Food Blog

A while ago I had a request for a post about food. So here is my food blog:

Bosnia and Herzegovina (and Serbia and Croatia)

This isn't my pic unfortunately: Picture

Cevapi roughly translates to meat fingers. Sarajevo had the best Cevapi by far: sausages in pita with raw onion. It sounds basic but it was actually quite delicious. This dish is common all over the Balkans. What else is a famous Balkan dish you ask? Meat. Just straight up meat on a plate is about as Balkany as it gets. 

Macedonia

Tovce Grovce in Macedonia

Tovce Grovce: seasoned beans baked in a clay pot and even though I didn't have this dish until Macedonia, it was also quite common in many other Balkan countries.

Albania

Albania: Chicken!

Half chicken or whole chicken? Served on a plate. The end.

Tave Dheu-Liver

Tave Dheu: Ever had Pâté? It's a little like that, I suppose... I don't think I've ever had pâté but I was told that it's very similar. It's liver. It was rich and creamy and meaty. Delicious once but definitely not one of those things you can eat all the time. I think you would have a heart attack if you did.  

Tres Leches

I had it in Albania and it had an Albanian name but it was Tres Leches. Three different kinds of milk topped with caramel. Delicious nonetheless. 

Never eat blueberry ice cream in Albania

This started out as a very delicious Crepe in Albania (weird I know, but go with it for a moment). And then came the ice cream. It was a combination of blueberry, strawberry and some sort of chemical component that I just can't put my finger on. Long story short: Gross.

Greece

Greek Salad and Souvlaki

Greek salad: cucumber, tomoato, feta and souvlaki. Souvlaki is meat on a stick. I think I had pork there. Very typical Greek dinner. 

Mosaka

Mosaka, Musaka, same, same. Meaty cheesy deliciousness. I don't think I really need to say more than that. 

Baklava

Okay, so I will admit that I am a bit confused about the food all over the region. From Croatia to Turkey there are so many overlapping dishes and everyone claims that it is an authentic dish to whatever country I am in at the time. Thus, for years, I have been lead to believe that Baklava (i.e. the greatest dessert ever) was Greek. Sigh, unfortunately, now that I'm in Istanbul it is fairly clear that it Turkish. There are so many Turkish dishes that are available all over the Balkan region that it's difficult to trace the origin of any of these dishes. I think the single greatest thing that the Ottoman Empire introduced to the areas it conquered was it's amazing cuisine. Bravo Ottomans. Any way, Baklava is pretty similar in Greece or Turkey; it's layers of filo pastry filled with nuts and honey (or syrup apparently). 

Baklava? I think not. FAIL.

"Greek" Coffee

Greek Wine

FETA and Tzatziki 

Tzatziki is the greatest thing. Yogurt with garlic and cucumbers: yes, please!

One things the Greeks do right, all the time: Salads.

Greek Salad

Pepper Salad

Turkey (well, Istanbul)

Fish Sandmich! Out of the water, onto a grill,
between two pieces of fresh bread. Delish.

Drum roll PLEASE! KABOB. Kabaps? Kobaps? Kebab? K-Bob.

proper K-Bob

Chef K-Bob

Turkish Pizza?

I can't remember the name: Lamb deconstructed K-bob with yogurt.

BAKLAVA: Turkish Baklava the original

 Turkish Coffee

Yes, I did just buy a Turkish Coffee pot and Turkish Coffee and a little Turkish coffee cup/saucer combo.