It was 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 Fahrenheit) in Ankara yesterday. We have no air conditioning in our apartment.
Needless to say: it is hot. We have a bit of respite in that our apartment faces northeast and we don't get direct sunlight in the afternoon when the sun is fiercest, but it is still brutal. We're all kind of in a stupor, lounging around in the salon like zombies, and mealtimes tend to come and go with little notice because it's too hot to eat.
But yesterday I decided I wanted something cold to eat, and so I ventured into the kitchen with a couple of goals in mind and the internet as my guide (who needs cookbooks anymore, really?). My kitchen is pretty well stocked with a variety of Turkish staples: plain yogurt, fruits, olives, bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, rice, bulgur, lentils, chickpeas, garlic, onions, olive oil, etc. From these few things it seems anything is possible. And I thought, since I'm being domestic this weekend, I'd share the Turkish foods that I tend to make.
Experiment number 1: Homemade frozen yogurt.
This is actually blasphemy, according to my Turkish teacher, who insists that yogurt was meant to accompany savory foods or be eaten with garlic and salt. Mention fruity, sweet yogurt to her and she'll make a face and wonder out loud what on earth is wrong with Westerners. I, however, have happily embraced both ends of the flavor spectrum as far as yogurt is concerned. These days I like to eat it with meat or curry, but I still love adding jam to it and having a cool sweet treat in the mornings.
The internet offered me a variety of frozen yogurt options, most of which require the use of an ice cream maker. But a little more digging unearthed this recipe, which is surprisingly simple. So here's my version, based on things found in my kitchen:
- 1 500g container of plain yogurt
- Peach juice
- Strawberry jam
- A little bit of sangria left over from the other night
I mixed these ingredients together in a leftover ice cream container, and put it into the freezer. 2 hours later, before it had fully frozen, I took it out and mixed again with a fork for additional creaminess. Repeat this step twice more and by the time it's hard- voila. Delicious success.
Healthier than ice cream, definitely cheaper because ice cream is expensive here, and fun. I might have to try this again with different fruit combinations, or even better, with fresh fruit instead of only juice and jam. But I certainly recommend giving it a try!
We're fast approaching the beginning of one of the most important observances in Islam and Muslim culture: the holy month of Ramazan.
If you aren't familiar with this, Ramazan is a month in the traditional Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims are require to observe a period of fasting. Every day during the thirty days of Ramazan, no food or water can be consumed from sunrise to sunset. This ritual is meant to discipline the soul, to leave more time for prayer and charity, and to bring believers closer to God. The end of Ramazan is marked with a huge celebration, the Islamic equivalent of Christmas, where families gather together, take time off of work, and eat lots of delicious food. This year Ramazan begins on August 1.
The weeks leading up to Ramazan have been interesting for me here in Turkey, and surprising in a number of ways. For one thing, it seems that even people who aren't very religious like to observe this fast. It's a good thing to do, my friends tell me. It's good for your health, to purify your digestive system. And plus it's good for weight loss, the women add.
Even as a Christian who probably won't observe this fast, I'll have to make a few adjustments in my schedule for the next month. My evening class, for instance, runs from 7:20-9:10 pm. The sun has been setting around 8:30 recently so that means the first hour of my lesson will be full of hungry, tired people whose minds will be so focused on making it through the last hour of the fast that they won't absorb much English, and the second hour will interrupt their much-longed-for dinner time. We're planning to give a longer break in the middle of the lesson so that people can get some food before resuming their English studies.
Also my social life will be a little less interesting, as meeting friends or coffee or dinner is a no-go for the next month. Between this and the rumors of drummers who drive down the street at dawn every day alerting everyone that it's time to stop eating, I can't say that I'm really looking forward to Ramazan. I will, however, be very curious to see what it's like to be in a Muslim country during this time.
More to come on this subject, for sure.
