It’s been four and a half weeks since the earthquakes that devastated huge parts of Turkey and Syria. International coverage has largely moved on. Even domestically the attention is increasingly turning towards the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, all but certain to be held in just two months, on May 14.

Indeed, last weekend’s 72-hour split and getting back together of the opposition bloc, caused by an inability to agree on a joint presidential candidate, resulted in wall-to-wall coverage on pro-government channels and pro-opposition Twitter alike. Alas, a weekend is a very long time in Turkish politics. By Monday, the opposition bloc was reunited and announced Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the long-standing leader of the largest opposition party, as their joint candidate. After a weekend best summed up by The Economist’s correspondent in the GIF below, the game is on.

Piotr Zalewski @p_zalewski

Turkish politics in the last 72 hours

Yet there’s little doubt that the earthquakes will remain a huge part of Turkish life going forward. The plans for rebuilding the region will unquestionably be a crucial part of the election campaigns. Internal displacement will change the demographics of many cities. Those remaining in the earthquake zone – still millions – continue to require ongoing aid. More than a month on, many still live in their cars or under the open sky. Basic requirements like water, food and sanitary facilities continue to be a pressing issue in many places.

If you’re able to and wish to support the aid efforts, please consider donating to a relevant campaign. I personally recommend this GoFundMe campaign, which is run by acquaintances of mine. They focus on the Hatay region and direct the donations towards the items and places which most need it. With local connections on the ground, they’re able to move quickly, and they regularly post updates on their campaign website to let you know where the money is going. Another alternative is Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which is the main actor on the ground in Hatay. Thank you so very much.

Support the earthquake victims

Turkey’s most famous food region

Five weeks ago, the earthquake region was first and foremost famous in its own right for its incredible history, local culture and – not least – its incredible food. If you’re vaguely familiar with the cuisine of the region, you’ll certainly know kebab from Adana, pistachios from Gaziantep and künefe from Hatay. Indeed, organisations like UNESCO have been heavily involved in preserving and promoting the food culture of the region, designating both Gaziantep and Hatay as Creative Cities of Gastronomy.

A colourful set of meze dishes on a nicely set dining table in a restaurant. — Mezes at Konak Restaurant Antakya, August 2022. Hard to believe it’s only just over six months ago. The stunning 150-year-old building that housed the restaurant collapsed in the earthquake.

I’ve personally had the pleasure of visiting Hatay on a number of occasions, including a wonderful dinner with the head of the UNESCO Hatay House of Gastronomy, tasting a wide range of local specialities from muhammara and lahmacun to the unique and fluourescently pink dessert haytalı. But most importantly I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with friends and their family there. It’s fair to said that food and food culture is deeply ingrained into their DNA. Food is always available, on offer and, should you refuse, all but forced upon you. And with all of it being delicious and offered with such incredible hospitality, it’s impossible to refuse. Even if you’ve just come from a huge lunch of mezes and kebabs.

Haytalı – a truly unique dish of cubed milk pudding, Turkish ice cream and fluorescently pink rose water syrup. This is from a visit to UNESCO Hatay Gastronomi Evi in 2021.

What’s more, the food here is always made freshly and with top quality ingredients. Indeed, the region’s continued focus on traditional farming methods over large scale “modern” farming means the meat here is far better than anything you can find in Istanbul. Locals who have relocated to other parts of the country for work or studies often talk of et sıkıntısı, which loosely translates as “meat trouble” or “meat issues”, as the meat at their new locations just isn’t as good as what they’re used to. Some even have family send them meat by cargo, frozen and packaged in styrofoam boxes.

I’ve already shared a few recipes from dishes I’ve tasted on these trips on my blog. You’ll find links to some of them below, in case you’d like to try them out for yourself, or if you just want to learn more about the food of this region. My recipes are always prefaced by a background article, which I try to keep interesting and to the point, with as little as possible of the repetitive and unnecessary fillers you find on most food blogs and which we all scramble to scroll past. If you just want the recipe, there’s also a handy “jump to recipe” button at the top.

Those already familiar with the cuisine of the region will no doubt find the short list below contains very notable omissions. Rest assured they’re on my radar and will appear in the future, either on the blog or here in this newsletter.

With all best wishes,

Vidar

🍴 A few recipes to try

Lahmacun

Crispy and delicious flatbread with a minced meat filling that packs a bunch of flavour.

Ali nazik

Genious combination of a simple lamb sauté with yoghurty aubergines. Can be served as a meze or main.

Mercimekli mualla

A vegan lentil stew that hits all the right spots with its delicious flavouring of cumin and red pepper.

Künefe

Hands down my favourite dessert in Turkey. And forgive me for saying I prefer the Antakya version over what you find in much of the Middle East.

Delicacies from South-Eastern Turkey