A very special dinner...

July 10

Last night we were treated to a very special dinner in Cappadocia. The restaurant had pillow seating around a very low table. Although this is an authentic Turkish style establishment, the low tables are actually a modification. Normally, family and friends would simply sit on huge pillows and gather around a tray on the floor, sharing the food from the tray.

The staff at the restaurant was especially friendly and engaging, which we are finding to be the way of life here in Turkey. A combination of beef, tomatoes, peppers, and spices are placed inside a large crock, sealed with dough on the top, and then baked for about three hours. Vegetarian members of our group called in advance to place orders for a vegetarian pottery dish, which included eggplant, mushrooms, etc...

We began with bread and red wine, a specialty of the region. The next course was a salad topped with a purple marinated cabbage, which also seems to be a specialty of this area. We then had a ravioli dish made with a thick yogurt sauce, followed by our main course from the baked terra cotta pots. The owner brings the hot pots to the table and then taps the jar, cracking off the lid in the process. The meat mixture, served with rice and more cabbage, is tender and absolutely beautiful on the plate. More wine, more bread, and the meal continues...

A small plate of dessert contained baklava and apricots drenched in honey. Our culinary life here in Turkey is amazing, and we have had the opportunity to sample many regional specialties along the way. A standing ovation to Gottfried who feeds our intellects, our curiousites, our souls, and our daily hungers of the belly...