1 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:05,720 As a cook and writer, 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:09,440 I've long been intrigued by the flavours and fragrances 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:11,800 of Middle Eastern cooking - 4 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:16,960 one of the oldest and most influential cuisines in the world. 5 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:18,880 Now I want to find out more. 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,160 You know, there really is only one true way 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,840 to get to know a region's food, and that's to go there. 8 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:31,200 To eat the food amongst the people who cook it and eat it every day. 9 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,920 That way, it's seasoned with a sense of place - 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:38,960 the landscape, the culture and traditions. 11 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,520 That's incredible. So join me on my journey... 12 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,800 Can I have a look in your cupboard? 13 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:49,400 ..to discover ingredients and recipes that defined three countries 14 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,080 with truly exciting food stories. 15 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,160 Cheese and roses, it shouldn't work! 16 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,960 Places considered to be the key pillars of Middle Eastern cuisine. 17 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,720 My adventure takes me across northern Iran 18 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:06,000 to taste Persian dishes with a rich heritage, 19 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,760 to Lebanon with its Arab-influenced flavours of the Levant, 20 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:15,280 and to Turkey, where the recipes born of a diverse landscape 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,000 have travelled the world. 22 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,360 I did a date pattern - I should have done a walnut pattern. 23 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,320 My appetite for new flavours 24 00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:25,440 takes me through ancient and beguiling lands - 25 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,360 but, more importantly, into people's homes. 26 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,680 I absolutely loved it, and I can't thank you enough. 27 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,240 This is my chance to learn new techniques and recipes 28 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:36,680 that aren't in books 29 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,160 but have been handed down through generations... 30 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,480 How long does it take you? Five minutes. Five minutes? 31 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,800 Well, I'd better get a move on, then. 32 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,800 ..and I'll share the secrets I'll discover 33 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,840 by cooking recipes inspired by my journey. 34 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:54,440 This time, I visit a rapidly changing nation. 35 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,080 From the dishes of Ottoman palaces 36 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:59,040 to the rustic home cooking 37 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:00,800 at the heart of Turkey. 38 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:11,160 I start in Istanbul, home to 15 million people - 39 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,600 today, a rapidly-changing, thriving city 40 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,600 that straddles both Europe and Asia. 41 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:32,920 Formerly Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire. 42 00:02:32,920 --> 00:02:36,520 From here, rich sultans ruled over swathes of Europe, 43 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,320 Asia and North Africa, 44 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:43,400 bringing far-away flavours back to their palace kitchens 45 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,280 to create the world's most flamboyant food of its time. 46 00:02:56,360 --> 00:03:01,520 One of Istanbul's most prestigious hotels was once a sultan's palace. 47 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,280 The grandeur and opulence is clear to see, 48 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:07,280 echoed not just in its chandeliers and marble, 49 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:11,480 but also in the classic Ottoman dishes it creates. 50 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:18,640 At the height of the Empire, 51 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:21,720 the finest chefs were summoned from far and wide 52 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,920 to experiment with ingredients and techniques, 53 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:28,200 to engineer dishes fit for the sultan's table. 54 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,560 A whole fish baked in salt would have been a true spectacle. 55 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,280 At the time, salt was a highly prized commodity all over the world. 56 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:48,720 You... 57 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,440 This is the sultan showing off. 58 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:57,280 It's the idea of a silver salver being presented to your guests 59 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,560 with a huge, whole fish baked in glistening salt. 60 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,680 It's as much show as it is flavour. 61 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,640 It's delicious. It's delicious... 62 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:17,720 ..but the point of this dish is about the location. 63 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,760 It's about how glamorous and how beautiful the room is. 64 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:22,760 It's about the exquisite china. 65 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:24,920 It's about the way the food is presented. 66 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:27,520 This is fashionable food. 67 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,440 It's fun and it IS about theatre. 68 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:41,840 Baklava - the sticky, sweet pastry dessert loved the world over - 69 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:45,000 was another dish perfected for the sultan's pleasure. 70 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:55,760 40 paper-thin layers of filo pastry sandwiched with finely chopped nuts 71 00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:00,400 and trickled with syrup made each mouthful a work of culinary art. 72 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,280 Even today, the apprentice bakers must work in the kitchen 73 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:10,560 for at least five years before touching the pastry... 74 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:12,040 Thank you. 75 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,400 ..and there's also an art to eating it. 76 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,840 You check that it's golden. 77 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:21,840 You put your fork in and then cut right through with a knife. 78 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:23,880 If you tip it upside down, 79 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,800 there should not be a drip of syrup that falls off it. 80 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,560 You then dip into your thick clotted yoghurt - 81 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:33,960 that's the crust on the top of the yoghurt - 82 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:36,800 and then into the ground pistachios... 83 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,360 ..and then you put it into your mouth upside down, 84 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,400 so that the bottom layer of pastry, which is the most buttery... 85 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:45,960 ..just touches the roof of your mouth. 86 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,000 You need a bit of practice to eat it elegantly... 87 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,200 ..but it is very, very good. 88 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:58,360 It's not sickly and sweet - 89 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,560 it's nutty and it's flaky and it's light. 90 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:02,960 This is lovely. 91 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,000 While the sultans were eating fine foods from around the world, 92 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,680 most of the country was enjoying simple home-cooked dishes 93 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,920 inspired by the produce of its diverse landscape. 94 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:20,880 I'm going to a lokanta - 95 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,520 it's a canteen-style cafe popular all over Turkey 96 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,920 that serves homely lunches to the urban workforce. 97 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:33,840 It's also where I'll meet my guide and translator for my journey, 98 00:06:33,840 --> 00:06:35,280 Sibel Samli. 99 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:37,840 Hey, Nigel. 100 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:39,400 I'm liking this place. 101 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,040 Welcome. Wow. 102 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:48,000 Historically, Turkey didn't have much of a restaurant culture... 103 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,800 ..but just over a century ago the lokanta, 104 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,600 with its domestic recipes and warm-welcome atmosphere, 105 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:56,480 emerged as an exception... 106 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:02,320 ..and are now one of its most enduring food institutions. 107 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:04,680 So, tell me, what's going on? 108 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,480 OK, so this is a classic weekday lunch 109 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:12,600 for anyone who works and lives in Istanbul. 110 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,240 And do I choose one thing or a couple of things? 111 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:20,640 How does it work? Well, Turks usually don't consider a meal a meal 112 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:22,960 if it doesn't have meat in it. 113 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,440 I mean, there's a lot of veg, for sure - 114 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,760 green beans, you'll have a lot of potato and meat mixed. 115 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,280 Chickpeas, courgettes, beans. 116 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:33,080 But then you also have lamb, beef. 117 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,000 This is what I call comfort food. 118 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,120 You know, lots of juices, lots of flavours and juices. 119 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,320 This is slow-cooked food, 120 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:49,720 served quickly and without fuss to hungry regulars 121 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:51,920 at simple communal tables. 122 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:59,080 It is very basic, but it's a massive luxury to be able to walk in, 123 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,600 eat fresh, warm food within 30 minutes 124 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:05,920 and go back to work. 125 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:07,640 And reasonably priced, I'm thinking. 126 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:09,800 Yes, very. Shall we sit down? 127 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,520 The culture of going out at lunchtime for a sandwich - 128 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:17,360 is that here? Mm-mm. 129 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:21,000 I think everyone would be outraged if anyone ever suggested 130 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,720 that they had to have sandwiches for lunch! 131 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,320 80, 90% of the workforce will break for lunch 132 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,760 and come to a restaurant like this. 133 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,640 You find variations of it in the poshest neighbourhood 134 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,480 and the poorest neighbourhood. They're all... 135 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,000 Cos they'll all cook the same foods. 136 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,280 It's kind of an extension of home, in a way. 137 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:45,280 Yeah, yeah. 138 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:47,160 This is utterly delicious. 139 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:48,440 And no sandwiches! 140 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,120 Food like this every day. 141 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,000 Absolutely, it's utterly delicious. 142 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,440 This food is right up my street - 143 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:59,520 quality ingredients that don't need to shout or show off, 144 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:01,760 but just sit well together. 145 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:05,880 Simple home cooking with subtle, warm flavours. 146 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:08,720 The kind of dish I like to make at home. 147 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,000 Roughly chop an onion 148 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,920 along with an assortment of red and yellow peppers. 149 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:19,480 Add to a large roasting tin. 150 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:23,720 Choose a selection of tomatoes 151 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,280 and add a few sprigs of thyme. 152 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:29,280 Trickle the mixture with olive oil and then bake. 153 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:35,640 After 50 minutes, add butter beans, a good pinch of allspice, 154 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:37,720 and return to the oven for ten minutes. 155 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:45,000 Briefly boil green beans in salted water and then plunge into cold - 156 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:46,520 this keeps their vibrancy. 157 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:51,680 Fold in the beans at the last minute, so they just warm through, 158 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:53,000 and then serve. 159 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:58,320 Simple stews like this are, for me, the true taste of Turkey... 160 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:04,560 ..born from the fertile soil of its agricultural heartland 161 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:06,600 in central Anatolia. 162 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:10,480 This vast area lies east of Istanbul - Asian Turkey... 163 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,160 ..and it's where my journey continues. 164 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,520 Some believe this is where crop cultivation first began. 165 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:24,920 Many foods, not just Turkish, can be traced back to Anatolia, 166 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:27,880 and the country is one of the few nations in the world 167 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:32,000 with the diversity and volume of produce to be self-sufficient. 168 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,160 Many of its people still live close to the land, 169 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:39,400 as they have done for centuries. 170 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:59,440 It is dawn in the central Anatolian district of Develi, 171 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,680 and the timeless morning routine begins once again. 172 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:09,320 Songul has left the village just once in her whole life. 173 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:17,240 THEY SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE 174 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:21,280 Nigel, Songul. I'm Nigel. 175 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,880 She says there's more in the back room, as well. 176 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,440 They finish this in the summer and then make it again. 177 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,760 This and next door will last for about six months. 178 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,760 This is the store-cupboard version of a thin, unleavened flatbread, 179 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,480 yufka, popular throughout Turkey. 180 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,080 Irresistible. 181 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,920 Once baked, it contains very little water... 182 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,160 ..which means that it can be stored for months 183 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,840 and then rehydrated when needed. 184 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:09,640 Wheat was first cultivated in Turkey around 10,000 years ago, 185 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:13,240 and the first breads probably looked a lot like this. 186 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:14,640 It's like a work of art! 187 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:16,120 LAUGHTER 188 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:17,800 It's just, it's beautiful. 189 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:23,880 Songul has offered to show me how they make one of their staple meals, 190 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:25,440 manti. 191 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,520 Manti starts with a simple dough 192 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,480 made from flour, water, salt and eggs. 193 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:37,160 While Songul kneads and rolls the dough, her daughter-in-law 194 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:42,840 makes the filling from minced beef, onions, herbs and ground cumin. 195 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,520 It's clear to see that this dish has been made many times. 196 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:49,680 These ladies are a dab hand. 197 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:51,480 Ah, OK, into strips. 198 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,240 So, she's saying, basically, 199 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,080 her older sister lives in Ankara, the capital, 200 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,080 and she's saying that her older sister says that there is a machine 201 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,680 that does the cutting now, so they should buy that, 202 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:06,880 and she's saying we're not city slackers, 203 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:09,920 we're villagers, and we're used to doing it. 204 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:11,760 And then a little pinch of meat. 205 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,520 How much? In the centre. 206 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,240 The influence of manti on more modern foods like ravioli 207 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:23,960 is plain to see. 208 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:25,560 And then like that? 209 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,120 Can you imagine how long you'd have to wait for dinner 210 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:31,240 if it was up to me? 211 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,600 It's not long before the topic of conversation veers away 212 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:43,040 from the cooking. 213 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:49,080 So she says she was in love with Songul's son, 214 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,880 but because they thought her father wouldn't allow her to get married 215 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:58,360 to him, they ran away to Ankara, to the aunt's house, 216 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,920 and then they stayed there for three days 217 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:04,040 until the families agreed on the marriage. 218 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,640 It's pretty common in this village, 219 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:13,280 because if they're in love, but the family have other plans, 220 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:14,800 then the girls just run away. 221 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,640 Preparing the food with Songul is a joy. 222 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:29,160 Manti is boiled and its sauce is prepared by grating garlic 223 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,080 into home-made yoghurt... 224 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:36,360 ..and a moment for me to find out how Songul feels 225 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:39,040 about life here on the Anatolian plateau. 226 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:45,040 This seems quite a hard way of life. 227 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:49,120 I'm just wondering, would you prefer to work... 228 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:51,520 ..an easier job in the city? 229 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:01,760 Yeah, it's home. 230 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:06,360 So, do you think that your children, and particularly your grandson, 231 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:10,160 do you think that they will take on this way of life afterwards? 232 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:32,360 The sad thing about that is that maybe this farm wouldn't be here 233 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:35,200 if it's not passed on to another generation. 234 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:39,280 It's all very well for me 235 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,880 to talk about preserving a traditional way of life - 236 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:46,360 making your own yoghurt and your own cheese 237 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:48,600 and having a cow in the yard... 238 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,280 ..but this is hard! 239 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:52,360 This is survival. 240 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,560 This is absolutely essential, it's crucial to their lives. 241 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:08,680 The hot dumplings are topped with a dollop of the garlicky yoghurt 242 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:13,880 and finished with smoked, sweet, crushed red chillies 243 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:15,840 warmed in olive oil. 244 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:17,040 This is amazing. 245 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,080 You know, there is nothing that means more to me... 246 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:28,840 ..than sharing food - 247 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:31,640 and the fact that somebody shares their food with me... 248 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:34,280 ..is everything... 249 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:38,080 ..but also, to share their craft, 250 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,160 their expertise, their knowledge - 251 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:42,560 they've also shared their way of life. 252 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:44,680 It just makes me... 253 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:46,360 ..just so, so grateful. 254 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,320 My exploration of Anatolian cuisine continues 255 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:10,200 50 miles west of Develi in the evocative landscape of Cappadocia... 256 00:17:14,360 --> 00:17:16,960 ..peppered with rock-carved homes, 257 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,680 fascinating rock formations and ancient vineyards. 258 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,720 Once a secret natural wonder, 259 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:26,720 this is now a World Heritage site 260 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:30,200 and one of Turkey's most popular tourist attractions. 261 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:43,760 I'm here to find out more about the classic storeroom staple pekmez, 262 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:48,800 a grape-based molasses used widely in both sweet and savoury dishes. 263 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,440 So I've come to meet Faruk on his family vineyard. 264 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,240 So, how long have grapes grown on this land? 265 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:05,000 Thousands of years, these type of grapes are here - 266 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,800 but this garden, from my grandfather. 267 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:08,960 This is the most... 268 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:11,960 ..sweetest one. 269 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:13,640 These have all been growing... 270 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:16,400 ..without giving any water. 271 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:30,200 Times are changing, and these days Faruk is one of the few locals 272 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:32,520 still making his own pekmez. 273 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,920 So, you must have seen quite a lot of change around here. 274 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:40,240 Yes, for sure. 275 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:47,240 When I was a kid, we had more trees and more greens. 276 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:51,360 Just like this. Everywhere was like this. 277 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:53,040 Nobody is looking after. 278 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,200 Why is nobody looking after it? 279 00:18:56,200 --> 00:19:01,200 They're running hotels or different kind of tourisms. 280 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:05,120 More easier for them to make the life like that. 281 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,840 And the tourism damaging all the land - 282 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:14,640 by the ballooning, by the quad bikes, by the hiking. 283 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:16,600 What do you see as the future, 284 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:19,560 if you look forward 20 years, 50 years? 285 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:21,760 I feel very, very sad. 286 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:35,920 I hitch a lift with Faruk to his home in the village to watch 287 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,200 the harvested grapes be transformed into pekmez. 288 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:55,560 This is a special soil we use. 289 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,720 This feels... This feels like flour. 290 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:01,520 Yes, it is like a flour. 291 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:03,520 Very, very fine. 292 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:10,520 This volcanic soil, known as marl, is sprinkled on the grapes. 293 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:13,200 HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 294 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:16,920 Now, they're ready to press. 295 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:22,080 No other ingredients are added. 296 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,480 Marl is purely a natural agent used to remove acidity 297 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,000 and clarify the juice. 298 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:32,440 You have a lot of fun doing this, don't you? 299 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:36,600 He's the mayor of the town. 300 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,680 The mayor? He's the mayor of this village, can you believe? 301 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:41,600 I wouldn't get my mayor to do this! 302 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:45,520 Over the centuries, 303 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:49,320 the methods for its domestic production have barely changed. 304 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:53,840 So this liquid, it looks milky at the moment because of the stones... 305 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:55,960 Because of the stones, yes. 306 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:58,760 ..but that will sink to the bottom... Yes, in a few hours. 307 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:00,480 ..and then we'll get the clear juice. 308 00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:13,320 Pekmez has a honey-like consistency 309 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:18,160 and is made by boiling the juice and reducing it to a thick syrup... 310 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:23,280 ..a process that takes around seven hours. 311 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:30,320 You know, it's the sounds that make this place as much as anything. 312 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:36,080 Sounds that probably haven't changed for hundreds of years. 313 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:40,800 The pot of molasses bubbling... 314 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:43,760 ..the crackling of the fire... 315 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:47,880 COW MOOS 316 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:49,440 ..the cow, chickens. 317 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,120 Today, the pekmez will be the crowning glory 318 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:57,360 of an age-old Anatolian lunch. 319 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:01,080 We are having gozleme, 320 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:03,840 a savoury filling encased in the yufka... 321 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,560 ..the simple flatbread made from just flour and water. 322 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:13,440 There will be two varieties of gozleme... 323 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,440 ..one filled with spinach and white cheese, 324 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,880 the other with potato and dill. 325 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:35,320 The yufka wraps are wafer-thin, so only need a short blast of heat. 326 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:43,240 Pekmez has been called the healing syrup of Anatolia, 327 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,840 widely believed to cure everything from colds to anaemia, 328 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,640 because of its high iron and vitamin content. 329 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:54,080 That's incredible! 330 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,000 Incredible. Did you ever have something this flavour? 331 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,320 No, never. This is the way... 332 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:05,960 The way of living in Anatolia. 333 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,840 It kind of bothers me that it may not continue. 334 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,600 It will continue in the factories, massive, 335 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:14,200 which is not the same thing. 336 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:22,840 Faruk's Anatolia is changing fast. 337 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,520 The regional capital Kayseri is home to thriving industries 338 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,280 set up to feed Turkey's booming economy. 339 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:36,880 130 factories opened here in a single day, 340 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:41,000 and since the '90s, its population has doubled to almost a million... 341 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:47,440 ..many of them leaving their rural homes in favour of urban life. 342 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:52,680 It's just one of many examples of the growth of new cities 343 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:54,880 right the way across Anatolia... 344 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,840 ..and this is the dilemma that Turkey faces - 345 00:23:57,840 --> 00:23:59,400 modernity... 346 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:03,480 ..without losing their traditions, 347 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,720 without losing the flavour of the land. 348 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:16,720 Turkey is an enormously diverse country. 349 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,920 There are seven distinct regions, 350 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:21,600 with every climate imaginable, 351 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,640 from the torrid conditions of the Anatolian plateau 352 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,200 to the misty green mountains of the eastern Black Sea. 353 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:31,960 The benefit of such a diverse climate 354 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,200 is the wealth of regional variation in the food. 355 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,840 I've come to the Trabzon region of the Black Sea, 356 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:42,720 to the town of the same name, 357 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:46,880 to taste a bread-based dish that is eaten all over Turkey, 358 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:50,480 but here is made with a very special local flourish. 359 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:54,160 Hello. 360 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:55,400 SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 361 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:58,080 Pide, please. 362 00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:04,640 Pide is normally made as a boat-shaped leavened bread 363 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:06,440 with a variety of toppings... 364 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:13,080 ..from dried beef or minced lamb to spinach - 365 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,120 but in this case... 366 00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:19,560 ..it's cheese. There's no olives grown around here - or not many. 367 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:21,240 This is a dairy culture. 368 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,960 While sheep and goat's cheese is very popular in Turkey, 369 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:30,040 in the Black Sea region, only their local cows' kolof will do. 370 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:32,040 Just in case that's not enough dairy... 371 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:33,640 It's going to be good. 372 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:34,960 ..a generous scoop 373 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:39,600 of the region's iconic, deep yellow highland butter is also added. 374 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:43,480 The locals say that without butter, there is no taste - 375 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,080 and they are certainly not taking any chances here. 376 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:51,680 Ah! 377 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,080 I've never seen anything like this in my life. 378 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:58,480 It's almost like a fondue. 379 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,040 It's like cheese soup held within a crust... 380 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:03,560 ..and it squeaks. 381 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,560 There's a special local way to cut this - 382 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:12,120 carefully remove the top of the crust. 383 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:17,560 Break it into pieces 384 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,880 and then dip it into the molten cheese. 385 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:30,520 Mm! It's kind of like the pizza you always want but never quite get. 386 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,560 This is the food that the word "gorgeous" was invented for. 387 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:35,360 It's the only way to describe it... 388 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:38,040 ..and I will gorge. 389 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,640 Pide fillings can be as varied as you like, 390 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:45,880 and the dough is really simple to make. 391 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:56,000 Mix 450g of flour with seven grams of dried yeast. 392 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,920 A pinch of salt, and 350ml of water. 393 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:05,800 Knead, and leave to rise for an hour. 394 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:07,840 Roll out and shape the dough. 395 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:13,800 For my filling, I'm grating a handful of Turkish cheese, 396 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,680 thinly slicing tomatoes, 397 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:18,920 and sujuk, a Turkish sausage. 398 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:22,720 Trickle with olive oil... 399 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:26,560 ..then bake for 20 minutes. 400 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:31,440 The final dish is truly comforting. 401 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,800 The landscape around Trabzon is well suited to dairy farming, 402 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:49,440 and much of it is carried out in the traditional way of moving the herds 403 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,440 between the highlands and lowlands with the seasons. 404 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,160 With winter fast approaching, 405 00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,720 I'm keen to see the mountain pastures 406 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:01,800 before the roads become impassable. 407 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:06,840 The view is fast disappearing. 408 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,320 One minute it's snow-capped mountains, 409 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:12,200 and the next minute it is thick and very eerie mist. 410 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,400 This is one of the many summer villages 411 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,760 which serve as seasonal dwellings for the local herders. 412 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:32,760 So, we are over 2,000 metres high, 413 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:34,160 and the village is deserted. 414 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,600 The winter crocuses are starting to come out, 415 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:42,360 which is a sign for the herdsmen to take their cattle down 416 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,560 from the lush mountain pasture down into the valley. 417 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:49,600 The snows are well and truly on their way. 418 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:02,000 Whilst dairy is what this area is traditionally associated with, 419 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,800 the last 100 years has seen a new industry flourish 420 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:08,760 in the rainy fertile foothills of the mountains. 421 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:17,000 Tea in Turkey is big business, 422 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:21,120 and locally, in the Rize province an hour's drive east of Trabzon, 423 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:25,080 it's so important even the local football team is named after it. 424 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,800 The misty foothills of the Black Sea mountains 425 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,560 are home to over 200,000 independent tea gardens, 426 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:39,240 who supplied Turkey's insatiable thirst for a good brew. 427 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,640 The further I head into the mountains, 428 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:47,200 the more I can see how absolutely crucial tea growing is to this area. 429 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:49,320 You can almost smell it. 430 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:52,560 Any tiny little space on the slopes of the hillside, 431 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:53,960 there's a row of tea bushes. 432 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:02,400 I've been invited to take part in a tea harvest. 433 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:03,800 It's an early start, 434 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,200 so bed and breakfast are part of the deal. 435 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:14,240 Sibel introduces me to brother and sister Lale and Gokhan. 436 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:19,120 They are Hemshin, a minority group of Armenian descent. 437 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:21,760 They still live in their family home, 438 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:25,320 which I'm told has a bit of a story all of its own. 439 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:28,000 How long have you lived here? 440 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:35,000 Do you know how old the house is? 441 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:39,480 OK. 442 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:42,320 Deliciously creaky. 443 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:47,880 And that's their mother. 444 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:05,080 So, it was their grandfather that made this house from scratch - 445 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:06,760 but he never got to live in it 446 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,040 because he died very young in Poland. 447 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,120 He was shot during the First World War. 448 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:20,040 The hand prints are from when they sacrificed an animal 449 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:25,480 to bless the house when the last foundations were put in place. 450 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:26,800 Gosh, sacrificing an animal. 451 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,040 All I did was open a bottle of wine when I moved in. 452 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:31,160 Gosh. 453 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:57,280 After a sound night's sleep, it's time to pick some tea. 454 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:15,200 The morning drizzle is not enough to stop my lesson in tea harvesting. 455 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:21,480 So, sides first and then on top. OK. 456 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:25,400 Yeah? Is that OK? OK. 457 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:33,000 I'm doing this very slowly but how long does it take you to pick a row? 458 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:36,720 Five minutes? 459 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,440 Well, I'd better get a move on, then! 460 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:42,280 It's just the top young leaves, 461 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,000 when the leaves are small and they are very pale green. 462 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:50,960 That's the ones you want. That's what I'm trying to get. 463 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:58,080 Historically, Turkey has always been a coffee-drinking nation. 464 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:00,760 It's only with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, 465 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:04,960 the First World War and the closing of their traditional trading roots 466 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:08,040 that the prices went up and they had to find an alternative... 467 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,720 ..and that alternative was tea. 468 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:14,120 They've been drinking it and growing it ever since, 469 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:15,880 to the point where they are now 470 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,000 probably the world's greatest consumer per capita. 471 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:22,600 That's good news for the locals here. 472 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:26,760 The leaves are left to dry 473 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:30,880 and will be sold to the government-owned tea company Caykur, 474 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,520 whose fixed rates provide this family with a stable income. 475 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:39,240 I'm looking forward to a cuppa... 476 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,720 ..but, even more, to my breakfast. 477 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:51,240 Cheese is an essential part of the Turkish breakfast table... 478 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:56,200 ..but here in the Black Sea, it's the centrepiece. 479 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:01,840 Lale is making muhlama. 480 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:08,680 This is a fondue-like creation made using local aged Trabzon cheese, 481 00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:12,400 as well as melted highland butter and flour. 482 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:19,520 This is a Hemshin dish and stems from their ancestral roots 483 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,000 as cattle herders. 484 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,440 In their family, they were the last generation 485 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:28,960 to have a traditional upbringing high on the mountain pastures... 486 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:36,960 ..but by the looks of it, their taste for dairy remains strong. 487 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:39,040 Did somebody mention a bit of breakfast? 488 00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:41,800 They didn't mention a feast. 489 00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:51,640 Ah, thank you. 490 00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:54,720 Throughout Turkey, 491 00:34:54,720 --> 00:34:57,800 breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day - 492 00:34:57,800 --> 00:34:59,440 but this is something else. 493 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:03,640 Everything on this table has been home-made 494 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:05,360 or picked from their garden. 495 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:11,560 For someone like me, who adores dairy produce... 496 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:16,880 ..this is like all my birthdays have come on one day. 497 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:31,720 No! 498 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:37,040 Can I come and live here? 499 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:44,280 I wasn't expecting 500 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:46,720 almost all of the cheese I would eat in one year... 501 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:49,320 ..at one meal. 502 00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:52,400 This is splendid. 503 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:04,800 Just a generation ago, there weren't many roads in these mountains... 504 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,240 ..and because they were so isolated, 505 00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:12,000 local communities had to be especially resourceful. 506 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,280 I'm travelling nearly 100 miles further east 507 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:22,360 to the tiny village of Macahel, 508 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:24,400 close to the Georgian border. 509 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,600 I've come to meet a Georgian family 510 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:39,920 and to taste a favourite Turkish dessert, helva, 511 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:41,800 with a unique local twist. 512 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:51,920 HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 513 00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:59,000 This is 70-year-old Nasim, 514 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,000 his son Kenan, 515 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:05,280 and granddaughters, Irem and Irmak - 516 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:07,800 three generations of honey-hunters. 517 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:10,520 OK. 518 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:17,080 For a food, for a product that is so difficult to harvest... 519 00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:20,720 ..I guess it's got to be very, very special indeed. 520 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:28,000 The hives have to be really high up the tree 521 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:30,440 to protect the honey from the bears. 522 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:54,800 Ohh! 523 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:55,840 THEY LAUGH 524 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:57,480 Wow! Look at this! 525 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:08,680 What defines the character of a honey... 526 00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:11,920 ..are the flowers that... the bees feast on, 527 00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:14,080 where they get their nectar. 528 00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:16,240 It's everything that is in this landscape, 529 00:38:16,240 --> 00:38:18,000 that is on this mountainside. 530 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:23,320 That is what I want on my toast. 531 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:25,720 Every morning. 532 00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:40,160 I'm going to cook with Kenan's wife, Reyhan. 533 00:38:40,160 --> 00:38:43,600 Her version of helva has been made here for generations 534 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:46,240 from locally-sourced ingredients - 535 00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:49,320 and most importantly, honey. 536 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:09,040 That's why it's got a toasty flavour to it. OK. 537 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:11,600 Thank you. 538 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:32,240 So that's really quite coarse and nutty. 539 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:42,280 This is your own recipe, or is it...? Is it a local one? 540 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:55,400 It is the most homely smell. It's the most welcoming smell. 541 00:39:56,720 --> 00:39:57,960 SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 542 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:02,920 So, make a little well in the middle. 543 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:05,120 And then... Oh, no measurements. 544 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:08,040 Look at that! 545 00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:18,720 So, this is melted butter and water. 546 00:40:18,720 --> 00:40:21,120 Everything here, from the flour 547 00:40:21,120 --> 00:40:23,560 right the way through to the walnuts and the local honey 548 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:26,560 and the butter from their cows, it is all from this landscape, 549 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:27,800 every single bit of it. 550 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:31,240 Historically, the local honey 551 00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:33,760 was used by this small mountain community 552 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:36,640 at a time when sugar was not readily available. 553 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:40,240 You couldn't get across the mountains to Georgia, 554 00:40:40,240 --> 00:40:41,960 you couldn't get into Turkey. 555 00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:45,880 You were trapped here, so you had to make the best of what was here. 556 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:50,320 Maybe with some dishes like this helva, only honey will do. 557 00:40:52,240 --> 00:40:53,920 So, this recipe is made the way it is 558 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:56,880 because historically there was no sugar here. 559 00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:11,760 And you use honey in all your pastries? 560 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:40,600 As darkness falls, 561 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:43,840 I feel moved to have shared the day's events with the family. 562 00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:47,680 Three generations gathering honey 563 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:51,120 and a dish injected with this delicious locality 564 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:54,080 makes my stay here all the more memorable. 565 00:41:56,240 --> 00:41:57,320 That honey! 566 00:41:58,600 --> 00:42:01,960 It's just so soft and so buttery... 567 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:05,360 ..and your secret is this toasting and roasting, 568 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:07,040 over and over and over again... 569 00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:09,720 ..to get this depth of flavour. 570 00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:20,240 When snow comes, these mountain villages 571 00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:22,480 can be cut off for five months. 572 00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:27,520 So before I head back down to sea level, I'm visiting Cevizli, 573 00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:29,800 literally the village of walnuts. 574 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:40,440 Here, the local women are busy with their winter preparations. 575 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,640 Ayse and her neighbours are batch cooking, 576 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:50,000 and I'm getting a chance to taste another Turkish favourite. 577 00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:56,440 Borek - a thin, flaky pastry with sweet or savoury fillings. 578 00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:05,800 The local speciality filled with the crop of the valley, walnuts. 579 00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:08,920 So you don't really roll it, you actually stretch it. 580 00:43:08,920 --> 00:43:11,440 This is much easier to do it as a group 581 00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:14,120 because you can each take a corner and pull. 582 00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:16,000 If I was cooking this on my own, 583 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:18,800 I'd be going round and round the table trying to pull it. 584 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:27,840 Finely-chopped walnuts are soaked in butter before being expertly rolled. 585 00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:31,160 A mixture of teamwork and experience. 586 00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:34,800 It so easy when you've got people on one side and on the other 587 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:36,920 that you can roll from both edges. 588 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:38,880 I can see why everybody gets together. 589 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:49,960 Well, I'm hungry, because I'm in this wonderful position 590 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:51,880 of being teased every few minutes. 591 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:54,160 I get this pastry taken out of the oven 592 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:56,160 and, "Not quite ready, we'll turn it..." 593 00:43:56,160 --> 00:43:57,960 ..and on cue, how lovely. 594 00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:00,680 Look at that. Smell those walnuts! 595 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:08,400 So, this feels like a sort of village Bake Off. 596 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:11,840 Is this as much a social occasion as it is to cook? 597 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:20,080 OK. I like that idea. 598 00:44:20,080 --> 00:44:22,880 So, Ayse, tell me, is this a traditional recipe? 599 00:44:37,440 --> 00:44:40,240 And does everybody make it exactly the same? 600 00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:53,600 Are these this year's walnuts? 601 00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:05,120 If there are no walnuts this year, 602 00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:09,720 will you buy walnuts in to make this or will you just simply not make it? 603 00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:18,680 Yes! 604 00:45:21,280 --> 00:45:23,120 Oh, look, it's still warm. 605 00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:24,640 It's straight out of the oven. 606 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:29,960 Mmm! 607 00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:37,880 This is absolutely and utterly beautiful. 608 00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:39,680 I don't know why... Why is it so buttery? 609 00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:41,680 You didn't put much on. That's amazing. 610 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:46,000 While I'm tucking in to the delicious borek, 611 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:48,680 all around me are foods being prepared for winter... 612 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:55,120 ..for when the weather changes, and isolation descends. 613 00:45:55,120 --> 00:45:56,920 Over here, 614 00:45:56,920 --> 00:45:59,200 these little pieces of dough, 615 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:02,160 being rolled out with such dexterity. 616 00:46:02,160 --> 00:46:05,120 It starts out like the traditional flatbread, yufka - 617 00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:09,720 flour, water and salt rolled until paper-thin and baked... 618 00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:13,880 ..but here, instead of storing it whole, 619 00:46:13,880 --> 00:46:17,040 it is carefully rolled up and trimmed. 620 00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:21,000 The real magic happens when it comes out of the store cupboard. 621 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:24,200 It's gently cooked in a little bit of stock 622 00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:27,160 and then it has a little bit of melted butter put with it. 623 00:46:27,160 --> 00:46:29,240 Slowly brought back to life, 624 00:46:29,240 --> 00:46:31,600 and then, on top, yoghurt. 625 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:38,120 I just think it's such a lovely way to cook - 626 00:46:38,120 --> 00:46:41,320 with your friends, making things for today - a treat - 627 00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:43,920 making things for tomorrow, 628 00:46:43,920 --> 00:46:47,240 and having, you know, a good time, as well. 629 00:46:48,840 --> 00:46:51,080 Out on the veranda, they are preserving fruit. 630 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:58,120 Little trays of plums drying out in the open air. 631 00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:04,160 It's fruit-leather drying and it will be peeled off... 632 00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:08,480 ..and then kept for the winter. 633 00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:11,360 Sometimes apricot, sometimes apples, sometimes plum. 634 00:47:11,360 --> 00:47:12,600 I think this is apple. 635 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:19,960 For this, fruits are boiled to a thick syrup, 636 00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:21,680 a bit like pekmez, 637 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:23,880 and are spread thinly on fabric to dry. 638 00:47:25,080 --> 00:47:27,000 Nothing is wasted here. 639 00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:29,960 This is good food born out of necessity... 640 00:47:34,160 --> 00:47:37,280 ..and all this is about making a squirrel-store for winter. 641 00:47:37,280 --> 00:47:39,360 It's not just about having a good time, 642 00:47:39,360 --> 00:47:42,240 having your friends round for a chat, 643 00:47:42,240 --> 00:47:43,840 a cup of tea and some cooking. 644 00:47:43,840 --> 00:47:45,960 There is a serious point to this. 645 00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:47,160 It's food that is... 646 00:47:48,240 --> 00:47:49,760 ..picked when it's abundant. 647 00:47:51,120 --> 00:47:55,680 It's prepared, it stored and it's kept for those dark, cold days 648 00:47:55,680 --> 00:47:58,000 when there is actually nothing about. 649 00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:05,400 Another of Turkey's essential dried staples is rice... 650 00:48:07,120 --> 00:48:09,680 ..and pilaf is a favourite national dish. 651 00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:18,800 First, wash the rice three times to remove any excess starch. 652 00:48:21,840 --> 00:48:23,440 Sizzle butter in a pan. 653 00:48:25,640 --> 00:48:27,560 Add four tablespoons of orzo... 654 00:48:29,480 --> 00:48:33,560 ..and 250g of baldo Turkish rice. 655 00:48:33,560 --> 00:48:34,680 Add chicken stock. 656 00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:39,560 Bring to the boil, and then simmer for ten minutes. 657 00:48:40,720 --> 00:48:44,800 My pilaf uses half a kilo of fresh mussels. 658 00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:47,440 Cover the pan and steam for five minutes. 659 00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:54,560 Chop a handful of dill and then add it to the pan. 660 00:48:57,920 --> 00:49:01,000 Fork the rice and serve in a bowl. 661 00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:10,560 The rice base can be home to many fillings, 662 00:49:10,560 --> 00:49:13,960 but my next trip is to try one that is new to me. 663 00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:25,240 So, before I head home, there is one last stop I want to make 664 00:49:25,240 --> 00:49:27,400 on the shores of the Black Sea. 665 00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:35,360 I've come to Hopa, which is a few kilometres from the Georgian border, 666 00:49:35,360 --> 00:49:38,480 because this is the beginning of a very special season. 667 00:49:38,480 --> 00:49:40,680 It's the short season for hamsi, 668 00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:43,960 the tiny little fish that are very, very valued - 669 00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:47,120 and tonight we'll be cooking them and celebrating the season. 670 00:49:50,120 --> 00:49:53,400 The hamsi is a Black Sea anchovy 671 00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:56,760 and is celebrated in Turkey as the prince of fish. 672 00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:00,880 For the Laz community who live here, 673 00:50:00,880 --> 00:50:05,200 a strong culture has grown out of this short but abundant season. 674 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:11,880 It is said that they never run out of ways to cook hamsi, 675 00:50:11,880 --> 00:50:13,720 even including it in a dessert... 676 00:50:15,680 --> 00:50:20,360 ..but, in recent years, commercial fishing trawlers have muscled in, 677 00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:23,440 threatening the livelihoods of these local fishermen. 678 00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:30,760 A fishing boat leaves the harbour in search of its daily catch. 679 00:50:51,880 --> 00:50:55,360 I'm helping Tuna in the kitchen to make hamsi pilaf... 680 00:50:57,400 --> 00:51:00,360 ..the centrepiece of their celebrations for centuries. 681 00:51:02,480 --> 00:51:06,480 The fish used in this dish have been brought from the commercial catch 682 00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:08,080 sold at the local market. 683 00:51:10,320 --> 00:51:12,680 A clear indication of just how much 684 00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:15,360 the local fishing economy has changed. 685 00:51:17,480 --> 00:51:20,960 Covering the whole base of the baking tin 686 00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:24,640 with the little filleted anchovies, and... 687 00:51:24,640 --> 00:51:27,200 Which is quite tricky because they're very slippy. 688 00:51:27,200 --> 00:51:30,360 Other people's kitchens, they are a delight to cook in 689 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:32,800 but they're also ever so slightly scary. 690 00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:34,680 Especially when you're cooking recipes 691 00:51:34,680 --> 00:51:37,920 that they've done all their life, and you're doing for the first time. 692 00:51:43,280 --> 00:51:47,160 The rice is added to the softened onions and coated in oil... 693 00:51:50,160 --> 00:51:52,640 ..and now welcomes the other ingredients - 694 00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:55,280 tomato paste, chilli powder, 695 00:51:55,280 --> 00:51:58,760 dried mint and flour from locally-milled corn. 696 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:10,520 While we prepare the salad to go with it, 697 00:52:10,520 --> 00:52:14,800 Tuna recalls childhood days before the trawlers came. 698 00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:16,040 SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 699 00:52:17,560 --> 00:52:18,840 When we were kids... 700 00:52:20,320 --> 00:52:23,600 ..we used to be able to come down to the shore and collect them 701 00:52:23,600 --> 00:52:25,240 in our T-shirts, you know... 702 00:52:25,240 --> 00:52:28,520 Really? That many? Yeah, catching them in my hand, there were so many, 703 00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:31,640 but not any more. So, where have they gone? 704 00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:41,480 Basically it's because these big ships are now using radar systems 705 00:52:41,480 --> 00:52:45,640 to find where the fish are, so they collect all of them in one go. 706 00:52:45,640 --> 00:52:47,600 It's not that there aren't any fish, 707 00:52:47,600 --> 00:52:50,120 but for us little boats, there's not much left, 708 00:52:50,120 --> 00:52:52,640 so then we get very little left over, you know. 709 00:52:52,640 --> 00:52:53,760 It's luck. 710 00:52:57,280 --> 00:53:00,080 The dish is assembled and ready for the oven. 711 00:53:02,280 --> 00:53:05,440 That smells good. It smells fantastic. 712 00:53:05,440 --> 00:53:09,280 Just smell that dried mint and that little bit of chilli 713 00:53:09,280 --> 00:53:11,680 that is in the rice. 714 00:53:17,360 --> 00:53:18,400 Like that? 715 00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:26,000 And now, just some all-important finishing touches. 716 00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:27,760 Beautiful! 717 00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:30,600 Gorgeous. 718 00:53:32,520 --> 00:53:33,840 No, thank you. 719 00:53:44,400 --> 00:53:46,720 It's evening, and the boat arrives back... 720 00:53:48,200 --> 00:53:49,440 ..empty-handed... 721 00:53:53,320 --> 00:53:56,800 ..but this small detail isn't going to stop the party. 722 00:53:56,800 --> 00:53:58,680 We need two people downstairs. 723 00:54:02,080 --> 00:54:05,200 There's more than a little chaos here. 724 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:09,680 We decided we need an extra table, so it couldn't go down the stairs, 725 00:54:09,680 --> 00:54:11,480 so it came through the window - 726 00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:14,120 but then, for some reason, everything else - 727 00:54:14,120 --> 00:54:17,560 glasses, plates, tablecloth, chairs, 728 00:54:17,560 --> 00:54:19,960 and most of the food - has come out of the window 729 00:54:19,960 --> 00:54:23,240 with us all stretching up and grabbing it best we can. 730 00:54:23,240 --> 00:54:25,840 I'm not quite sure why we didn't just use the stairs. 731 00:54:28,280 --> 00:54:30,240 The feast is laid out, 732 00:54:30,240 --> 00:54:33,560 with its magnificent centrepiece, the hamsi pilaf. 733 00:54:37,520 --> 00:54:39,400 The party has started. 734 00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:45,240 Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. 735 00:54:52,160 --> 00:54:54,040 More rice. 736 00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:57,920 This is the dish. I would love some, thank you. 737 00:54:57,920 --> 00:54:59,720 THE dish. THE dish. 738 00:55:02,280 --> 00:55:03,560 Mmm! 739 00:55:15,480 --> 00:55:17,240 So, this is how the Laz party. 740 00:55:18,840 --> 00:55:22,480 What I really love is the way that as someone else comes to the table, 741 00:55:22,480 --> 00:55:25,280 you just all shove along and shove along - 742 00:55:25,280 --> 00:55:26,360 and you started with six, 743 00:55:26,360 --> 00:55:28,960 and at some point you're going to be sat on each other's laps. 744 00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:31,680 You never say no to a guest. Exactly! 745 00:55:44,640 --> 00:55:48,200 The hamsi were always key to survival in winter months, 746 00:55:48,200 --> 00:55:51,160 and the fishermen try to hasten their arrival 747 00:55:51,160 --> 00:55:54,160 through a special dance called the horon, 748 00:55:54,160 --> 00:55:57,680 said to be inspired by the wriggling fish in the nets. 749 00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:17,680 These traditions, this dance, this language, 750 00:56:17,680 --> 00:56:21,160 is specific to this tiny community - 751 00:56:21,160 --> 00:56:23,960 and I was asking Sibel, who has accompanied me throughout this trip, 752 00:56:23,960 --> 00:56:26,440 why she didn't know the words, and she said, 753 00:56:26,440 --> 00:56:29,280 because this is a language that even she didn't speak. 754 00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:31,360 It's of a tiny little community. 755 00:56:33,640 --> 00:56:36,040 A community that is staying together 756 00:56:36,040 --> 00:56:38,840 and singing together and eating together. 757 00:56:38,840 --> 00:56:42,640 They fish, that's what they do, their lives are about fish. 758 00:56:42,640 --> 00:56:46,000 They are about the coast. This is where they've been for years 759 00:56:46,000 --> 00:56:47,600 and this is where they belong... 760 00:56:49,240 --> 00:56:51,040 ..and they are going to preserve this 761 00:56:51,040 --> 00:56:52,640 for as long as they possibly can. 762 00:56:56,120 --> 00:56:58,720 The apparent depletion of the hamsi stock 763 00:56:58,720 --> 00:57:01,560 lends a bittersweet edge to these celebrations... 764 00:57:03,280 --> 00:57:05,240 ..but the spirit of the people 765 00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:08,280 and the pride in their culture is contagious. 766 00:57:10,520 --> 00:57:12,640 Turkey is immense. 767 00:57:12,640 --> 00:57:14,880 I thought I knew it. 768 00:57:14,880 --> 00:57:17,720 I thought I knew the country and its food. 769 00:57:19,280 --> 00:57:20,960 I couldn't have been more wrong. 770 00:57:23,480 --> 00:57:26,760 This is a mosaic of unique territories, 771 00:57:26,760 --> 00:57:28,280 each with their own heritage. 772 00:57:30,240 --> 00:57:33,200 I started this journey tasting the food of the sultans 773 00:57:33,200 --> 00:57:35,920 with its opulence and its extravagance. 774 00:57:35,920 --> 00:57:38,400 That was a little bit of a red herring, 775 00:57:38,400 --> 00:57:40,840 because the real soul of the food here 776 00:57:40,840 --> 00:57:42,800 is to be found in rural areas. 777 00:57:44,840 --> 00:57:48,360 It's different communities living quite closely 778 00:57:48,360 --> 00:57:50,960 but very, very different. 779 00:57:50,960 --> 00:57:53,840 It's about preserving their traditions, their way of life. 780 00:57:53,840 --> 00:57:55,240 Even their languages. 781 00:57:56,520 --> 00:57:58,680 It's also about preserving your food, 782 00:57:58,680 --> 00:58:02,000 whether it's fish, whether it's dairy produce, 783 00:58:02,000 --> 00:58:04,800 whether it's fruit and vegetables - 784 00:58:04,800 --> 00:58:07,360 but enjoying them when they are here, 785 00:58:07,360 --> 00:58:10,400 and, then, clever ways of keeping them for the winter, 786 00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:13,720 for the dark days when there's very little else. 787 00:58:13,720 --> 00:58:16,880 This is a truly different Turkey from the one I thought I'd see 788 00:58:16,880 --> 00:58:18,560 when I got off that plane.