pastry cigars filled with feta cheese. No, they don’t go down to the village grocery and buy Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry! In fact, they don’t have grocery stores! You go from shop to shop and buy your fruits in one, your meat in another, your bread in another. Then, very typically, they bring a big green salad with what looks like shredded beets, tomatoes, and lots of parsley, different kinds of lettuce. Mostly they grow the greens and vegetables in their backyards! And then they pour a few drops of olive oil with a touch of vinegar. So, mostly just greens that are very dry!
But the piece de resistance was about to occur: remember this is the area of pottery makers from the time of the Hittites. So....they bring out a clay jar with a clay lid. And they proceed to take a meat cleaver and whack that lid off to get to the steaming lamb stew which they pour out on the plates! Quite a show really. Then they bring a dish with four different spices, two red and two green. Have no idea what they were. And they sprinkle it on top. All I know is Janset, “My, you like yours hot!” Which means I got a lot of the red stuff! It was amazing to watch and we do have pictures of the whacking!
Of course, dessert is one of three things: baklava (TURKISH, Joanie), runny rice pudding, or fruit. We always choose the fruit, because, while we don’t usually know what the fruits are, they are delish!!
Rice pudding. That's a cultural thing. My kids would remark about my Spanish friends...our age...who would eat rice pudding as if it were something to die for. (While my kids were gagging:) It is to die for if you were raised on it. We were raised on ice cream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Do we like our ice cream? In a good moment, in a bad moment ice cream is A-OK. Rice pudding is like that to the Mediterranean world.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see pictures of the whacking! Whacking is always fun. Well, unless you're the thing being whacked...
ReplyDeleteI like the Hittite Crock Pot - very cool!
ReplyDelete