The world of gastronomy has evolved enormously in the past few decades. It has almost become like the fashion world, always looking for the answer to the never-ending question: What’s next?
Lentils used to be important for us. Everyone in my generation will remember lentil promotion programs in the early years of the Turkish national TV channel TRT. The late nutritionist Ayşe Baysal had used to brag about the nutritional benefits of lentils as a cheap source of protein to support the home economy, urging people to consume more lentils. The true reason for those promotion programs had been because of the surplus of lentils in Turkey, and today, after a couple of decades, it is a paradox that we now import lentils from faraway countries like Canada and Australia.
This is the story of how a ship changed the destiny of a family, and how that ship became synonymous with olive oil. It all started in the 1850’s when great-grandfather Micaleff embarked on a journey to the east, from Malta to Crimea, leaving his two sons in Izmir.
All my Scorpio friends, they say that our agony of so many years is now over and 2018 will be brighter.
Defining regional Anatolian cuisine is complicated.
The Latin phrase “Ex Oriente Lux” stands for “out of the east, light comes.” Civilization, like light, originates in the east, just as the sun rises from the East. Light is the keyword for understanding the Orient and the overlapping cultures of the Middle East.
I have my own New Year and Christmas tradition: Giving people culinary gifts I have made myself. My German grandmother’s intense appreciation of “Hausgemachte Geschenken/homemade gifts” remains with me.
It was a photograph sent via WhatsApp that made me change my ways. I immediately diverted my route to a construction site to see the exciting finding.
It is all about pepper and ginger. The history of Christmas cookies is closely related to the European fascination with spices, or better to say fixation with spices. The spice trade has greatly altered world history and world cuisine, especially in Europe.
