Turkish greens (Turkey)

There are thousands of plant species in Turkey, many which are endemic (meaning that they only grow in Turkey). However, there are some familiar ones such as nettles, sage, rosemary and thyme that are suited to the dry, arid soil.

These are some of the plants that are grown in a local primary school in Gocek. I took these photos during the summer holidays when the school when closed so the vegetable patch looked sparse.

Since the Paleolithic era, the Anatolian civilisations in this region had been using plants as food and medicine. Many of the edible greens in Turkey have medicinal properties and you can see these greens sold in local markets. Wild edibles now constitute a major component of the popular Mediterranean diet.

We had this green (apparently it is Turkish spinach pronounced as ‘Suwan’ in the local market. The Turkish spinach tastes different than the British one in that it is coarser with more texture and firmness. Added to cheese and spring onions, the pancake was delicious!

Making the traditional pancake:

Menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs)

This is Turkish comfort food that is so easy to cook, and you can get the ingredients almost everywhere in the world! Turkish market town of Menemen, a small town located just off the main highway of north Izmir. We had menemen as part of our large Turkish breakfast.

The main ingredients are eggs, tomatoes, peppers and, sometimes, onions (sweet onions are best as they don’t overpower the dish), added with a pinch of dried herbs such as oregano and chilli flakes.

In Turkey, the peppers used is sivri biber, but you could substitute with deseeded green bell peppers.

Instructions for cooking menemen

Cut one green bell pepper and one sweet (yellow) onion into tiny chunks if you cannot get sivri biber.
In a heavy pan, heat up some olive oil and sauté the peppers and onions. Season with salt and dried herbs (dried oregano and chilli flakes).
Cook until softened.
Add 2 big, ripe tomatoes (chopped) and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Ass more seasoning.
Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes soften, for about 8 minutes.
Push the tomato mix to one side of the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low, add 4 beaten eggs and cook gently until the eggs are just set.
When the eggs are just set, use a wooden spoon and fold the tomato mixture into the eggs and mix gently. Take this off heat very soon so you don’t overcook the eggs.
Drizzle olive oil over the dish and serve immediately.

Photos below: we bought sivri biber in the local market (they are crunchy and not spicy at all) and I made this. I cooked it for a bit too long so it did not taste as moist and gooey as the one that our favourite local restaurant made, but it was delicious, nevertheless.