0:00:03 > 0:00:05As a cook and writer,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09I've long been intrigued by the flavours and fragrances
0:00:09 > 0:00:11of Middle Eastern cooking -
0:00:11 > 0:00:16one of the oldest and most influential cuisines in the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Now I want to find out more.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23You know, there really is only one true way
0:00:23 > 0:00:26to get to know a region's food, and that's to go there.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31To eat the food amongst the people who cook it and eat it every day.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34That way, it's seasoned with a sense of place -
0:00:34 > 0:00:38the landscape, the culture and traditions.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42That's incredible. So join me on my journey...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Can I have a look in your cupboard?
0:00:44 > 0:00:49..to discover ingredients and recipes that defined three countries
0:00:49 > 0:00:52with truly exciting food stories.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Cheese and roses, it shouldn't work!
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Places considered to be the key pillars of Middle Eastern cuisine.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02My adventure takes me across northern Iran
0:01:02 > 0:01:06to taste Persian dishes with a rich heritage,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10to Lebanon with its Arab-influenced flavours of the Levant,
0:01:10 > 0:01:15and to Turkey, where the recipes born of a diverse landscape
0:01:15 > 0:01:17have travelled the world.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20I did a date pattern - I should have done a walnut pattern.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22My appetite for new flavours
0:01:22 > 0:01:25takes me through ancient and beguiling lands -
0:01:25 > 0:01:28but, more importantly, into people's homes.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31I absolutely loved it, and I can't thank you enough.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35This is my chance to learn new techniques and recipes
0:01:35 > 0:01:36that aren't in books
0:01:36 > 0:01:39but have been handed down through generations...
0:01:39 > 0:01:42- How long does it take you? - Five minutes.- Five minutes?
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Well, I'd better get a move on, then.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47..and I'll share the secrets I'll discover
0:01:47 > 0:01:50by cooking recipes inspired by my journey.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54This time, I visit a rapidly changing nation.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57From the dishes of Ottoman palaces
0:01:57 > 0:01:59to the rustic home cooking
0:01:59 > 0:02:00at the heart of Turkey.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11I start in Istanbul, home to 15 million people -
0:02:11 > 0:02:14today, a rapidly-changing, thriving city
0:02:14 > 0:02:17that straddles both Europe and Asia.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Formerly Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36From here, rich sultans ruled over swathes of Europe,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Asia and North Africa,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43bringing far-away flavours back to their palace kitchens
0:02:43 > 0:02:47to create the world's most flamboyant food of its time.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01One of Istanbul's most prestigious hotels was once a sultan's palace.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04The grandeur and opulence is clear to see,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07echoed not just in its chandeliers and marble,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11but also in the classic Ottoman dishes it creates.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18At the height of the Empire,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21the finest chefs were summoned from far and wide
0:03:21 > 0:03:24to experiment with ingredients and techniques,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28to engineer dishes fit for the sultan's table.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38A whole fish baked in salt would have been a true spectacle.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42At the time, salt was a highly prized commodity all over the world.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48You...
0:03:48 > 0:03:52This is the sultan showing off.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57It's the idea of a silver salver being presented to your guests
0:03:57 > 0:04:00with a huge, whole fish baked in glistening salt.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04It's as much show as it is flavour.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14It's delicious. It's delicious...
0:04:14 > 0:04:17..but the point of this dish is about the location.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20It's about how glamorous and how beautiful the room is.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22It's about the exquisite china.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24It's about the way the food is presented.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27This is fashionable food.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30It's fun and it IS about theatre.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41Baklava - the sticky, sweet pastry dessert loved the world over -
0:04:41 > 0:04:45was another dish perfected for the sultan's pleasure.
0:04:50 > 0:04:5540 paper-thin layers of filo pastry sandwiched with finely chopped nuts
0:04:55 > 0:05:00and trickled with syrup made each mouthful a work of culinary art.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Even today, the apprentice bakers must work in the kitchen
0:05:06 > 0:05:10for at least five years before touching the pastry...
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Thank you.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15..and there's also an art to eating it.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17You check that it's golden.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21You put your fork in and then cut right through with a knife.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23If you tip it upside down,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27there should not be a drip of syrup that falls off it.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31You then dip into your thick clotted yoghurt -
0:05:31 > 0:05:33that's the crust on the top of the yoghurt -
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and then into the ground pistachios...
0:05:36 > 0:05:39..and then you put it into your mouth upside down,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42so that the bottom layer of pastry, which is the most buttery...
0:05:43 > 0:05:45..just touches the roof of your mouth.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53You need a bit of practice to eat it elegantly...
0:05:54 > 0:05:56..but it is very, very good.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58It's not sickly and sweet -
0:05:58 > 0:06:01it's nutty and it's flaky and it's light.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02This is lovely.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10While the sultans were eating fine foods from around the world,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13most of the country was enjoying simple home-cooked dishes
0:06:13 > 0:06:16inspired by the produce of its diverse landscape.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20I'm going to a lokanta -
0:06:20 > 0:06:24it's a canteen-style cafe popular all over Turkey
0:06:24 > 0:06:28that serves homely lunches to the urban workforce.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33It's also where I'll meet my guide and translator for my journey,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Sibel Samli.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Hey, Nigel.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39I'm liking this place.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- Welcome.- Wow.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Historically, Turkey didn't have much of a restaurant culture...
0:06:48 > 0:06:50..but just over a century ago the lokanta,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54with its domestic recipes and warm-welcome atmosphere,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56emerged as an exception...
0:06:57 > 0:07:02..and are now one of its most enduring food institutions.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04So, tell me, what's going on?
0:07:04 > 0:07:08OK, so this is a classic weekday lunch
0:07:08 > 0:07:12for anyone who works and lives in Istanbul.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16And do I choose one thing or a couple of things?
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- How does it work?- Well, Turks usually don't consider a meal a meal
0:07:20 > 0:07:22if it doesn't have meat in it.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I mean, there's a lot of veg, for sure -
0:07:25 > 0:07:28green beans, you'll have a lot of potato and meat mixed.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Chickpeas, courgettes, beans.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33But then you also have lamb, beef.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37This is what I call comfort food.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41You know, lots of juices, lots of flavours and juices.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45This is slow-cooked food,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49served quickly and without fuss to hungry regulars
0:07:49 > 0:07:51at simple communal tables.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59It is very basic, but it's a massive luxury to be able to walk in,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03eat fresh, warm food within 30 minutes
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and go back to work.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07And reasonably priced, I'm thinking.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- Yes, very.- Shall we sit down?
0:08:12 > 0:08:15The culture of going out at lunchtime for a sandwich -
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- is that here?- Mm-mm.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21I think everyone would be outraged if anyone ever suggested
0:08:21 > 0:08:23that they had to have sandwiches for lunch!
0:08:25 > 0:08:2880, 90% of the workforce will break for lunch
0:08:28 > 0:08:30and come to a restaurant like this.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34You find variations of it in the poshest neighbourhood
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and the poorest neighbourhood. They're all...
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Cos they'll all cook the same foods.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43It's kind of an extension of home, in a way.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Yeah, yeah.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47This is utterly delicious.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48And no sandwiches!
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Food like this every day.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Absolutely, it's utterly delicious.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55This food is right up my street -
0:08:55 > 0:08:59quality ingredients that don't need to shout or show off,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01but just sit well together.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Simple home cooking with subtle, warm flavours.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The kind of dish I like to make at home.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Roughly chop an onion
0:09:14 > 0:09:17along with an assortment of red and yellow peppers.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Add to a large roasting tin.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Choose a selection of tomatoes
0:09:23 > 0:09:26and add a few sprigs of thyme.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Trickle the mixture with olive oil and then bake.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35After 50 minutes, add butter beans, a good pinch of allspice,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37and return to the oven for ten minutes.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Briefly boil green beans in salted water and then plunge into cold -
0:09:45 > 0:09:46this keeps their vibrancy.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Fold in the beans at the last minute, so they just warm through,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53and then serve.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Simple stews like this are, for me, the true taste of Turkey...
0:10:00 > 0:10:04..born from the fertile soil of its agricultural heartland
0:10:04 > 0:10:06in central Anatolia.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10This vast area lies east of Istanbul - Asian Turkey...
0:10:11 > 0:10:14..and it's where my journey continues.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Some believe this is where crop cultivation first began.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Many foods, not just Turkish, can be traced back to Anatolia,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and the country is one of the few nations in the world
0:10:27 > 0:10:32with the diversity and volume of produce to be self-sufficient.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Many of its people still live close to the land,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39as they have done for centuries.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59It is dawn in the central Anatolian district of Develi,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and the timeless morning routine begins once again.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Songul has left the village just once in her whole life.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17THEY SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- Nigel, Songul.- I'm Nigel.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32She says there's more in the back room, as well.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39They finish this in the summer and then make it again.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42This and next door will last for about six months.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47This is the store-cupboard version of a thin, unleavened flatbread,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51yufka, popular throughout Turkey.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Irresistible.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Once baked, it contains very little water...
0:11:57 > 0:12:00..which means that it can be stored for months
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and then rehydrated when needed.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09Wheat was first cultivated in Turkey around 10,000 years ago,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13and the first breads probably looked a lot like this.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14It's like a work of art!
0:12:14 > 0:12:16LAUGHTER
0:12:16 > 0:12:17It's just, it's beautiful.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Songul has offered to show me how they make one of their staple meals,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25manti.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Manti starts with a simple dough
0:12:29 > 0:12:32made from flour, water, salt and eggs.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37While Songul kneads and rolls the dough, her daughter-in-law
0:12:37 > 0:12:42makes the filling from minced beef, onions, herbs and ground cumin.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47It's clear to see that this dish has been made many times.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49These ladies are a dab hand.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Ah, OK, into strips.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55So, she's saying, basically,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58her older sister lives in Ankara, the capital,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and she's saying that her older sister says that there is a machine
0:13:01 > 0:13:03that does the cutting now, so they should buy that,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and she's saying we're not city slackers,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09we're villagers, and we're used to doing it.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11And then a little pinch of meat.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16How much? In the centre.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22The influence of manti on more modern foods like ravioli
0:13:22 > 0:13:23is plain to see.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25And then like that?
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Can you imagine how long you'd have to wait for dinner
0:13:30 > 0:13:31if it was up to me?
0:13:38 > 0:13:41It's not long before the topic of conversation veers away
0:13:41 > 0:13:43from the cooking.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49So she says she was in love with Songul's son,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52but because they thought her father wouldn't allow her to get married
0:13:52 > 0:13:58to him, they ran away to Ankara, to the aunt's house,
0:13:58 > 0:14:00and then they stayed there for three days
0:14:00 > 0:14:04until the families agreed on the marriage.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It's pretty common in this village,
0:14:08 > 0:14:13because if they're in love, but the family have other plans,
0:14:13 > 0:14:14then the girls just run away.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Preparing the food with Songul is a joy.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Manti is boiled and its sauce is prepared by grating garlic
0:14:29 > 0:14:31into home-made yoghurt...
0:14:33 > 0:14:36..and a moment for me to find out how Songul feels
0:14:36 > 0:14:39about life here on the Anatolian plateau.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45This seems quite a hard way of life.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49I'm just wondering, would you prefer to work...
0:14:50 > 0:14:51..an easier job in the city?
0:15:00 > 0:15:01Yeah, it's home.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06So, do you think that your children, and particularly your grandson,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10do you think that they will take on this way of life afterwards?
0:15:28 > 0:15:32The sad thing about that is that maybe this farm wouldn't be here
0:15:32 > 0:15:35if it's not passed on to another generation.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39It's all very well for me
0:15:39 > 0:15:42to talk about preserving a traditional way of life -
0:15:42 > 0:15:46making your own yoghurt and your own cheese
0:15:46 > 0:15:48and having a cow in the yard...
0:15:48 > 0:15:50..but this is hard!
0:15:50 > 0:15:52This is survival.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55This is absolutely essential, it's crucial to their lives.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08The hot dumplings are topped with a dollop of the garlicky yoghurt
0:16:08 > 0:16:13and finished with smoked, sweet, crushed red chillies
0:16:13 > 0:16:15warmed in olive oil.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17This is amazing.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25You know, there is nothing that means more to me...
0:16:26 > 0:16:28..than sharing food -
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and the fact that somebody shares their food with me...
0:16:32 > 0:16:34..is everything...
0:16:34 > 0:16:38..but also, to share their craft,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40their expertise, their knowledge -
0:16:40 > 0:16:42they've also shared their way of life.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44It just makes me...
0:16:44 > 0:16:46..just so, so grateful.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05My exploration of Anatolian cuisine continues
0:17:05 > 0:17:1050 miles west of Develi in the evocative landscape of Cappadocia...
0:17:14 > 0:17:16..peppered with rock-carved homes,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20fascinating rock formations and ancient vineyards.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Once a secret natural wonder,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26this is now a World Heritage site
0:17:26 > 0:17:30and one of Turkey's most popular tourist attractions.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43I'm here to find out more about the classic storeroom staple pekmez,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48a grape-based molasses used widely in both sweet and savoury dishes.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54So I've come to meet Faruk on his family vineyard.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00So, how long have grapes grown on this land?
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Thousands of years, these type of grapes are here -
0:18:05 > 0:18:07but this garden, from my grandfather.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08This is the most...
0:18:10 > 0:18:11..sweetest one.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13These have all been growing...
0:18:14 > 0:18:16..without giving any water.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30Times are changing, and these days Faruk is one of the few locals
0:18:30 > 0:18:32still making his own pekmez.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38So, you must have seen quite a lot of change around here.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Yes, for sure.
0:18:41 > 0:18:47When I was a kid, we had more trees and more greens.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Just like this. Everywhere was like this.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Nobody is looking after.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Why is nobody looking after it?
0:18:56 > 0:19:01They're running hotels or different kind of tourisms.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05More easier for them to make the life like that.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09And the tourism damaging all the land -
0:19:09 > 0:19:14by the ballooning, by the quad bikes, by the hiking.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16What do you see as the future,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19if you look forward 20 years, 50 years?
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I feel very, very sad.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35I hitch a lift with Faruk to his home in the village to watch
0:19:35 > 0:19:39the harvested grapes be transformed into pekmez.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55This is a special soil we use.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59This feels... This feels like flour.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Yes, it is like a flour.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Very, very fine.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10This volcanic soil, known as marl, is sprinkled on the grapes.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:20:15 > 0:20:16Now, they're ready to press.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22No other ingredients are added.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Marl is purely a natural agent used to remove acidity
0:20:27 > 0:20:29and clarify the juice.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32You have a lot of fun doing this, don't you?
0:20:34 > 0:20:36He's the mayor of the town.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- The mayor?- He's the mayor of this village, can you believe?
0:20:39 > 0:20:41I wouldn't get my mayor to do this!
0:20:44 > 0:20:45Over the centuries,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49the methods for its domestic production have barely changed.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53So this liquid, it looks milky at the moment because of the stones...
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Because of the stones, yes.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- ..but that will sink to the bottom...- Yes, in a few hours.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00..and then we'll get the clear juice.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Pekmez has a honey-like consistency
0:21:13 > 0:21:18and is made by boiling the juice and reducing it to a thick syrup...
0:21:20 > 0:21:23..a process that takes around seven hours.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30You know, it's the sounds that make this place as much as anything.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Sounds that probably haven't changed for hundreds of years.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40The pot of molasses bubbling...
0:21:42 > 0:21:43..the crackling of the fire...
0:21:46 > 0:21:47COW MOOS
0:21:47 > 0:21:49..the cow, chickens.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Today, the pekmez will be the crowning glory
0:21:55 > 0:21:57of an age-old Anatolian lunch.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01We are having gozleme,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03a savoury filling encased in the yufka...
0:22:05 > 0:22:08..the simple flatbread made from just flour and water.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13There will be two varieties of gozleme...
0:22:15 > 0:22:18..one filled with spinach and white cheese,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20the other with potato and dill.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35The yufka wraps are wafer-thin, so only need a short blast of heat.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Pekmez has been called the healing syrup of Anatolia,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47widely believed to cure everything from colds to anaemia,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50because of its high iron and vitamin content.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54That's incredible!
0:22:56 > 0:23:00- Incredible.- Did you ever have something this flavour?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- No, never.- This is the way...
0:23:03 > 0:23:05The way of living in Anatolia.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08It kind of bothers me that it may not continue.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12It will continue in the factories, massive,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14which is not the same thing.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Faruk's Anatolia is changing fast.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28The regional capital Kayseri is home to thriving industries
0:23:28 > 0:23:31set up to feed Turkey's booming economy.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36130 factories opened here in a single day,
0:23:36 > 0:23:41and since the '90s, its population has doubled to almost a million...
0:23:43 > 0:23:47..many of them leaving their rural homes in favour of urban life.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52It's just one of many examples of the growth of new cities
0:23:52 > 0:23:54right the way across Anatolia...
0:23:54 > 0:23:57..and this is the dilemma that Turkey faces -
0:23:57 > 0:23:59modernity...
0:24:00 > 0:24:03..without losing their traditions,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06without losing the flavour of the land.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Turkey is an enormously diverse country.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18There are seven distinct regions,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21with every climate imaginable,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24from the torrid conditions of the Anatolian plateau
0:24:24 > 0:24:28to the misty green mountains of the eastern Black Sea.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31The benefit of such a diverse climate
0:24:31 > 0:24:35is the wealth of regional variation in the food.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I've come to the Trabzon region of the Black Sea,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42to the town of the same name,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46to taste a bread-based dish that is eaten all over Turkey,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50but here is made with a very special local flourish.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Hello.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Pide, please.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Pide is normally made as a boat-shaped leavened bread
0:25:04 > 0:25:06with a variety of toppings...
0:25:09 > 0:25:13..from dried beef or minced lamb to spinach -
0:25:13 > 0:25:15but in this case...
0:25:15 > 0:25:19..it's cheese. There's no olives grown around here - or not many.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21This is a dairy culture.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24While sheep and goat's cheese is very popular in Turkey,
0:25:24 > 0:25:30in the Black Sea region, only their local cows' kolof will do.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Just in case that's not enough dairy...
0:25:32 > 0:25:33It's going to be good.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34..a generous scoop
0:25:34 > 0:25:39of the region's iconic, deep yellow highland butter is also added.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43The locals say that without butter, there is no taste -
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and they are certainly not taking any chances here.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Ah!
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I've never seen anything like this in my life.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58It's almost like a fondue.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01It's like cheese soup held within a crust...
0:26:02 > 0:26:03..and it squeaks.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09There's a special local way to cut this -
0:26:09 > 0:26:12carefully remove the top of the crust.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Break it into pieces
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and then dip it into the molten cheese.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30Mm! It's kind of like the pizza you always want but never quite get.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33This is the food that the word "gorgeous" was invented for.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35It's the only way to describe it...
0:26:36 > 0:26:38..and I will gorge.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Pide fillings can be as varied as you like,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45and the dough is really simple to make.
0:26:50 > 0:26:56Mix 450g of flour with seven grams of dried yeast.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59A pinch of salt, and 350ml of water.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Knead, and leave to rise for an hour.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Roll out and shape the dough.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13For my filling, I'm grating a handful of Turkish cheese,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16thinly slicing tomatoes,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18and sujuk, a Turkish sausage.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22Trickle with olive oil...
0:27:24 > 0:27:26..then bake for 20 minutes.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31The final dish is truly comforting.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44The landscape around Trabzon is well suited to dairy farming,
0:27:44 > 0:27:49and much of it is carried out in the traditional way of moving the herds
0:27:49 > 0:27:52between the highlands and lowlands with the seasons.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57With winter fast approaching,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59I'm keen to see the mountain pastures
0:27:59 > 0:28:01before the roads become impassable.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06The view is fast disappearing.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09One minute it's snow-capped mountains,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12and the next minute it is thick and very eerie mist.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23This is one of the many summer villages
0:28:23 > 0:28:27which serve as seasonal dwellings for the local herders.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32So, we are over 2,000 metres high,
0:28:32 > 0:28:34and the village is deserted.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38The winter crocuses are starting to come out,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42which is a sign for the herdsmen to take their cattle down
0:28:42 > 0:28:45from the lush mountain pasture down into the valley.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49The snows are well and truly on their way.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02Whilst dairy is what this area is traditionally associated with,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05the last 100 years has seen a new industry flourish
0:29:05 > 0:29:08in the rainy fertile foothills of the mountains.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Tea in Turkey is big business,
0:29:17 > 0:29:21and locally, in the Rize province an hour's drive east of Trabzon,
0:29:21 > 0:29:25it's so important even the local football team is named after it.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30The misty foothills of the Black Sea mountains
0:29:30 > 0:29:34are home to over 200,000 independent tea gardens,
0:29:34 > 0:29:39who supplied Turkey's insatiable thirst for a good brew.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41The further I head into the mountains,
0:29:41 > 0:29:47the more I can see how absolutely crucial tea growing is to this area.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49You can almost smell it.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52Any tiny little space on the slopes of the hillside,
0:29:52 > 0:29:53there's a row of tea bushes.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02I've been invited to take part in a tea harvest.
0:30:02 > 0:30:03It's an early start,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06so bed and breakfast are part of the deal.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14Sibel introduces me to brother and sister Lale and Gokhan.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19They are Hemshin, a minority group of Armenian descent.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21They still live in their family home,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25which I'm told has a bit of a story all of its own.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28How long have you lived here?
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Do you know how old the house is?
0:30:38 > 0:30:39OK.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42Deliciously creaky.
0:30:46 > 0:30:47And that's their mother.
0:30:59 > 0:31:05So, it was their grandfather that made this house from scratch -
0:31:05 > 0:31:06but he never got to live in it
0:31:06 > 0:31:09because he died very young in Poland.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11He was shot during the First World War.
0:31:15 > 0:31:20The hand prints are from when they sacrificed an animal
0:31:20 > 0:31:25to bless the house when the last foundations were put in place.
0:31:25 > 0:31:26Gosh, sacrificing an animal.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30All I did was open a bottle of wine when I moved in.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31Gosh.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57After a sound night's sleep, it's time to pick some tea.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15The morning drizzle is not enough to stop my lesson in tea harvesting.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21- So, sides first and then on top.- OK.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25- Yeah? Is that OK?- OK.
0:32:27 > 0:32:33I'm doing this very slowly but how long does it take you to pick a row?
0:32:35 > 0:32:36Five minutes?
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Well, I'd better get a move on, then!
0:32:40 > 0:32:42It's just the top young leaves,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45when the leaves are small and they are very pale green.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50That's the ones you want. That's what I'm trying to get.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58Historically, Turkey has always been a coffee-drinking nation.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00It's only with the fall of the Ottoman Empire,
0:33:00 > 0:33:04the First World War and the closing of their traditional trading roots
0:33:04 > 0:33:08that the prices went up and they had to find an alternative...
0:33:09 > 0:33:11..and that alternative was tea.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14They've been drinking it and growing it ever since,
0:33:14 > 0:33:15to the point where they are now
0:33:15 > 0:33:19probably the world's greatest consumer per capita.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22That's good news for the locals here.
0:33:25 > 0:33:26The leaves are left to dry
0:33:26 > 0:33:30and will be sold to the government-owned tea company Caykur,
0:33:30 > 0:33:34whose fixed rates provide this family with a stable income.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I'm looking forward to a cuppa...
0:33:42 > 0:33:45..but, even more, to my breakfast.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51Cheese is an essential part of the Turkish breakfast table...
0:33:52 > 0:33:56..but here in the Black Sea, it's the centrepiece.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Lale is making muhlama.
0:34:03 > 0:34:08This is a fondue-like creation made using local aged Trabzon cheese,
0:34:08 > 0:34:12as well as melted highland butter and flour.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19This is a Hemshin dish and stems from their ancestral roots
0:34:19 > 0:34:21as cattle herders.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25In their family, they were the last generation
0:34:25 > 0:34:28to have a traditional upbringing high on the mountain pastures...
0:34:32 > 0:34:36..but by the looks of it, their taste for dairy remains strong.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Did somebody mention a bit of breakfast?
0:34:40 > 0:34:41They didn't mention a feast.
0:34:50 > 0:34:51Ah, thank you.
0:34:53 > 0:34:54Throughout Turkey,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day -
0:34:57 > 0:34:59but this is something else.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Everything on this table has been home-made
0:35:03 > 0:35:05or picked from their garden.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11For someone like me, who adores dairy produce...
0:35:14 > 0:35:16..this is like all my birthdays have come on one day.
0:35:30 > 0:35:31No!
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Can I come and live here?
0:35:42 > 0:35:44I wasn't expecting
0:35:44 > 0:35:46almost all of the cheese I would eat in one year...
0:35:48 > 0:35:49..at one meal.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52This is splendid.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04Just a generation ago, there weren't many roads in these mountains...
0:36:06 > 0:36:09..and because they were so isolated,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12local communities had to be especially resourceful.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I'm travelling nearly 100 miles further east
0:36:20 > 0:36:22to the tiny village of Macahel,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24close to the Georgian border.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35I've come to meet a Georgian family
0:36:35 > 0:36:39and to taste a favourite Turkish dessert, helva,
0:36:39 > 0:36:41with a unique local twist.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:36:56 > 0:36:59This is 70-year-old Nasim,
0:36:59 > 0:37:01his son Kenan,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05and granddaughters, Irem and Irmak -
0:37:05 > 0:37:07three generations of honey-hunters.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10OK.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17For a food, for a product that is so difficult to harvest...
0:37:18 > 0:37:20..I guess it's got to be very, very special indeed.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28The hives have to be really high up the tree
0:37:28 > 0:37:30to protect the honey from the bears.
0:37:53 > 0:37:54Ohh!
0:37:54 > 0:37:55THEY LAUGH
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Wow! Look at this!
0:38:05 > 0:38:08What defines the character of a honey...
0:38:08 > 0:38:11..are the flowers that... the bees feast on,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14where they get their nectar.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16It's everything that is in this landscape,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18that is on this mountainside.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23That is what I want on my toast.
0:38:24 > 0:38:25Every morning.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40I'm going to cook with Kenan's wife, Reyhan.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Her version of helva has been made here for generations
0:38:43 > 0:38:46from locally-sourced ingredients -
0:38:46 > 0:38:49and most importantly, honey.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09That's why it's got a toasty flavour to it. OK.
0:39:10 > 0:39:11Thank you.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32So that's really quite coarse and nutty.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42This is your own recipe, or is it...? Is it a local one?
0:39:51 > 0:39:55It is the most homely smell. It's the most welcoming smell.
0:39:56 > 0:39:57SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:39:59 > 0:40:02So, make a little well in the middle.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05And then... Oh, no measurements.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Look at that!
0:40:14 > 0:40:18So, this is melted butter and water.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Everything here, from the flour
0:40:21 > 0:40:23right the way through to the walnuts and the local honey
0:40:23 > 0:40:26and the butter from their cows, it is all from this landscape,
0:40:26 > 0:40:27every single bit of it.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Historically, the local honey
0:40:31 > 0:40:33was used by this small mountain community
0:40:33 > 0:40:36at a time when sugar was not readily available.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40You couldn't get across the mountains to Georgia,
0:40:40 > 0:40:41you couldn't get into Turkey.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45You were trapped here, so you had to make the best of what was here.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50Maybe with some dishes like this helva, only honey will do.
0:40:52 > 0:40:53So, this recipe is made the way it is
0:40:53 > 0:40:56because historically there was no sugar here.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11And you use honey in all your pastries?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40As darkness falls,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43I feel moved to have shared the day's events with the family.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Three generations gathering honey
0:41:47 > 0:41:51and a dish injected with this delicious locality
0:41:51 > 0:41:54makes my stay here all the more memorable.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57That honey!
0:41:58 > 0:42:01It's just so soft and so buttery...
0:42:01 > 0:42:05..and your secret is this toasting and roasting,
0:42:05 > 0:42:07over and over and over again...
0:42:08 > 0:42:09..to get this depth of flavour.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20When snow comes, these mountain villages
0:42:20 > 0:42:22can be cut off for five months.
0:42:22 > 0:42:27So before I head back down to sea level, I'm visiting Cevizli,
0:42:27 > 0:42:29literally the village of walnuts.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40Here, the local women are busy with their winter preparations.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Ayse and her neighbours are batch cooking,
0:42:46 > 0:42:50and I'm getting a chance to taste another Turkish favourite.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56Borek - a thin, flaky pastry with sweet or savoury fillings.
0:43:00 > 0:43:05The local speciality filled with the crop of the valley, walnuts.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08So you don't really roll it, you actually stretch it.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11This is much easier to do it as a group
0:43:11 > 0:43:14because you can each take a corner and pull.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16If I was cooking this on my own,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18I'd be going round and round the table trying to pull it.
0:43:22 > 0:43:27Finely-chopped walnuts are soaked in butter before being expertly rolled.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31A mixture of teamwork and experience.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34It so easy when you've got people on one side and on the other
0:43:34 > 0:43:36that you can roll from both edges.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38I can see why everybody gets together.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Well, I'm hungry, because I'm in this wonderful position
0:43:49 > 0:43:51of being teased every few minutes.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54I get this pastry taken out of the oven
0:43:54 > 0:43:56and, "Not quite ready, we'll turn it..."
0:43:56 > 0:43:57..and on cue, how lovely.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00Look at that. Smell those walnuts!
0:44:05 > 0:44:08So, this feels like a sort of village Bake Off.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Is this as much a social occasion as it is to cook?
0:44:17 > 0:44:20OK. I like that idea.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22So, Ayse, tell me, is this a traditional recipe?
0:44:37 > 0:44:40And does everybody make it exactly the same?
0:44:51 > 0:44:53Are these this year's walnuts?
0:45:02 > 0:45:05If there are no walnuts this year,
0:45:05 > 0:45:09will you buy walnuts in to make this or will you just simply not make it?
0:45:17 > 0:45:18Yes!
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Oh, look, it's still warm.
0:45:23 > 0:45:24It's straight out of the oven.
0:45:28 > 0:45:29Mmm!
0:45:33 > 0:45:37This is absolutely and utterly beautiful.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39I don't know why... Why is it so buttery?
0:45:39 > 0:45:41You didn't put much on. That's amazing.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46While I'm tucking in to the delicious borek,
0:45:46 > 0:45:48all around me are foods being prepared for winter...
0:45:50 > 0:45:55..for when the weather changes, and isolation descends.
0:45:55 > 0:45:56Over here,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59these little pieces of dough,
0:45:59 > 0:46:02being rolled out with such dexterity.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05It starts out like the traditional flatbread, yufka -
0:46:05 > 0:46:09flour, water and salt rolled until paper-thin and baked...
0:46:11 > 0:46:13..but here, instead of storing it whole,
0:46:13 > 0:46:17it is carefully rolled up and trimmed.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21The real magic happens when it comes out of the store cupboard.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24It's gently cooked in a little bit of stock
0:46:24 > 0:46:27and then it has a little bit of melted butter put with it.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29Slowly brought back to life,
0:46:29 > 0:46:31and then, on top, yoghurt.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38I just think it's such a lovely way to cook -
0:46:38 > 0:46:41with your friends, making things for today - a treat -
0:46:41 > 0:46:43making things for tomorrow,
0:46:43 > 0:46:47and having, you know, a good time, as well.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Out on the veranda, they are preserving fruit.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58Little trays of plums drying out in the open air.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04It's fruit-leather drying and it will be peeled off...
0:47:05 > 0:47:08..and then kept for the winter.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11Sometimes apricot, sometimes apples, sometimes plum.
0:47:11 > 0:47:12I think this is apple.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19For this, fruits are boiled to a thick syrup,
0:47:19 > 0:47:21a bit like pekmez,
0:47:21 > 0:47:23and are spread thinly on fabric to dry.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27Nothing is wasted here.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29This is good food born out of necessity...
0:47:34 > 0:47:37..and all this is about making a squirrel-store for winter.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39It's not just about having a good time,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42having your friends round for a chat,
0:47:42 > 0:47:43a cup of tea and some cooking.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45There is a serious point to this.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47It's food that is...
0:47:48 > 0:47:49..picked when it's abundant.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55It's prepared, it stored and it's kept for those dark, cold days
0:47:55 > 0:47:58when there is actually nothing about.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05Another of Turkey's essential dried staples is rice...
0:48:07 > 0:48:09..and pilaf is a favourite national dish.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18First, wash the rice three times to remove any excess starch.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Sizzle butter in a pan.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27Add four tablespoons of orzo...
0:48:29 > 0:48:33..and 250g of baldo Turkish rice.
0:48:33 > 0:48:34Add chicken stock.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Bring to the boil, and then simmer for ten minutes.
0:48:40 > 0:48:44My pilaf uses half a kilo of fresh mussels.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47Cover the pan and steam for five minutes.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Chop a handful of dill and then add it to the pan.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Fork the rice and serve in a bowl.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10The rice base can be home to many fillings,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13but my next trip is to try one that is new to me.
0:49:20 > 0:49:25So, before I head home, there is one last stop I want to make
0:49:25 > 0:49:27on the shores of the Black Sea.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35I've come to Hopa, which is a few kilometres from the Georgian border,
0:49:35 > 0:49:38because this is the beginning of a very special season.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40It's the short season for hamsi,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43the tiny little fish that are very, very valued -
0:49:43 > 0:49:47and tonight we'll be cooking them and celebrating the season.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53The hamsi is a Black Sea anchovy
0:49:53 > 0:49:56and is celebrated in Turkey as the prince of fish.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00For the Laz community who live here,
0:50:00 > 0:50:05a strong culture has grown out of this short but abundant season.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11It is said that they never run out of ways to cook hamsi,
0:50:11 > 0:50:13even including it in a dessert...
0:50:15 > 0:50:20..but, in recent years, commercial fishing trawlers have muscled in,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23threatening the livelihoods of these local fishermen.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30A fishing boat leaves the harbour in search of its daily catch.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55I'm helping Tuna in the kitchen to make hamsi pilaf...
0:50:57 > 0:51:00..the centrepiece of their celebrations for centuries.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06The fish used in this dish have been brought from the commercial catch
0:51:06 > 0:51:08sold at the local market.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12A clear indication of just how much
0:51:12 > 0:51:15the local fishing economy has changed.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20Covering the whole base of the baking tin
0:51:20 > 0:51:24with the little filleted anchovies, and...
0:51:24 > 0:51:27Which is quite tricky because they're very slippy.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Other people's kitchens, they are a delight to cook in
0:51:30 > 0:51:32but they're also ever so slightly scary.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34Especially when you're cooking recipes
0:51:34 > 0:51:37that they've done all their life, and you're doing for the first time.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47The rice is added to the softened onions and coated in oil...
0:51:50 > 0:51:52..and now welcomes the other ingredients -
0:51:52 > 0:51:55tomato paste, chilli powder,
0:51:55 > 0:51:58dried mint and flour from locally-milled corn.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10While we prepare the salad to go with it,
0:52:10 > 0:52:14Tuna recalls childhood days before the trawlers came.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:52:17 > 0:52:18When we were kids...
0:52:20 > 0:52:23..we used to be able to come down to the shore and collect them
0:52:23 > 0:52:25in our T-shirts, you know...
0:52:25 > 0:52:28- Really? That many?- Yeah, catching them in my hand, there were so many,
0:52:28 > 0:52:31- but not any more. - So, where have they gone?
0:52:37 > 0:52:41Basically it's because these big ships are now using radar systems
0:52:41 > 0:52:45to find where the fish are, so they collect all of them in one go.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47It's not that there aren't any fish,
0:52:47 > 0:52:50but for us little boats, there's not much left,
0:52:50 > 0:52:52so then we get very little left over, you know.
0:52:52 > 0:52:53It's luck.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00The dish is assembled and ready for the oven.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05That smells good. It smells fantastic.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09Just smell that dried mint and that little bit of chilli
0:53:09 > 0:53:11that is in the rice.
0:53:17 > 0:53:18Like that?
0:53:21 > 0:53:26And now, just some all-important finishing touches.
0:53:26 > 0:53:27Beautiful!
0:53:29 > 0:53:30Gorgeous.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33No, thank you.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46It's evening, and the boat arrives back...
0:53:48 > 0:53:49..empty-handed...
0:53:53 > 0:53:56..but this small detail isn't going to stop the party.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58We need two people downstairs.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05There's more than a little chaos here.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09We decided we need an extra table, so it couldn't go down the stairs,
0:54:09 > 0:54:11so it came through the window -
0:54:11 > 0:54:14but then, for some reason, everything else -
0:54:14 > 0:54:17glasses, plates, tablecloth, chairs,
0:54:17 > 0:54:19and most of the food - has come out of the window
0:54:19 > 0:54:23with us all stretching up and grabbing it best we can.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25I'm not quite sure why we didn't just use the stairs.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30The feast is laid out,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33with its magnificent centrepiece, the hamsi pilaf.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39The party has started.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45- Cheers.- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54More rice.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57- This is the dish. - I would love some, thank you.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59- THE dish.- THE dish.
0:55:02 > 0:55:03Mmm!
0:55:15 > 0:55:17So, this is how the Laz party.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22What I really love is the way that as someone else comes to the table,
0:55:22 > 0:55:25you just all shove along and shove along -
0:55:25 > 0:55:26and you started with six,
0:55:26 > 0:55:28and at some point you're going to be sat on each other's laps.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31- You never say no to a guest. - Exactly!
0:55:44 > 0:55:48The hamsi were always key to survival in winter months,
0:55:48 > 0:55:51and the fishermen try to hasten their arrival
0:55:51 > 0:55:54through a special dance called the horon,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57said to be inspired by the wriggling fish in the nets.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17These traditions, this dance, this language,
0:56:17 > 0:56:21is specific to this tiny community -
0:56:21 > 0:56:23and I was asking Sibel, who has accompanied me throughout this trip,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26why she didn't know the words, and she said,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29because this is a language that even she didn't speak.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31It's of a tiny little community.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36A community that is staying together
0:56:36 > 0:56:38and singing together and eating together.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42They fish, that's what they do, their lives are about fish.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46They are about the coast. This is where they've been for years
0:56:46 > 0:56:47and this is where they belong...
0:56:49 > 0:56:51..and they are going to preserve this
0:56:51 > 0:56:52for as long as they possibly can.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58The apparent depletion of the hamsi stock
0:56:58 > 0:57:01lends a bittersweet edge to these celebrations...
0:57:03 > 0:57:05..but the spirit of the people
0:57:05 > 0:57:08and the pride in their culture is contagious.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12Turkey is immense.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14I thought I knew it.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17I thought I knew the country and its food.
0:57:19 > 0:57:20I couldn't have been more wrong.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26This is a mosaic of unique territories,
0:57:26 > 0:57:28each with their own heritage.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33I started this journey tasting the food of the sultans
0:57:33 > 0:57:35with its opulence and its extravagance.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38That was a little bit of a red herring,
0:57:38 > 0:57:40because the real soul of the food here
0:57:40 > 0:57:42is to be found in rural areas.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48It's different communities living quite closely
0:57:48 > 0:57:50but very, very different.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53It's about preserving their traditions, their way of life.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Even their languages.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58It's also about preserving your food,
0:57:58 > 0:58:02whether it's fish, whether it's dairy produce,
0:58:02 > 0:58:04whether it's fruit and vegetables -
0:58:04 > 0:58:07but enjoying them when they are here,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10and, then, clever ways of keeping them for the winter,
0:58:10 > 0:58:13for the dark days when there's very little else.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16This is a truly different Turkey from the one I thought I'd see
0:58:16 > 0:58:18when I got off that plane.