Looking for a mouthgasm and want to try traditional Turkish food? Look no further than Gözleme. A thin pastry outer shell with savoury inner goodness.
Traditional Turkish food. It makes me drool just thinking about it. Turkish delight, Kebabs (not the greasy fat dripping kebabs at 3 am that are half squished into your pillow the following day after a heavy drinking session kebab), and Gözleme.
Oh, Gözleme, how I miss you.
I was crunching through your thin pastry outer shell to discover the savory inner goodness. Who would have thought something so simple would equate to such a taste explosion.
Cue mouthgasm.
What are Gözleme
The name, Gözleme, derives from the Turkish word göz, meaning eye. And when you cook the pastry, tiny brown spots dot the outer layer, apparently resembling eyes. Or so we were led to believe.
To cook them traditionally takes quite a lot of skill, and while my cooking abilities with a rolling pin are half decent, I don’t think I could master this pastry rolling out process.
While at the local markets in Fethiye, we sat down for an afternoon snack at the Gözleme stall. There is something hypnotic about watching the older Turkish women work away like mad over the sizeable circular cooking stone. They had it down to a fine art.
When the fresh ball of pastry is rolled out to resemble a crepe or pancake, it is thrown over the hot baking girdle. Handfuls of spinach and feta, mince and potatoes, or even sweet Nutella are spread across half the Gözleme.
Folding the sides up to cover the delicious fillings, the pastry is flipped over to cook evenly.
You have a super cheap mouth-watering snack that oozes the sweet and savory mix inside. Divine.
Plus, you can pick it up with your hands and devour it.
Since Gözleme has become so popular with tourists, they are no longer just a local market delicacy. We even saw them in most of the restaurants in Istanbul. Although for about five times the price.
No matter where you are in Turkey, Gözleme is a must-try for anyone wanting to experience traditional Turkish food.