Breakfast Forever

In Turkey, a coffee and croissant for breakfast will never do. This is the best meal of the day, says Tijen Inaltong, full of delicious local breads and produce Visitors to Turkey staying in large hotels will have no idea what a traditional Turkish breakfast is like. The buffets served up are a far cry from the exciting dishes that the locals eat. Although there may be such specialities as yoghurt, dried and fresh fruits, these are not the main elements of a proper Turkish breakfast, which includes olives, a variety of cheeses, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, omelette or boiled eggs, sucuk (beef sausage cured with garlic and spices), jams and jellies, honey, butter, bread and of course tea (cay), queen of the breakfast table, brewed the Turkish way. Ottomans, even Sultans, used to eat twice a day. Their first meal was a big breakfast, eaten early in the morning and including warming soups, the second was dinner, eaten just before sunset. Since breakfast was so filling, nobody went hungry before dinner but between-meal snacks would be to hand if needed. Two fundamental changes came at the end of the 19th century. The arrival of electricity created longer days and people began having three meals a day. At the same time tea was introduced, and soon became not only a central part of breakfasts but also a way of showing hospitality, a way of sharing friendship. continue