This is such a spectacular breakfast, Leslie. I am particularly taken by the breads & the feta like cheese which is creamier & less salty than feta. And I love the fact that Turkish jams are runnier & contain whole pieces.
You had me at ‘breakfast’. I’ve long said I’d prefer going out for breakfast than dinner. Very little free time today but as the day unrolls I’ll dive into Turkish breakfast. The tomato-y eggs sound divine!
This is an absolute feast! If starting the morning meant I get all of these- I will be more of a morning person! I live that the morning, the connections, the ingredients are all celebrated. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful post, Leslie-
Ah! You’re so close, too, (well, relatively speaking). 😉 Anyway, you don’t need to go Türkiye to make a Turkish or Turkish-inspired breakfast! I’m quite curious to learn about and try a Moroccan breakfast. My understanding is that they can include a spread of different dishes, too. Is that right?
Yes, a bit closer than you and contemplating 😆 Moroccan breakfasts are wonderful as well, the ones I have had are a bit more on the sweet side. Lots of pancakes, breads, jams and of course eggs and the cheeses. It depends where you go really.
I worked in Istanbul for a bit and every morning my roommate made me menemen with cheese, mint tea, and cucumbers before work. It brings up so many fond memories of being young, working hard outside, and clubbing at night before slurping down a pound of midye dolma.
Thank you for reminding me I need to have a Saturday where I prepare for others what was once prepared so lovingly for me.
Oh that is wonderful, Taryn! Thank you for sharing that memory. I haven’t commonly found mint tea for breakfast…are you sure you weren’t in Morocco? 😉 Just kidding. That sounds really nice. I laughed out loud at the image of slurping down a pound if midye dolma. 😂 I love them! Would be happy to hear if you make serpme kahvaltı soon. :)
Haha! Right! She was a fun girl and her mother owned a restaurant in Marmaris so we promptly went there for a beach vacation and were met with all the Scottish eggs 🤣 I wonder if that's where she got the habit from. I remember she had no coffee and we'd have to sneak off to get our hit. She could eat so much and I envied the beautiful way she loved food. I should have known in that moment to follow in her footsteps!
A wonder, indeed! I hope I get the chance to try a Turkish breakfast sometime—it looks an sounds so delicious and decadent! Btw, your gözlemes look WAY better than the ones I tried from Trader Joe’s…would love to get my hands on some of that phyllo dough! 🤤
🥰 I hope you can try it. It is delicious and can be decadent, but I try to keep it on the lighter side…unless we have guests over. Then it’s all stops out haha. So funny you say that because that phyllo dough was a PAIN to work with. It was dryer than it should have been and kept tearing, but it was tasty. I will let you know if I find a more reliable phyllo dough brand!
Usually, gözleme isn’t made with yufka/phyllo, although plenty of Turks do make it that way for convenience sake. I am thinking of making it from scratch soon. 🙃
This is what I can have week after week..so much of inspiration. I am almost confused what to make next.
Also , looking at Kaygana made me smile. My son love taking this for his packed lunch . Its on his weekly meal plan we create every week. I roll it up with some baba ghanoush for him.
Aw thank you so much Harshita. :) Haha yeah, it is a lot of information and so many options. Best to start wherever your tastebuds tell you to. 😉
Oh really! Do you also call it kaygana? I made it for the first time last summer for my husband. He was not familiar with it because it’s a regional dish and he has never been to the Black Sea region in Türkiye. There is a similar version that is plain (no herbs) called akıtma, and we used to make those quite often. :)
Yes, We call it kyagana too. I was introduced to it by a freind's mother in law who was from Türkiye. She made it for my son first ..he was a baby at the time and rest is history...I have seen akitma on Insta. Are both from different regions?
Oh that's so cool. :) I just looked it up and I think akıtma is regional, too! My husband grew up eating akıtma made by his great grandmother, who was from the Thracian/Balkan part of the country, and it seems that it's a Thracian food. I've now gone down a rabbit hole and learned that there are different versions of akitma -- some made with yeast, others made with baking soda and others made with no leavening agent. I've only made it with baking powder before. Now I need to try some new recipes! Thank you for leading me down this path, Harshita. 😁
I know that kaygana is from the Black Sea region -- the central northern part of Türkiye.
This is so fascinating. You are speaking my language now - digging deeper. It's so much fun, isn't it? I see another post coming up. Looking forward to that
Beautiful! One of our daughters in law is a Jewish Turk and my wife and I have enjoyed many a Turkish breakfast! I will be forwarding this article to her just so she can enjoy your input. Take care.
Aww 😊 thank you KeKe. I so appreciate you sharing it with your daughter-in-law. Happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed many Turkish breakfasts — such a treat!
Haha thanks so much, Shell. Yes! I’m so glad it can provide some inspiration. Take what works and what sounds good. On weekdays, for instance, I make “mini Turkish breakfast plates” with eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, olives, and bread. Sometimes jam or honey, too. It doesn’t all need to be served in little plates and bowls. 😉 I just love the variety!
Thank you, Marylise! The first photo you see is the largest kahvaltı I’ve done (for eight people). It took maybe 1.5 hours of preparation the night before and 3 hours the morning of. Keep in mind — this includes making homemade jam, two loaves of homemade bread (cicek ekmegi), two different egg dishes, and plating everything else.
If you are more sane than I am, just buy your jam and bread! That is what my family in Türkiye does. 😁 Then it should only take ~1 hour or so, depending on which egg dish you make. And you can also reduce time (and dishes) by just putting the jars of spreads directly on the table, instead of putting them into little dishes. 😉 Lots of tricks to this trade!
I was fortunate enough to be included in a family trip to Turkey guided by my wonderful son-in-law. I had been to turkey on one previous occasion and although my husband went to great lengths to get us a private tour guide, I really came away with little appreciation for what the country has to offer. The second time was definitely the charm, and one of the many highlights was an amazing Turkish breakfast which was a real treat for this foodie.
Wow, I just learned so much. And I feel so inspired to try some of these things. I actually found nigella seeds recently, and I'm excited to use them. I really love the idea of generosity and abundance at the breakfast table. This is wonderful!
This is such a spectacular breakfast, Leslie. I am particularly taken by the breads & the feta like cheese which is creamier & less salty than feta. And I love the fact that Turkish jams are runnier & contain whole pieces.
Thank you for sharing, Annada. 🥰 Planning to share Turkish jam recipes soon!
You had me at ‘breakfast’. I’ve long said I’d prefer going out for breakfast than dinner. Very little free time today but as the day unrolls I’ll dive into Turkish breakfast. The tomato-y eggs sound divine!
This is an absolute feast! If starting the morning meant I get all of these- I will be more of a morning person! I live that the morning, the connections, the ingredients are all celebrated. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful post, Leslie-
Thank you, Aki. :) I’m not a big morning person either (would love to be..but I am not). Breakfasts like this give me a great reason to get up haha.
Promptly searching flights to Türkiye... haha... I wish! It all sounds and looks fantastic!
Ah! You’re so close, too, (well, relatively speaking). 😉 Anyway, you don’t need to go Türkiye to make a Turkish or Turkish-inspired breakfast! I’m quite curious to learn about and try a Moroccan breakfast. My understanding is that they can include a spread of different dishes, too. Is that right?
Yes, a bit closer than you and contemplating 😆 Moroccan breakfasts are wonderful as well, the ones I have had are a bit more on the sweet side. Lots of pancakes, breads, jams and of course eggs and the cheeses. It depends where you go really.
I worked in Istanbul for a bit and every morning my roommate made me menemen with cheese, mint tea, and cucumbers before work. It brings up so many fond memories of being young, working hard outside, and clubbing at night before slurping down a pound of midye dolma.
Thank you for reminding me I need to have a Saturday where I prepare for others what was once prepared so lovingly for me.
Oh that is wonderful, Taryn! Thank you for sharing that memory. I haven’t commonly found mint tea for breakfast…are you sure you weren’t in Morocco? 😉 Just kidding. That sounds really nice. I laughed out loud at the image of slurping down a pound if midye dolma. 😂 I love them! Would be happy to hear if you make serpme kahvaltı soon. :)
Haha! Right! She was a fun girl and her mother owned a restaurant in Marmaris so we promptly went there for a beach vacation and were met with all the Scottish eggs 🤣 I wonder if that's where she got the habit from. I remember she had no coffee and we'd have to sneak off to get our hit. She could eat so much and I envied the beautiful way she loved food. I should have known in that moment to follow in her footsteps!
A wonder, indeed! I hope I get the chance to try a Turkish breakfast sometime—it looks an sounds so delicious and decadent! Btw, your gözlemes look WAY better than the ones I tried from Trader Joe’s…would love to get my hands on some of that phyllo dough! 🤤
🥰 I hope you can try it. It is delicious and can be decadent, but I try to keep it on the lighter side…unless we have guests over. Then it’s all stops out haha. So funny you say that because that phyllo dough was a PAIN to work with. It was dryer than it should have been and kept tearing, but it was tasty. I will let you know if I find a more reliable phyllo dough brand!
Usually, gözleme isn’t made with yufka/phyllo, although plenty of Turks do make it that way for convenience sake. I am thinking of making it from scratch soon. 🙃
And yes, phyllo dough can be SO finicky!!
Very cool! Can’t wait to hear how your “from scratch” version turns out!
How I miss kaymak with rose jam. Turkish breakfasts are just the best.
They are! Rose jam with kaymak is a bite I haven’t tried. Now I will have to get some rose jam and try it. 😉 Thank you for the inspiration, Cheryl. 😊
Kaymak always reminds me of Bosnian Civapipi with raw onions and that thick, fluffy bread.
This post and these comments are making me famished....
Blown my mind away , As usual Leslie.
This is what I can have week after week..so much of inspiration. I am almost confused what to make next.
Also , looking at Kaygana made me smile. My son love taking this for his packed lunch . Its on his weekly meal plan we create every week. I roll it up with some baba ghanoush for him.
Aw thank you so much Harshita. :) Haha yeah, it is a lot of information and so many options. Best to start wherever your tastebuds tell you to. 😉
Oh really! Do you also call it kaygana? I made it for the first time last summer for my husband. He was not familiar with it because it’s a regional dish and he has never been to the Black Sea region in Türkiye. There is a similar version that is plain (no herbs) called akıtma, and we used to make those quite often. :)
Yes, We call it kyagana too. I was introduced to it by a freind's mother in law who was from Türkiye. She made it for my son first ..he was a baby at the time and rest is history...I have seen akitma on Insta. Are both from different regions?
Oh that's so cool. :) I just looked it up and I think akıtma is regional, too! My husband grew up eating akıtma made by his great grandmother, who was from the Thracian/Balkan part of the country, and it seems that it's a Thracian food. I've now gone down a rabbit hole and learned that there are different versions of akitma -- some made with yeast, others made with baking soda and others made with no leavening agent. I've only made it with baking powder before. Now I need to try some new recipes! Thank you for leading me down this path, Harshita. 😁
I know that kaygana is from the Black Sea region -- the central northern part of Türkiye.
This is so fascinating. You are speaking my language now - digging deeper. It's so much fun, isn't it? I see another post coming up. Looking forward to that
Beautiful! One of our daughters in law is a Jewish Turk and my wife and I have enjoyed many a Turkish breakfast! I will be forwarding this article to her just so she can enjoy your input. Take care.
Aww 😊 thank you KeKe. I so appreciate you sharing it with your daughter-in-law. Happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed many Turkish breakfasts — such a treat!
I absolutely agree with this!
Magnificent Leslie 😍
Thank you, Sheryl! 😊🥰
Now THIS is breakfast!! I am taking a lot of inspiration from this Leslie!
Haha thanks so much, Shell. Yes! I’m so glad it can provide some inspiration. Take what works and what sounds good. On weekdays, for instance, I make “mini Turkish breakfast plates” with eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, olives, and bread. Sometimes jam or honey, too. It doesn’t all need to be served in little plates and bowls. 😉 I just love the variety!
That looks like a great breakfast, out of curiosity how much time did it take to prepare all of it?
Thank you, Marylise! The first photo you see is the largest kahvaltı I’ve done (for eight people). It took maybe 1.5 hours of preparation the night before and 3 hours the morning of. Keep in mind — this includes making homemade jam, two loaves of homemade bread (cicek ekmegi), two different egg dishes, and plating everything else.
If you are more sane than I am, just buy your jam and bread! That is what my family in Türkiye does. 😁 Then it should only take ~1 hour or so, depending on which egg dish you make. And you can also reduce time (and dishes) by just putting the jars of spreads directly on the table, instead of putting them into little dishes. 😉 Lots of tricks to this trade!
Delicious!
I was fortunate enough to be included in a family trip to Turkey guided by my wonderful son-in-law. I had been to turkey on one previous occasion and although my husband went to great lengths to get us a private tour guide, I really came away with little appreciation for what the country has to offer. The second time was definitely the charm, and one of the many highlights was an amazing Turkish breakfast which was a real treat for this foodie.
Wow, I just learned so much. And I feel so inspired to try some of these things. I actually found nigella seeds recently, and I'm excited to use them. I really love the idea of generosity and abundance at the breakfast table. This is wonderful!