For Turks, kahvalti (breakfast) happens every single day of the week, and it’s just as much a ritual on Wednesday as it is on Sunday. It’s why I wasn’t allowed to grab a Pop Tart on my way to school (and cereal was never an option)––I ate a little bit of cheese, a little jam, eggs and a few olives before my mother would send me on my way. On weekends, the spreads became even more decadent, and we would often go through several pots of tea before the pide bowl was empty. Now, as an adult, kahvalti feels like a consolation prize for the weekday grind––you put on pants and rode the subway today, so you deserve a decadent breakfast. Turkish kahvalti doesn’t promise to make you a morning person, but it does stand a very good chance at helping you make it through the day. Here’s a guide on how to make your own spread, even if you can’t make it to Istanbul. Cheese My Big Fat Greek Wedding does a great job of expressing how important meat is for Greeks, and, incidentally, Turks. As a Turkish person, I can also confirm that cheese is A Very Big Deal. Feta cheese (beyaz peynir) is a true standby, and other contenders include Kasseri, a hard cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk, as well as lor, an uncured goat’s cheese that’s like Turkey’s version of cottage cheese. (My personal favorite is a cheese from Erzurum that comes in long stringy pieces called civil peyniri.) Bear in mind that a real Turkish breakfast spread won’t just have one of these, but at least two or three; the goal is to sample as many flavors as possible. Bread Simit is the real star of the kahvalti spread; it’s the ideal canvas for
For Turks, kahvalti (breakfast) happens every single day of the week, and it’s just as much a ritual on Wednesday as it is on Sunday. It’s why I wasn’t allowed to grab a Pop Tart on my way to school (and cereal was never an option)––I ate a little bit of cheese, a little jam,
