Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Çeșme ll

Aegean Coast! Where the palm trees meet the pine trees. Alacati (Alachati) is a town on the Aegean coast of Turkey, has become one of the trendiest places to vacation. Its architecture, #vineyards, #windmills, #windsurfing, #kitesurfing, crystal clear water, beach clubs, stone houses, boutique hotels, restaurants with wood tables on the narrow streets, international fishing tournament (Alacati Big  Fish) which is open to all amateur fishermen, 1001 different types of weeds/herbs and Alacati (Alachati) 8th Annual Herb(wild weed) Festival which is held on the 6-9 April this year. I was there!

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Okay, maybe a lot of the world is still waiting for the warm weather, tasting spring mood, the amazingness of the spring flowers and grabbing up only a light jacket to go out..Now, I'm taking you guys with me to the Aegean cost! 
If  you have read my first post about this town Cesme (Cheshme) l you probably know what it's like.  

My son Aria took the photos and we had fun all day long tasting, watching, dancing, taking photos, hanging out on the lovely streets of Alachati. We tasted delicious and gastronomic dishes cooked by creative ladies besides buying fresh herbs and weeds.

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Lavender and Rosemary

Lavender is quite beneficial for health,
helps in convulsion and digestive issues.
Grilled rosemary-lemon chicken breast for dinner tonight. 
Cooking with fresh herbs is always more enjoyable and tasty.

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Bay leaves with the note of benefits for skin, hair and health.

Cooking with the freshly dried bay leaves gives a warm aroma I loved. 

Mastic gum is obtained from the resin of the Mastic tree, 
used in making desserts(ice-cream, jam, cookies) and also medicine.

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Mastic tree

Cesme (Cheshme)Turkey and 
Cios (Greek Island) is 
the souce of  mastic resin.

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Mastic cookies

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Endless varieties of delicious layered pastries 
with herbs, spicies, cheese, meat called 'Borek'

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'Nettle' was the main theme of 
Alachati Weed Festival this year.
Soups, pastries, salads and more.. 

Nettle tea is a great 
health-boosting herb, offers 
numerious benefits
 including kidney problems, 
its ability to stop both 
internal and external bleeding.

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Fresh Artichokes

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Rice pilaf with artichoke and dill

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Zucchini Flower Dolma 

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An amazing food show to taste, prepared in a number of tasty ways
different types of the huge variety of local herbs, weeds like 
Ebegumeci(hibiscus), Karabas otu(lavandula), Turp otu(radish root), 
Sevketi Bostan( a type of thistle), Radika (chicory) and more.

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There was an explosion of ice-cream options in Cheshme. 
Tiramisu ice-cream was extremely delicious!

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Olive varieties..Homemade olive oil in bottles

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Alacati (Alachati)

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Spring flowers

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My handsome photographer :)

Happy Spring!!! 🐦 Happy Easter!!!

28 comments:

  1. What a wonderful festival. All of the food looks amazing.

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    1. It really was! A feast of delicious bites at the Alachati Weed Festival, on the narrow streets of this authentic town .. eating, drinking and hanging out is a fun welcoming to the spring.

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  2. I would have wandered around this place for hours upon hours!!

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    Replies
    1. We were there all afternoon. Time really does fly when you are having fun :-)

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  3. What a delicious feast. I really need to use these spices more for health.

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    Replies
    1. That's right! It was an amazing feast! Herbs and spices makes cooking also more enjoyable besides lots of health benefits.

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  4. Ooooh! What a great experience! Really good food and place also. Amazing!

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    1. Hi Karlyn!
      It was a wonderful spring activity! We had an amazing time with my son!

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  5. Wow! I think I can actually smell the spices in this post! Lavender is my absolute favorite. I'm a sucker for any dessert with lavender in it. This looks like an amazing place!

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    Replies
    1. Can't agree more Alayna! I love lavender too!

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  6. Wow scrumptious food! Would love to try these healthy spices in my food.

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    1. Hi Sarah! Herbs&Spices add more flavor and benefits to food! Happy cooking!

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  7. It looks like an amazing time! So much delicious looking food (especially the pastries). I would love to go there someday.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Coralie!
      Hope you do one day! We had a fun and tasty day :)

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  8. Looks like you experienced some incredible things. I love going to events like this. I get to experience things I do not ordinarily get to.

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    1. That was an good experience and we had great memories besides tasting different healthy dishes.

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  9. I love this! It's always nice to go to festivals that are about food and produce. It's tough not to have a great time in a place like this!

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    1. Hi Elizabeth!
      That's true! The food is reason enough to make a trip to this place and also more to see in this town.

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  10. It looks super tasty, I would suggest going to Barcelona, food there is super unique and it looks amazing ;)
    Which one from all of this did you like the best?

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    1. I'm not a vegeterian but I love veggies so it is hard to choose a favorite but i think zucchuni flower dolma was the best.
      As a food lover I'm sure I would love Barcelona food as much as Turkish food and would love to taste 'suquet de peix' with a glass of Catalan wine.

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  11. Love how food isn't just about eating, it's an event, an activity, and reminds me of my days spent in Hong Kong & Singapore.

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    1. That's true, Tina! . It also provides connection points for people to get to know each other.

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  12. This looks like a super cool festival. I love to visit festivals and see what all the locals bring out.

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    1. Can't agree more, Michelle! Visiting a festival is a good way to experience another culture in-depth while traveling.

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  13. OOOOH! I really love to go to markets and snack along.. Im going every 3rd day here in Quito...

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    Replies
    1. Wow, Ecuador!!The first thing comes to my mind is cocoa trees, good quality chocolate.. I'd love to visit Quito one day and taste Llapingachos in Quito's restaurants.

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  14. I don't know about all that other stuff. Those cookies have my name on them though.

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I' m loving to read your comments:)

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