We continue our explorations of distinctive Turkish grapes. Here's our latest discovery: karasakiz. Nice, either on its own, or paired with syrah:




The lokanta is Turkey's answer to Malaysia's nasi campur (or Sarawak's "fast food"). Basically it's a place where you can pick from a number of ready-prepared dishes. During Ramadan, we had take-away a couple of times from one of our local lokanta. The other day, we tried another, sitting outside in the courtyard. Served with crusty bread, these dishes are tasty, filling, and cheap.


There's been more borek (although I don't know the specific name of this one):


We also discovered boza. This is a fermented grain drink (the grain varies), and though it is served cold, it is known for its warming qualities. Topped with a dusting of cinnamon, it's delicious. We're suckers for anything fermented, and loved the custardy consistency.

We bought our boza from the venerable old establishment of Vefa Bozacısı (pictured at the top), and it was well worth the 40-minute walk.



And talking about custardy things, I have to mention magnolia... Strawberries, creamy vanilla custard, and layers of chopped hazelnuts... Bliss...


There's lots here that I'm going to miss...