Yesterday it was Christmas according to the christian catholic tradition.
Me and my friend went to a daily journey to the near city of Hatay. It is located in the southern-easternmost point of the Country. Actually the latitude of the district of Antiochia tells everything about its origins: it was once a part of Syria.
And still the city keeps the arabic traditions, visible in little things starting from the food.
I tasted a delicious Hummus, in a small place within the historical centre called "çayircilar". It cost so much time to us to find this place and my afternoon turned into a mission in finding this precious meal.
I remembered the felafel eaten in my country and still I was sure to find a lot of it in Turkey but I was sadly surprised when I realized that the idea of a "turkish felafel" is just an utopia :) as here is meat everywhere apart from the special Nohut Durum, a sandwich made of spicy chickpeas and salad but still far from the idea of hummus and felafel. I learned so by experience that the food I was longing for was typical of more arabic countries, and here the chance to taste it: the trip to Hatay, in the arabic latitude.
So the man carefully prepared for me a take-away package - as the departure time was so close to arrive. Firstly, a stratus of the sweet hummus. It is a godly creamy paste made by pressing with a wood spoon chickpeas, sesame seeds, lemon, salt and olive oil. Upon it, some red pepper seeds were spreading and soon the olive oil, fresh tomato, persil and other vegetables prepared in a lemon juice and vinaigrette. Some bread to accompany this dish and it's done!
Ready to taste the Hatay hummus while waiting that Yana finishes her visit to the Archeological Museum, located on one side of the river that cross the city. What was inside the museum? I don't know and still remains a mystery to me so rather ask to Yana to reveal the content of this historical heritage.
How possible is not to mention, talking of the food in Hatay, the sweet pumpkin sold in Tatlaci where also the "churro" is prepared.
They both are very very sweet, the first made of a round bread fried in oil and sugar, the second is a slice of pumpkin put in sugar and cooked with that, also fried.
It is a popular snack and it is very tasty !
This last picture shows a special snack shop for pumpkins where everything is made to recollect to the orange Cinderella's carriage as also here a perpetual sense of Halloween is felt.
It's now time to be back to Antep, our turkish provisory hometown, and the last bus is going to leave in a few minutes, but not before having share with you this image: a frame of a poetical warm xmas-sunset, for the most exotic noel I have ever spent ! Merry Christmas!
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