Bridal Farewell

We think leaving the tradition behind and live as if life came on earth with our existence only, such a unique experience for each. However I always tought that the rituals of old tradition with our own lives touch are always gathering and fun and nice to have activities. I love the cuteness and the eternal nature of them.

I have posted about hena night before here. On O's hena night, there was something more : a moving bridal farewell poem by her mother written right after her last belongings were sent to her new home, remembering the tiny hands of her baby-girl , now the bride-to-be.

"...My dearest baby, my little lamb with hena
While you are starting a new home and a new life
I request our God to help you
May your be full of sunshine, your heart filled with joy.."

A Bridal Farewell is traditionally cited by the bride's mother on hena night wishing her the best in her new home.

Here is a photo of the single ladies of the party in their costumes, just before escorting the bride-to-be to the hena ceremony singing the old traditional hena song.

"Don't let them build homes on high hills
Don't let them send their daughter's away to far countries
I wish that my father would have a horse and ride here to come to me
That my mother would have a boat, sail here and come
That my siblings would know the way and come
Let the birds that fly know it
I missed my mother
I missed both mother and father
I missed my town"

Bridal Bath

Mom and I are invited for the bridal bath of O (you may know from my last year's post where you may have learned about her marriage proposal)

Bridal Baths (Gelin Hamamı) is an old ottoman tradition of the gathering of the ladies of the families of both the bride and the groom in a turkish bath(hamam) to get the bride-to-be ready for their wedding day.

It is a ladies party all wrapped up in colorful peshtamals(traditional thin towels made by hand wowen looms).

Although we were late and missed the dancing in the center of the steamy bath, we could catch up for the rest of fun and the relaxing steamy bath.

My first experience with a turkish bath has been such a inaginable wellness. The hot tab and the cold one runs into a sink without an output and you sit there by the sink and exfoliate, wash your body by pouring water with the metal bowl next to the sink.  

That was a wonderful day with the thankful presence of childhood friends and mom and lots of steam.

and thoughtful presents of handmade soaps, peshtemals and exfoliators.

Asking Someone's Daughter for a New Home

H, between all medical struggles with mum, had a merry decision. And very H'ly, she shared equally all the good times and rainbows as the heavy days we went through : I was insisted in being present in her "daughter-asking" ceremony!

As the very famous characther of my blog, she authorised her blurred photos to be here.

In where we live, the still living tradition involves the man that decides to get married with your daughter, to visit your home with his extended family to ask for  your daughter's hand... "by the order of God and by the agreement of the prophet" the famous cue says.

The ceremony involves : turkish coffee serving. By the bride-to-be. Cups of it.  Loads of it.

I enjoyed being a part of my rainbow girl's family on this very special occasion and taking pictures.

My H, she is uniquly able to be the beautiful rainbow even on the most grey days, with her colours, so unique and rich.

Semolina Helva for Good Bored Souls

I had to try my first semolina helva, I felt like doing it. I looked for some pretext to cook it. Very often, helva is cooked when someone is dead or on the years that follow, on the very same day, as remembrance, we "cook a helva to his soul" and share it and those who eat, prays for the remembered person's soul.

I thought of my grand mothers but they passed away in cold seasons and not in a blooming May.

So I cooked it for my own soul I guess. My very bored soul lately and I made a wish-best remedy for bored souls.

I brought one plate to my neighbour that shared her mother's village fresh eggs, one plate for my next door neighbour- Dunya's mother and a large plate for our gardener and security guys.

And guess what I have received today: the most beautiful rose I have ever been offered. I took a picture of my first helva and the beautiful rose from the gardener.

Here I am giving the recipe of Irmik Hel vasi- Semolina Helva with some added cheese the way our neighbour Nevin Teyze used to make at my childhood.

Semolina Helva Recipe

semolina, 1,5 cups

olive oil, 1/2 cup

butter, 1/2 tablespoon

cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon grounded

cloves, 3-4 grounded

sugar, 1 cup

milk, 2 cups

pinenuts, 1 tablespoon or more

any unsalty fresh cheese like ricotta, 150 gr (I used turkish lor cheese)

1-Roast the semolina and pinenuts

2- Add the boiling milk and sugar

3- Add the olive oil and stir constantly until the semolina absorbs all the liquid.

4- Add the cheese and stir for 2 more minutes

5- Add the spices and butter

6- Take a deep braeth close your eyes

7- Pray for my soul and my wish to come true (every little helps, I need it ! :)

8- Mold and serve

PS(Same Day at around 20:30): Dunya has just told my name today for the first time after having "aunt berfin's cake". His mother says he wanted to have it all. I am sure he will be praying soon :)

Making A Home, So Far Away from Home

I have joined to sis' friends to be together for a special sunday breakfast in Polonezköy in the occasion of a good friend 's birthday

Polonezköy is in the countryside in the very north of Istanbul

ut what makes Polonezköy so special and so different than the texture of Istanbul is not only the greenery,

The history of the village is quite interestng. It was built as an emigration center to Polish in 1842. So far away from home..

Hence the name Polonezköy which means Polish Village in Turkish.

"At the beginning, the village was inhabited by 12 people, but there were no more than 220 people when the village was most populated. In the course of time, Adampol developed and was flooded by a lot of emigrants from the rebellion in November 1830, during the Crimean War in 1853, and by runaways from Siberia and from captivity in Czerkieska. The first inhabitants busied themselves with agriculture, raising and forestry. After Polish independence in 1918, many returned to Poland. Before World War II, the first tourists already began to arrive to the village. The remaining inhabitants of Adampol (Polonezköy) took Turkish citizenship in 1938."

Still the inhabitants speak the Polish language and the signs are both in Turkish and Polish

Today Polonezköy is an excellent escape for Istanbullers like us on weekends.

The spring, the unaging spring is already here. I enjoyed my short walks to take photos and caught up the birthday wishes at the end of their long wee session.

Lost or Stolen and Found

I lost my favorite black bag in a mall today. I tried to figure out where it could be gone, checked all the stores and thought it could be stolen but I was not upset enough.
Since childhood, I had this weird religion in me that I was the only member in which I was making a deal, a sacrifice. In Turkey when children loose a belonging they look for it singing a song that tells

"Satan took it away

Could not sell it
Brought it back"
So if  I was in not finding my thing, then I was negotiating with Satan and at the end I was ending up with the deal in such a way that I was totally convinced that I sacrificed and not lost the thing, for a better finding, a more beloved belonging such as my siblings.

Tonight was a hard evening, trying to get home under the snow. I had the same feeling, but I did not know what I would get back instead.

I have just hang up the phone now with someone I was searching in the internet for years, someone very dear and remarkable in my life: my highschool professor of french litterature. He was the one to tell me in private that I should not be in the sciences section, but in letters instead.
Took me looong to find him back. I haven't heard his voice for 18 years now. He was travelling the world.

I own life so much.. for all that it brings back to me.

For all the unfinished coming near.

ps: He wrote back to me saying:
"Quand tu m'as connu, j'avais 32 ans
J'en ai 50 maintenant..
Je t'embrasse
Yves"
means "when you knew me I was 32, now I am 50". When I met him he was much younger than me now.

Life, beautiful life.. with all the lost or stolen and found.
With all the trees under the snow of winter and those in blossom in summer.

The Day After The New Year's Eve Party

Oh, it has been a beautiful sunny, morning with loads of rest after the new year's eve celebration of ours

What party?

First: it is a FUNNY tradition to wear red underwear at new year's eve..

Second: Feels SO GOOD to be brave as a Turk to dance all night

Third: To share a beautiful table with all the good foood from the participants

 

Fourth : VERY GLORIOUS to push your very ill friends to join you, to get them up and running for the celebration

This is us pausing with our security guy waiting for our cab..

but feels SO SILLY to cause them more fever the day after

Anyways..

We wish you a happy new year from our home !

Saving the World With a Sweet Soup - עשוראא

It is believed that Noah, on his cruise to save the living, cooked Ashura with the left ingredients in the ship: wheat, sugar, rice, chick peas, beans, nuts, dried fruits.. A mixture that could be brought together after any disaster on my beautiful fruitful land of Anatolia.

For the rememberance, every year, there is a fixed Ashura day where the pudding like dessert is cooked and shared with neighbours, friends and family  around here. The date is the 26,27th of December according to the Greagorian calendar and according to the lunar muslim calendar, on the 10th day of Muharrem, hence the name Ashura which means 10th in arabic. I like the armenian meaning of the name which is the "sweet soup".

This is my Jo's favorite sweet in Turkey and thus I have put the hebrew name in the title as a personalized gift.

And am sharing the recipe as promised to Jo !

Last year I cooked Ashura for the first time when I first moved in to my flat for the sweet traditional thought that "Ashura brings wealth to home" with its big variety of ingredients, every basic ingredient in your home. Do not worry if you dont have nuts or dreid fruits, try substitutes.

The recipe I am sharing is a modified version from my favorite traditional cook Umit Usta's Agiz Tadiyla book that I strongly recommend. You will need:

wheat, 2 cups

rice, 1 cup

chickpeas, 1 cup if dried, if cooked almost 3 cups

beans, 1 cup if dried, 3 if cooked

sugar, 5 cups

wheat starch, 1/3rd cup

milk(to whiten), 3 cups

hazelnuts, 1 cup

walnuts, 2 cups

dried figs, 10 of them

dried apricots, 10 of them(could be related to the date 10th of muharrem :)

dried raisins, 1/3 cup

almonds, 1/2 cup ( I put more)

cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon

cloves, 5 of them

butter, 1 Tablespoon

rosewater (optional) , 1/3 cup ..or any aroma like vanilla with its own amount

I love the making, with sweet memories of my first cooking times guide Umit Usta's serials on tv.

Messages: to Jo- come to pick yours up which is the one in the white bowl, I will keep it for 3 more days for you in the fridge. to Ali- Yours is the pink one behind Jo's, thank you for sharing your home with crazy&drunk strangers. To Serkan&Inci: the biggest one on the first row thanks for this lovely presence in my home this year. to Oguz- for being so tolerant and giving to me.

The Making:

DON'T GIVE UP STIRRING the soup all the time..

1-Soak nuts and almonda from the night before toIf the beans and chickpeas are dried ones, soak them from the night before(for about 8 hours or so), then change the water and cook them separately.

2- If you will use cooked beans and chickpeas, soak the wheat from the night before, cook it well without changing the soaking water(it contains a natural starch that you will need).

3- When the wheat is cooked , add the cooked beans and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. then add gradually the sugar. If the sugar is added all in once this will thoughen your beans.

4- Miix the starch with the amount of milk and add it to the soup.The soup must be a dense one but feel free to add some extra water or milk if the cooking water of the wheat has not been enough for all.

5- Add the rose water or your aroma of pğreference. 5- Add all the nuts and dried fruits and spices giving them enough time to the taste wthin the boiling mixture.

6- Last ingredient: add butter.

7- Put them in your designated containers for your very precious neighbours and friends..Share!

And save the world.. Once more..

Back to my Greece For A Day

I had to go to Greece for one day only :(
Well, everything was just as I left it only with a cooler weather, the cafes, the ouzerias, my favorite bus drivers, all elenis, all thakis, my lovely home store owners, just my favorite restaurant was in renovation and closed but our lady in the kiosk never deceives me, she was there too.And she waved his hand and laughed to invite me closer after taking this photo and offered me 4 happydent chewing gum as an good old friend gift although we couldn't understand each other's language and none of our words. She knows.. that I am so much into her and so many things about this lovely little town.

A new discovery has been Kratas though in the bakery where I was waiting for my bus. Oh, I was delighted by the softness of the outer shell and the aroma of the inner side and tried to understand what it was inside. The ladies in the shop who happened to be very serious in the beginning laughed at my interest and surprise in Kratas. Although language was not a way to communicate, they were able to explain me that they were rose "lokoumis"(delights) that they wrap in the delicious soft dough prepared probably with butter and nuts. Oh, my!

I bought some rose delights from the shop and will try to find the recipe in the internet somehow.

A Good Start for a New Home : Henna Night

Where I live, if you see someone with henna dye in her hand, you can guess that she had a celebration of someone close's wedding recently.

I will take you to a great South-Eastern henna night.

A Henna Night is a traditional celebration in Anatolia and takes place usually on the Friday before the wedding and normally it is a ladies night-in, celebrating the bride's new life and her farewell to her previous life within her family. A Henna Dying is a symbol of devotion of the girl for the new family. For us people, here in this part of Istanbul, it is fun and it feels good to be a part of the tradition of centuries.

And in our henna night yesterday we had the guys too..




The henna paste is brought in a tray, with candles placed in the henna. The invitees dance with the tray on top of their heads accompanied by traditional henna night songs, davul and zurna. The emotion is packed up in the video for you, to hear the music, davul, zurna, clapping and zilgits. Zilgit is the female high voices you will hear in the background and is a symbol of celebration.

First the bride and the groom's hands are dyied then the invitees.

Then starts the dances with the candles in hands and on the head..

It was so beautiful to see them dancing in the light of the candles moving with their figures.
If you see someone with henna dye in her hand, you can guess that she had a celebration of someone close's wedding recently.And that she might have been very happy and forgot about her troubles for a while, even of loosing her own home..

I am a Turkish teapot

I am a Turkish teapot. I brew tea. Below is the water pot, above is the tea.

I am a Turkish teapot I am her first teapot. She loves me. I feel every morning, every good morning, how she runs to me, how she is proud of me. Although life is hell for her lately, although all she has lately, is her health and good friends and family.

I am.. her first.

This moning I'm in a hurry. We will have guests for the tea.



I am her oven. How she likes to bake wit me.. How glad is she when she cleanses me.. as a knight does to his sword proudly.
I am her first oven... ever to be.
Ths morning I make borek for the special guests she expects t see.

And reflect her new hair cut to thee :)




So the Turkish breakfast is ready ! .. Can you smell the cucumbers, tomato and peppers, feta cheese, olives and the very turkish tea?





Here they came the merry cuple to see. The sweet childhood friend and her delicate partner.


Can you hear Bukra Wba'Do from Pink Martini as she wispers about his proposal and the ring? Does your heart get full with her happiness through the bright brown eyes you can not see?

Pink Martini brings me to the brightest day of love. A summer evening. Two tickets to Pink Martini concert. Our first date. A full moon, the greatest concert time ever, the most romantic evening. Happiness..

Recipe of Happiness

1- Fall in love

2- Trust him, let yourself go, get even drawn

3-See that he opens up for you

Borek's Recipe

Minced Meat 200 gr
4 small Oignons
Allspice 1 teaspoon
Blackpepper 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon
Tiny black currants (kusuzumu) 2 tablepoons
Phyllo pastry 5 large layers
Milk of any kind 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Vegetable Oil 2 tablespoons
1- Dice the oignons and seat them in a saucepan
2- Add the minced meat. Cook until meat is done. Add the tiny black currants in the middle of the process
3- Add the spices and salt. Stir and keep the saucepan aside while you prepare the pastry in the oven tray.
4- Gease our largest oven tray. Make sure your phyllo pastry will fit in it. Layer the phyllo in a wrinkld way. Moist it with the milk+water+vegetable oil mixture in a way to keep the mixture for each layer. Add the other layer ater the below sheet is moisened enough. Repeat the moistening and layering process until the 3rd layer.
5- After moistening the 3rd layer spread the mince meat mixture on top.
6- Add the 4th layer and moisten, then the 5th layer and moisten again.
7- Bake it in the preheated oven of 175 degrees celcius in the middle rack and until the pastry becomes crisp and golden brown.
8- Dont take a picture of it unles you have new sexy haircut
A great tip : Bake it with love and lots of expectation..
She said: "These guys are from our school". I knew Pink Martini's Lauderdale and Forbes were from Harward and so my sweet friend was. I told more on what I knew on their story.

Other Homes

When I was a child, I was allways dreaming of sneaking in other homes.. Being in other lives without being seen.

Other homes smell others.

I still have this temptation whenever I see a curtain flying out of a window. I want to be a part of that wind and blow in.

Once upon a time there was a home in Muharraq town. They called it the house of of Shaikh Isa. He lived there with all the servants and his family.

Because at this very once upon a time there were no air conditioners, the house had a wind tower that let the hot blow out and the cool breeze blow in.

Whether they had happy or anxious nights in their rooms, noone can tell anymore.. since the wind tower blew out the smell of the home long ago

but the beautiful stone and wood carvings remained..

As for the house of Umm A where lives the children and grandchildren together, it was visited happily on a beatiful afternoon in Hammad town.

Do they have happy nights and days in there? The warm smiles talk..

Guests are more than welcome, offered great food, chai and yelwo coffee (arabian coffee boiled with cardamom) served in small, delicate mirra cups without handles.

and when the guests are finished with the warm chat, the generous food and drinks, according to the tradition comes a tray of fragrances. All the newest fashion fancy ones(mine had Escada, J'adore etc..) and the old traditional arabic essence oil that will be left to the table.

Where at the end comes buhur(the incensory) in which willl be added Udd, that the guest is kindly asked to turn inside outside her cloths and all around the hair.

This way.. although others homes smell others.. the outsider will happily smell "others" after the visit.

As if happily belonging to the house..

As if .. accepted.
As if.. there were.. no others.