Lunch in Cappadocia–Authenticity

June 16th & 17th, 2014

Both of our days in Cappadocia included an authentic lunch experience.

On our first day, we stopped to eat at the house of a local village woman. As we sat outdoors on her small patio…….

 

This lovely woman fixed us a most delicious meal of simple, traditional foods that she might serve to her family. Each meal, of course, starts with a Greek salad and bread, then we had a soup and an eggplant dish. Very good!

After lunch, we joined our hostess in her ‘living room’ where we sat and visited, with the help of our guide as an interpreter.

We admired the simple decorations, and the pictures of her and her mother as young women.

We asked about her life and found out that she was a bit older than I, and widowed in the past few years. Her 85 year old mother was living with her, and helped her with the cooking. There was much that we both could relate to. She had spent her life as a homemaker, and raised several children who now lived away from home. She had grandchildren that she missed.

Upon our hostesses’ suggestion, I tried on a traditional scarf. I had asked about the clothing, and found that she was dressed as she might always dress, not a ‘costume’ to look more authentic. Indeed, during our two days of touring, we saw many women who were dressed similarly.

On our second day, we stopped in at a sort of informal ‘restaurant’ – really just a family’s home that they have set up to cook for groups at certain times.

Again, we sat outdoors and enjoyed the amazing view of this very unusual landscape.

Today, our meal was to include several dishes cooked in a traditional fire pit.

These clay pots, filled with delicious foods, were slow cooked over hot coals. We had beans, two kinds of meats, and stuffed grape leaves.

But first, there was bread…….We watched our hostesses – this time a daughter-in-law and her husband’s mother, cook a sort of flat bread. The daughter-in-law was rolling out the dough…..

And her mother-in-law cooked it on a sort of upside down wok that was placed over a fire pit. The hot bread was placed on our table along with a variety of spreads and toppings, including cheeses and a sort of grape syrup. (Yum!)

The opportunity to dine with a local family each day, eating what was served as their typical lunch, was a highlight of our trip.    : )