turkish life

Creating the Ramadan Spirit : Attending a Mass Iftaar

As part of my quest to foster a stronger “Ramadan feel”, as especially where I live in the modern side of Istanbul I have found it somewhat absent, we attended a local mass iftaar.

The setup is that many of the local municipalities host these “mass iftaars” in the cami (musjid) courtyards, free of charge for the public. It is especially arranged for those who will not make it home in time for iftaar or are travelling, but anyone is welcome. I was really keen to attend one such event to understand a bit more of Turkish culture, and to join other Muslims in opening our fast together, a special time for everyone who is fasting.



Our local cami in Etiler has the tables set up daily and so one evening we bundled up the baby and hopped on a bus, just two stops away about half hour before Maghrib prayers. There was plenty of space available when we got there, so we seated ourselves, and then joined the long queues of people who were getting ready to collect their iftaar platters, and to settle down before the adhan (call to prayer) goes off, signalling the end of the fast – and giving us all permission to tuck in!

Part of the reason for wanting to attend one of these mass iftaars was that I knew due to language especially,  I would stand out as being different – and perhaps feel a bit uncomfortable and isolated. It made me realise that this is how it could be back home for others at public events where I am in my comfort zone – with familiar people that look like me, and speak the same language as me. I started questioning myself : 

How inviting am I to people that look or sound different? Or do I stick with my own friends and ignore others around me? Do I welcome new people to join me, and ask them questions to learn more about them? 

I was ashamed to realise that indeed I was not always aware or open to talking to new people or inviting them to join me. I possibly tended to keep with my own company, disregarding people who might be new to the event – and indeed new to Islam. How incredibly selfish of me! So for this reason, I wanted to be the “outsider” for once, to experience what it may feel like to be perhaps a bit isolated and not spoken to, in the hopes that this would inspire me to be more conscious of others at the next open event.

Attending the iftaar  that day were lots of families, children happily meeting their friends and queuing up to collect their iftaar platters by themselves – I can see this being an exciting outing for all, and only in Ramadan which probably made it extra special to wait for once a year.

 The iftaar platter we received was a neatly served up plate with mercimek (lentil soup), chicken, rice , fresh salad and also a sweet to finish. A really cute little presentation. On the table were dates and also bread and water to complete the meal. We took some homemade traditional South African Indian “sweetcorn bhajias” (deep fried fritter type savoury snacks) and left two servings on nearby ables to share with people seated there. I hope they liked it – I deliberately made it less spicy to cater for the unaccustomed Turkish tongue! 


It was a lovely evening, cool after a hot day and our little toddler enjoyed walking around the courtyard while we listened to some Quraanic recitation being played from the musjid, and then when it was time, we heard the adhan and began eating.  The food was decent- not the most incredible but that wasn’t what I was there for. Prior to iftaar my husband (who had attended these before), warned me that the portions weren’t huge, and he may need to supplement his iftaar with more afterwards at home, so I was prepared. However after having my portion of soup in addition to his platter, he was well satiated Alhamdulillah and so was I. There is always barakah in sharing iftaar, I just love this about Ramadan.

Our only social interactions that evening consisted of  a)  friendly gentlemen who was talking to my little girl and offered her some bread to occupy her when she was getting restless after being seated in her stroller for too long and b) a lady nearby who offered us hot pide to go with our soup (I was delighted to be noticed let alone anything else!) I was amazed how after living for one and half years in Etiler, I didn’t– recognise a single face- where were all these people coming from?!



The jamaah (congregation) for Maghrib prayers is weird – thats the only way I can describe it! because there isn’t really one large jamaah as you have at other salaahs. Instead, people complete their entire iftaar/supper and then go to pray Maghrib salaah inside the musjid. This means that you could join a small jamaah for Maghrib if you are lucky – or like us, just pray by yourself. This has consistently been the case in several musjids either my husband or I have been to. See, weird right?!

I really enjoyed my first mass iftaar in Istanbul. It reminded me of simple days growing up when we went to mass “meelads”- gatherings to remember the Messenger Muhammad (may peace be upon him). At age 6 or 7, I remember though being bored listening to  the speakers give talks or recite songs, as we eagerly awaited lunch – delicious dhall (lentils) and rice which was served to us in huge plastic bowls that we had to dish out by ourselves. These plated iftaars in Istanbul, some twenty years later were really neat and sophisticated-  it made me smile to think about the comparison! 🙂

I was really grateful for the opportunity to partake in the local community get together, and although not explicitly welcomed- welcomed none the less 🙂

Injecting the Ramadan spirit, one instance at a time.
MuslimahbyDesign

First impressions of Ramadan in Istanbul

I am living in Istanbul for the past 1.5 years, yet this is my first experience of Ramadan as I was away for the last two instances. Leading up to the month, I was quite excited to finally have a taste (no pun intended!) of what this special month would be like in the third country that I have lived in over the past few years.

About two-thirds in, and so far I cant help but feel sadly disappointed. I had high expectations given the prevalent ‘Muslim’ culture and rich Islamic history that surrounds you here and I felt that I would instantly feel the ‘Ramadan vibe’ so to speak. But it turns out, its not that simple. Yes, there are more camis (mosques) here than tube stops in London, and the adhan is heard loudly and openly almost anywhere that you are. But there is also a very strong secular side to this country, especially where we happen to be living – European side in Besiktas. Here not everyone is a practicing Muslim, participating in fasting and observing the month in a ‘religious’ kind of way. And so restaurants and cafes are not only open, but at times brimming with people enjoying a Summer lunch or family dinner. It has admittedly been a bit of a strange sight for me – and disappointing. But it is the way things are here, and it takes adjusting to and a level of understanding.

In addition, the language barrier has meant that we cannot actively participate in the community events or strike up a conversation easily in the store with anyone about how their Ramadan was going. It can be a bit isolating and also whilst I’m sure many Turks are going about with the fasts and ramadan in their own homes and lives, we haven’t been able to tap into that as much.

So I have been in search of activities that would help me to feel the ‘Ramadan spirit’. As my husband has made two Ramadans here, he suggested we visit  the more ‘traditional’ , even touristy areas such as Sultanahmet, Fatih etc to capture the fasting buzz and atmosphere.

So last weekend we visited Ortokoy – a suburb in Istanbul near the Bosphorus where we hung out near the water for a bit and saw the mass iftaar being set up. So a really nice initiative by the local council here is to set up these mass iftaars at certain mosques all over Istanbul to provide food for people, especially those who are commuting and may not make it home in time to open their fast. Some events have entertainment afterwards such as traditional Turkish music for the whole family to enjoy.

This time however, we opted to have our iftaar at Destan – a restaurant in Ortokoy overlooking the Bosphorus. It was one of the many places that offer an “Iftaar menu”- a set meal compromising of dates and nuts to start, soup and a main dish of maybe grilled kofte or chicken. Although we ordered off the menu instead, we were still presented with the date plate to open our fast with, which I was thrilled with!

We opened our fast with the sounding of the booming adhan from the Ortokoy camii right next door and my husband went off to pray Maghrib, while I sat with our baby at the restaurant, and I prayed right there when he returned (just practically made sense). He found the Maghrib prayers to be a bit strange in that there was no jamaah (prayer in congregation), as most people were eating iftaar outside so unless he missed it – or it was coming later, he wasn’t sure what to make of it!

Anyway, we then ate our meal and afterwards took a leisurely walk through the streets browsing at the shops and little market stalls. Our discovery of the week happened to be a  new ‘Karak chai’ cafe that sold our favourite Middle Eastern warm drink – milky hot tea with spices!

It was lovely to be surrounded by others observing the fasting month, and opening our fast in an alternative setting. Stay tuned for my next initiative to create an awesome Ramadan vibe in these parts!

Injecting the Ramadan spirit, one instance at a time.
MuslimahbyDesign

Turkish Tales: Exploring Eyup

We have a busy year ahead of us this year, especially in the Summer and beyond, and so we decided to maximise the time we have available now and bang through our Istanbul Bucket List each weekend!

With the weather being not as warm and sunny as expected for this time of the year (back in March), we decided to do a more “inland” activity for that weekend, and something we could still enjoy with not much more than a light jacket and closed shoes.

So we psyched ourselves up for a what we expected to be an active day out, both given the distance (about 20 kms from home – about 45-60 minute journey with any given transport), packed up our bags and baby’s food and snacks and headed off to the Golden Horn neighbourhood of Eyup.

Why Eyup? This place holds  high historical significance for us as Muslims where one of the close companions of the  Messenger of Allah Muhammad (may peace be upon him), with the name Abu Ayub Ansari is buried. With a fascinating story of his special relationship with the Prophet (may peace be upon him) and how this companion got to be in present day Istanbul, I was quite interested in visiting the Eyup Sultan Camii (Mosque) and the Tomb, and experiencing the special atmosphere that this place boasts and which people often talk about.

We decided to take the bus and metro going there from Etiler as it would be much less expensive, and knowing how tired we would be after a full day out , we saved the Uber ride for the way back. We reached Eyup in about 1.5 hours so by 2pm, given a few bus waits and switching modes of transport.

We started our exploring with a pitstop for some local Turkish snacks – which I for some reason expected to be more authentic and tasty, given Eyup is a more traditional area. I can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed my pide, or my husbands doner wrap from the local stores just opposite the musjid- but it sufficed to keep us going for the next stop!

It was just after the midday prayer  (Zuhr salaah) so we headed straight for the Eyup Sultan Camii

Inside Eyup Camii

(mosque) to pray. There are mats also laid outside as the crowds can get quite large, especially on Fridays. The mosque was quite busy, even for a Sunday but I managed to get a place to pray peacefully and afterwards I popped into the main part of the Camii where they were having a zikr (a programme to remember Allah and pray together). After this, I followed the large entourage of people into the grave Abu Ayub Ansari, to say a prayer for him and remind myself of his incredible character, and to be inspired by his generosity. Inside that area is also a few amazing relics related to the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) such as his foot print and a beard hair. It was a fascinating and rewarding experience. There is a steady stream of people seemingly all day doing their visits to the grave, include bridal couples which I guess feel it to be spiritual and a blessing to visit on their special day.

Eyup Mosque complex

Thereafter we decided to stroll around the mosque complex, view the beautiful fountain and take a few mandatory pictures. I felt that if we lived closer it would be a lovely place to chill out in the afternoons or at weekends – there’s a pleasant vibe with families milling around and stores bustling. 
I was very attracted to the various food stalls especially the ice cream stalls – and at that point I decided to give Turkish dondurma (ice-cream) a second chance. I haven’t really enjoyed it before but I also learnt that not all Turkish food is created equally! I opted for chocolate and bubblegum ice-cream  (he called it Italian Caramel flavour but I knew better!) with a dip in chocolate sauce, and it looked really good! I didn’t however get a little trick show that they commonly do to amuse usually tourists when they hand you the ice cream. This experience of Turkish ice cream, which has a slightly “chewy” kind of texture, due to mastic that is added to it was actually “not bad”! The flavour was distinct and the cone fresh and crisp and so I’m now open to trying other flavours of Turkish ice cream and not just opting for my favorite type of ice cream -gelato all the time. When in Turkey, right?!

Turkish Ice cream (dondurma)

We made our way through the various streets just outside the mosque where they were selling abayas (islamic wear), modest tops and clothes, hijabs, and other islamic goods. You can also get Turkish delight, gifts and other local goods and it makes for a lovely walk. I bought two Turkish abayas, at keen prices which I was well pleased with. I even came across a local cake sale – how exciting! Apparently they were raising money for Africa (at least that’s what I understood in my broken Turkish), but it was all homemade goodies so I stocked up on some savoury and lemon and marble cake. I got to try “dolma” – rice-stuffed peppers which were quite tasty.

Outside the Eyup mosque, in the courtyard

After about a half hour of walking, and by late afternoon, we found ourselves a little further out from the town centre, but still on track towards making our way to our next stop – Pierre Loti Tepesi. Our leisurely walk quickly turned into a not so leisurely hill climb- and and even less leisurely steep stair climb up to this famous spot. But it was that or backtrack for a 20 minute walk and wait for the Teleferic (cable car) which was a less appealing option! We finally made it to the top of the summit and we were at Pierre Loti – tired and ready for some food! There are about four different restaurants/cafes, including a hotel if you fancy. It is a good idea to simple head to any one of your choice rather than meandering around the streets, like we did and getting lost in a residential area of some sort. We decided to eat at Aziyade cafe, which had a more extensive menu than Teras Cafe which admittdley though seemed to have a better, wider view of the Bosphorus below. From our table at Aziyade though, we could see the beautiful water and far in the distance Galata Tower. We had gozleme made fresh by some Turkish women, a chicken wrap and kofte which were good. When we were done we walked over to the viewing platform for some lovely pictures and to try to take the cable car down. I read plenty reviews on Tripadvisor which recommended not waiting for what could be over an hour long wait in the queue as the ride isn’t that special in itself, and so we compiled and took an Uber ride home instead, which was worth it for convenience and time (cost 70 TL).  There were taxis coming up to the top, which is good to know for next time if need be.

I liked my day out in Eyup, made up of some history, spirituality and relaxation. Based on our timings for the day, I can now share this recommendation for others.

Suggested Itinerary for a Day Out in Eyup:

Camii visit and prayer                      20-30 mins
Grave visit                                        15 mins
Stroll around stores                           1 hour
Walk/commute to Pierre Loti            20 mins
Visit at Pierre Loti  (photos, meal, chill) 1-1.5 hours

We left at 12pm, and returned home by 7pm with enough time to appreciate each point of interest along the way.

Exploring Istanbul, one enjoyable outing at a time,
MbyD

Similarities, Smiles and Simplicity

Merhaba!

I took great delight in attending my first Turkish wedding, now a few months ago.

My husband shared with me an invite from his Turkish colleague and friend from work, someone I hadn’t met before, but heard about. I was mostly just intrigued in experiencing  a wedding from a different culture so it was a quick decision to agree to attend. (I  did however later realise that I needed to correct my intention of attending -as an act of accepting an invite from a Muslim brother!)

The journey to Uskudar, on the Asian side, the location for the wedding at a restaurant near the waters edge,was shaping up to becoming an adventure in and of itself too, when we were planning to hop on a ferry across the Bospherous to enjoy some fresh air and views. But the heat that day defied us that option, as it also meant a 20 minute bus ride in wedding attire, carrying a sleeping baby, stroller and bags. We took a peaceful 30 min air-con car ride with our friends instead!

Not sure what I expected when we arrived at the venue, but I was (pleasantly) surprised to see that the men and women were seated seperately; men outside under umbrellas and the ladies in the hall ( later we learnt we may have had the better deal as we had airconditioners on keeping us cool and relaxed!). Another of my husband’s workmate who was in charge of seating everyone, was considerate in placing us with a female co-worker from the company too who spoke both Turkish and English. I didn’t realise the importance of this actually, as though I had company of my friends, it would have been rather isolating and a loss really, if we just sat with familiar faces only. Instead, in the sea of Turkish-speaking people where we knew no one- and where all the chatter around us was of course foreign and unfathomable, we had an oasis of company with the bilingual co-worker we just met and befriended (literally and later Facebook wise too!)

Similarities
We got to chat about Turkish wedding traditions and that’s where I learnt about what was alike in our cultures – such as ladies only henna nights, wearing the colour red for certain functions, exchanging gifts at engagement, celebrating with family.

Smiles
I greeted the grooms mother with salaam, some very broken Turkish and big smiles and handshakes – it was enough for us to communicate and feel welcome – smiles here go a long way when you don’t have a common language and that’s all you can offer!

Simplicity
I found the simplicity of the wedding remarkable. No centre pieces or fancy decor, yet everything still looked elegant. We were given little cups of water and there were juices on the table. We were given each a little bowl of fresh salad, and at lunch time served an individual plated meal of chicken with rice. To finish, we had a piece of chocolate cake with nuts and cream. I do like fancy food so I would have enjoyed maybe a few more sides- yet with this I felt satiated, and not stuffed. It was just enough, and I was wondering how at weddings back home we over indulge with several courses and heaped plates of dessert – yet somehow still manage to complain about the taste of the food or menu choice- just never satisfied!

Plated chicken and rice with bowls of fresh salad



Chatting with my friends, we marvelled at how the whole affair though steeped in tradition, was still relaxed and easy going . We found that back home in South Africa we tend to make things too formal – which can sometimes risk being stuffy and pressurising.

A few interesting Turkish traditions at the wedding was first how the bride went around to greet each table, so it was lovely to meet her and see her beautiful white dress up close. She wore a beaded off white dress with a thin coat over. Her head was covered in hijab and a gorgeous veil-scarf draped over giving an elegant look. She wore very little make up but Masha Allah didn’t need it nor did we miss it as her natural beauty sufficed.

Beautiful Turkish wedding setting


Before the wedding I quickly checked in with a Turkish friend what the dressing code was for day time weddings so I could sense check my outfit – and she was right. Most women were dressed in smart outfits, like semi formal dresses or light jacket and trouser style. Only the immediate family were wearing more posh dresses with beadwork and you could see easily spot them from the crowd.

After lunch, the bride wore a red sash and everyone comes up to present gifts- cash or gold only, which they pinned onto the sash. This guarantees no unwanted house gifts like three kettles or photo frames- lucky them!

Outside by the men, there was qiraat being read, and later some traditional Turkish music for entertainment. There were beautiful views of the bospherous and European shoreline which made for a stunning backdrop for photos, of which there were plenty. An official photographer is on stand by taking pictures and you are welcome to pay for your own copy right there and then which is rather handy.

I am advised that whilst there are common traditions across the board, individual Turkish weddings do differ, so I would love to attend another wedding or celebration again!

Experiencing Turkey, one special occasion at a time,
MbyD


Salted caramel Heaven

My latest favourite flavour is salted caramel- but served with chocolate (in the form of cake, dark chocolate, dessert).  I love how the sweetness from the caramel is cut by the sprinkle of salt- and it’s even better if there are little granules of salt dancing around on your tongue in the end – a real treat of flavours for me!

However I find that not many places that sell this yummy delicacy  get the balance just right – it’s sometimes too sweet and lacking the essential saltiness that is promised. It ain’t salted caramel if it ain’t got salt! I am always on the hunt for *real* salted caramel and so when I came across this recipe online I instantly decided to try it. It was not one of those that you make a mental note of trying “one day”. I kept an open tab opened in my browser (a sure way to motivate me to take action – open tabs mean open actions and I love getting things done so this was a good approach!)

Anyway, the recipe was fairly easy, the only real tricky bit being the salted caramel sauce – which can easily sieze up or burn or stick! But fortunately this turned out great and so the baking was a success. The taste even better!

  Dark Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cookies

I used rock salt (with large granules as I wanted to feel the crunch when you bite into a cookie) but what I learn though is that fairly quickly, the salt dissolves and though the caramel does soak it up (and is not as sickly sweet), you do miss the crunchy salt that is promised! So I quickly fixed it by sprinkling more rock salt over before serving. Salted caramel is saved. But I do understand now what happens when you buy salted caramel goodies from a store- it’s natural that the salt is absorbed and it’s not always so easy to fix, so they are forgiven!

Meanwhile I am in salted caramel heaven as I tried other recipes with my salted caramel sauce. I  gave a traditional Turkish dessert – sutlac (rice pudding) a facelift with my delicious sauce. Stay tuned for more!

Baking like a hero,
M4Life

Turkish tales: Exploring Cengelkoy in Istanbul

Salaams

We like to structure our weekends with one day of rest/chores/catch up, and the other day for adventure! This usually involves exploring an undiscovered area, trying out new food or just doing something different. This weekend, we woke up to a sunny sky, albeit with a slight chill in the air and decided to head out to Cengelkoy, a neighbourhood in Uskudar, across the bridge on the Asian side.

This place is best known for “Cikolata Kahve” – a chocolate boutique store specialising in exceptional chocolate. So this made our first stop for a “snack” , since we had already had a big breakfast at home. Inside, it was quaint and cosy, friendly staff and quite busy, which I kind of expected for such a popular place.

There are no menus, because really there are only 3 items on their menu to drink – Cay (Turkish tea), hot chocolate and Turkish coffee/hot chocolate. Besides this, you can order chocolates from their attractive display made up of dark, milk, white, nutty, fruit flavoured,  caramel filled, praline filled…..beautiful and decadent looking!

We ordered the hot chocolate and Turkish coffee/hot chocolate combo. It arrived rather quickly, which I suppose is because they are churning out heaps of this for the steady stream of customers! I usually ditch the cream, but I thought on this occasion it made sense to complete the full experience of this special menu item, and that was a good idea! I could taste the rich milk chocolate that the hot drink was made from – and I know thats what sets really good hot chocolate apart from anything else. Scrumptious.

Divine hot chocolate

A walk upstairs led me to an even more marvelous find (yes, more marvelous than the chocolate downstairs!), which was one floor dedicated to convenient facilities for women – bathroom, prayer room together with a beautifully decorated area for wudhu (ablution). Turns out, men were expected to use the nearby masjid for prayer, but luckily for us ladies, we had it all laid out here- another reason to stop by this lovely store again! I never find comfortable prayer facilities underrated. It makes praying on the go so much more pleasurable especially if you are busy and far from home. Coming from living in more Western countries, I have had some horrendous experiences so I really appreciated this nice touch. In fact, I might write another post on all the awesome prayer facilities in Istanbul.

praying in style
ablution in style

Also at the store, there is also a splendid terrace right on the top to relax outdoors with spectacular views of the bosphorus and bridge when the weather is good. After selecting some chocolates to take away and as gifts (boxes range from 30-60 TL, pay per weight), we walked around the main street in Cengelkoy. There are lots of restaurants with unique settings- either located on the shore of the bosphorus or others that have amazing views from higher up. There are cafes selling waffles, turkish snacks, cake shops and coffee shops all dotted along the main road. I made a mental note for next time- Some places to eat did not come up in my previous research yet they looked really good and I would like to try, Some names include Bosphorus View, Sutis, Deniz Yildizi, Villa Bosphorus. Yes, although Cengelkoy is small, there are lots of interesting restaurants to visit more than once, if not just the chocolate shop!

Beautiful bosphorus views of Europe and Asia

We had lunch at Kahve Rengi, a delightful cafe/restaurant with an exciting menu. The food was tasty, with generous portions and with great service- all novel for me in most of my Istanbul experience so far! They had  a baby chair which was convenient. The strawberry milkshake that my husband ordered tasted like it had real strawberries in it which was very welcome too.

Tikka masala

After another short walk around, and we spotted a cafe called “Kunefe Caddesi”. A shop whose name is Kunefe is very promising, and more so when I saw they also made “katmer” – a flaky pastry based turkish dessert that I recently discovered fell in love with. We ordered one of each, served with kaymak (cream) and ice cream. It was delicious, quite sweet though but enjoyable.

Katmer- my new favourite Turkish dessert

As the sky turned to light rain, we headed back after a pleasurable day out in Cengelkoy, Alhamdulillah, a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Istanbul.

Adventuring in Istanbul, one pretty place at a time
M4Life