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| Unbelievably delicious tepsi (tray) kebab |
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| Getting our kebab prepared at the butcher |
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| Making of the dough for kunefe |
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| A business owner's just protest against the war in the region |
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| Harbiye, Antakya |
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| Arab Orthodox Christian funeral home / it's a tradition to serve Turkish coffee to the funeral attendees |
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| Caretaker of the funeral home Cathrine |
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| Our feast at Huseyin's home, complete with homemade raki and game |
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| Huseyin's father |
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| Huseyin's mother |
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| Behold infidels, Huseyin is coming!! |
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| Olive trees in winter time |
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| A dessert similar to churros |
We started the new day at Uzun Carsi (Long Bazaar). It
provided us with the perfect excuse to get hungry again with all the streets
full of colors and smells. Our stop this time was Poc Butcher Shop. Butcher
shops in Antakya all function as a restaurant at the same with a couple of
tables thrown in the back. They either barbeque the meat you buy by the pound, or
get it baked at a bakery close by and all there’s left for you is to enjoy the
most delicious kebabs, while surrounded by the meats hanging on the hooks
around you. We learn another interesting fact about the butchers from our
beautiful friend Hüseyin. Meat from any female animal is inedible according to
Arab Alawi belief. Therefore all meat in the displays are hung with the
testicles still attached and showing due to the large Arab Alawi community
living in the city. After finishing off the last bits of one of the most
delicious kebabs I had in my life we topped it with the most popular dessert in
Antakya “kunefe”, sold at many shops in
the bazaar area. Although, I have to confess that growing up in Istanbul, I’m
more used to the fake Istanbul style kunefe and prefer it over the true
Antiochian one. We spent the rest of the
day in a recreational suburb area of the city called Harbiye. After visits to the silk shops and
waterfalls, we returned home with nightfall. Since we had stuffed ourselves
with kebabs and kunefe during the day we decided to skip dinner, and were about
the leave the house with Can to get some wine from the store when the girls
decided to come along with us. On our way back from the store after purchasing
some wine, Can asked a question he shouldn’t have. The answer to his question
of whether we were hungry or not was same as always: “no, but! We could have
some itty bitty bites to munch on.” In Antakya all the kebabs, kibbehs,and kunefes are eaten as snacks, therefore each
little munching turns into a big feast. We went to yet another butcher and
ordered some of the sac oruk Bambina
had been craving for since we got there. Sac oruk is the flat and round version
of a kibbeh cooked over a flat hot surface. After finishing our mezes and oruks
we headed over to Samandag beach to enjoy our wine. As we drove in circles
around a tomb of some muslim saint I don’t know the name of, we found out about
another interesting local tradition. It was a tradition to walk around the
tombs of saints three times while praying to their soul. But the modern-day
believers keeping up with the times fulfill this ritual by driving around the
tombs three times with their cars!!
The next day we drove over to Huseyin’s village, this time
following the mountain route. After stopping by a Turkmen village to have a
picnic with delicious bulgur salad (kısır) made by Sevgi along with some wine,
we also visited the one and only remaining fully Armenian village in Turkey,
Vakifli, and purchased some home made flower and fruit liqueurs from the
villagers. At another village along the way we were hosted at the house of an
Arab orthodox christian woman named Catherine, who is the caretaker of the
funeral home of the village, and tasted some of her homemade wine, not
forgetting to stock up a few bottles before we left. At Huseyin’s home we were
welcomed to a feast prepared by his mother. The table was flowing with milk and
honey, complete with little birds hunted by Huseyin’s nephews and cooked in our
honor. Others decided to skip the birds for some reason, therefore I engorged
all three quail-like birds myself. Another special treat at the table was
homemade raki (a popular anise seed flavored drink in Turkey) that was
accompanying the dishes. Although
illegal, homemade drinks are still very common and popular in Samandag, and
they distill raki either from raisins or figs and flavor it with anise seeds.
After a good night’s sleep at the village surrounded by green mountains we
spent the next day first visiting a monastary dedicated to famous stylite
Simeon, then not to bring the wrath of Muslim saints over us we also visited a
local muslim shrine and walked around it three times as for the custom, and
later wandered in the orchards and gardens.
When we returned to Can’s house in the evening, Antakya style marinated
sea bass was waiting for us. Even though I like my fish plain grilled usually,
we thoroughly enjoyed the sea bass marinated in a lightly spiced tomato and
pepper paste. After dinner we were invited to Can’s brother’s house, who had
been living in Northern Syrian town of Latakia until recently. After terrorism
erupted in Syria they had to move to Antakya with his wife of Syrian origin.
Even though we had just gone for a cup of tea visit, his wife Abir with her
warm smile had prepared a table full of food, we had no choice but to munch on
itty bitty bites…
We spent our last day in town by walking the streets,
shopping for cheese, spices and such, and enjoying last drinks with friends. Of
course we purchased a bottle of “medicine” for Gamze to overcome her flight
anxiety, and headed to airport while sipping the medicine on the way…
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