And what a joy this new route is! We love it! It is much more scenic than the old one although to be fair, that wasn’t all bad.
But of course me being me, I am particularly interested in the different foodie items that are available along the way, either on sale at little roadside stalls or shops, or simply associated with the places we pass through.
complete with patriotic flag |
a heartwarming sight |
As we approach the city of Bursa, the very first capital of the Ottoman Empire now a thriving industrial city, we start to see roadside signs for kestane şekeri or marron glacé: sweetened chestnuts sold by the boxful!
We stop for petrol and spy this little Hansel and Gretel shop right beside it: I particularly enjoy the sight of the owner having his breakfast at his own little table right there by his shop: there was his boiled egg, his white cheese and olives with the inevitable glass of çay! It was a beautiful day and oh how happy he was as he sat there in the sun enjoying his kahvaltı!
boxes and boxes of the stuff |
these delights were on sale at the petrol station |
We see a sign to Mustafakemal Paşa, a small town named after the founder of the Turkish republic in 1922, and know that this is where the well-known round-shaped sticky dessert or tatlı hails from. Yes, we start to see more roadsigns proclaiming that we can buy it here – and here – and here!
an endearing sign that translates as ‘What a sweet thing you are’ referring to the tatlı |
you buy them either dry like this and boil them in a kilo of sugar and a litre of water to make a syrup |
like this: already prepared and ready to eat |
On the road again – a very good one, by the way – we approach the town of Susurluk. TT tells me this is renowned for its ayran, the drink made from yogurt so of course we have to stop to try it. Ayran is a popular drink in Turkey and even though I enjoy its tangy taste, I realise it may be a bit of an acquired one. We stop at the Belediye or Municipality gardens beside the main road, a pleasant rustic-looking place run most inefficiently by a man who seems to be cook, cashier and waiter all rolled into one. Luckily we are almost the only people there so our order of ayran and tost comes soon enough. The ayran is deliciously cold and frothy, the tost quite the best!
looks quite amazing, doesn’t it? |
Susurluk ayran with the tost |
İskender means Alexander in Turkish and this is who the old guy is. He has given his name to this kebab |
I think this is a bir buçuk |
olive groves knee-deep in daisies |
i want to try all of it!!! that drink really looks good.
Come and see us!!
Your gas stations sell a lot more interesting stuff than ours do in the States, that's for sure!! And that last photo of the olive trees is spectacular. Tell me again what is tost? Not plain old toast, but is it grilled cheese-ish? So this new route, do you skip the ferry altogether? no more Gallipoli or Troy? Need a map! 🙂 Great post, Claude, thanks!
Hi Ali! You will never starve around here, that's for sure! Tost is toasted cheese essentially sometimes with sliced tomato in it. It is great for a quick snack wherever you are – it's available everywhere. And yes, you're right: no more Gallipoli or Troy this way but then they are just up the road if we want to visit them! Well, Troy certainly is. This ferry ride is much shorter than the other one to Bandirma which we never liked much, and so much more convenient. xx
What a wonderful trip. I can just taste the Ayran, which I always have as soon as I arrive in Turkey – I just love it!
Yes, it's a good drink and goes well with kebabs!
My goodness Claudia, I am salivating here big time seeing all the wonderful food from home!! That ayran looks like to die for, I bet very creamy too with the wonderful thick Turkish yoghurt, enjoy!! Kestane sekeri is my all time favorite sweet – you can send me the broken ones!!:)they work very well in the cakes etc too. Do they still serve cheesy toast and cay at the ferries? I used to love that when traveling to Bursa.
Many thanks for an incredible dose of home!
xxx Ozlem
Hi Özlem! Good tip re the broken kestane and yes, the tosst and çay on the ferries are still the best! Not this ferry though as it's a fast ferry different from the regular Bosphorus ones. On this one they serve cappucino, machiatto and Americano no less!!!I'm happy you liked this post! x
This is absolutely the best way to go from place to place Claudia.
Oh my…..this looks like dream trip for me. That 'ayran' my husband could probably have a few of them at one sitting. I think you have to have an acquired taste for it and I still don't….but it sure looks refreshing.
I love those kestane sweets…my husband always brings some back home for me.
Great pic of the Olive Tree….my husband's family have some olive tree groves in Bergama that they rent out to other farmers.It's been in their family for several generations.
The doner looks so delicious, I could eat one for supper daily if I could, one of my favourite meals there.
Thanks for posting nice pics…this was very interesting. 🙂
Hi Erica. What a wonderful long comment I have just found from you here – I am sure you would love this drive down from Istanbul to the Aegean coast – your husband would, for sure! x
Hi Claudia, it's me again 🙂
I just did a blogpost, and again showered you with some lovely awards!! Any excuse for recognition, always enjoy reading your posts. Here is the link, if you'd like to check out and get your awards!:
http://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2012/05/fresh-delicious-and-fun-cooking-turkish-food-made-easy/
Love this ayran photo! We had some served in a hammered metal cup near Yedikule that I should post. So much more fun to drink it out a fun glass! Hope to make it Bozcaada again this summer…last time we did the fast ferry to Bandirma and then drove down from there.
Hey hello Joy! Are you back? I hope the news from home is good. Yes, it makes all the difference, doesn't it, to have some sort of more traditional cup or whatever. Bozcaada is great but it has become sooo popular nowadays ….in the old days it was absolutely unknown and nobody knew about it.