All these products are what we get from the Turkish supermarket
From flat manoushe bread and za’atar to sticky, intensely sweet baklava: the Turkish supermarket—oh, how we love it!—is packed with surprises. And that means only one thing: stocking up big-time. When you take the trouble to step inside that slightly messy-looking mini supermarket, be sure to take these (whether Turkish or not) things home with you.
Turkish and flatbreads
Turkish bread: we absolutely love it. This round, flat bread has a mild flavor and is wonderfully airy. But manoushe, Lebanese flatbread, is also a favorite of ours. From potatoes and soup to rice with meat: you can eat it with anything. You can also drizzle it with plenty of olive oil, coarse salt and za’atar, then bake it briefly in the oven. Za’atar? Yes, it’s a spice blend of wild oregano, sesame seeds and dried berries from the Middle East. In any case: once it comes out of the oven, a crisp, freshly baked manoushe is perfect with homemade hummus or a dip made with yogurt, garlic and finely chopped cucumber. And at most Turkish supermarkets, you can also buy fantastic Turkish pizza, gözleme and pide.
Baklava
You’ll find colorful, sticky filo pastry filled with all kinds of nuts and drenched in sugar syrup ready-made at the Turkish supermarket. Consider yourself warned: Turkish baklava is above all incredibly sweet. Give it a try. If you find it too sweet, next time make a less sweet Syrian or Iraqi baklava yourself. We also often go for knafeh: a version with pistachios, soft, sweet white cheese and kadaif (finely shredded filo pastry), drizzled with plenty of sugar syrup. You can, indeed, gather the ingredients from the Turkish supermarket.
Tahini
Tahini, sesame paste, is the basis for virtually every homemade hummus. If you look hard enough, you may occasionally find it in a regular supermarket, but at the Turkish supermarket you’ll find countless different varieties. You can use the paste not only in dips, but also to marinate meat and jazz up your dressing. Also make roasted carrots with tahini—delicious!
Herbs
Since you’re already at the fresh produce section, take a few bunches of herbs home with you too. Mint, cilantro, parsley—we’ll never go to the regular supermarket for our herbs again. You’d rather pay €0.50 for a huge bunch than three times as much for two little sprigs, right? Then head into the kitchen at home! Make bulgur, freekeh or couscous. Or how about Çiğ köfte: the vegan version of köfte!
Halloumi
A Cypriot cheese made from a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk that you absolutely have to take home at least once. Why? This salty dream cheese can be fried and grilled without melting. Use it in this dish with lamb sausages and tomato sauce. See, this is perfect to eat with manoushe.
Feta
If you love cheese, do yourself a favor and from now on get your feta only from the Turkish supermarket. You can often choose from several varieties, and the flavor and texture are genuinely a hundred times better than those cubes of white cheese from the regular supermarket. Pick up some mint and watermelon while you’re there, and nothing stands in your way of making a delicious watermelon, feta and mint salad!
Meat
The good news: most Turkish supermarkets have an amazing selection of lamb. Marinate it and make souvlaki, or make a skewer for the barbecue with ground lamb. Also look for pastýrma: salted and then dried beef with a coating of spices. In most supermarkets, you’ll find the prepackaged version, but if there’s a butcher in the store, the meat may also be available fresh in the display case. The butcher will slice it into paper-thin pieces for you. And of course, with meat from the Turkish butcher, you can make the tastiest lamb köfte with mint!
Olives
In the Middle East, black olives are eaten for breakfast or lunch, and green ones only in the evening. We simply eat them as a snack and choose from dozens of different varieties at the Turkish supermarket. Whatever you point to, it’s always good. And even better, they’re not those drain-cleaner olives you buy at the supermarket.
Read also:
- Bastilla: the perfect balance between sweet and savory
- Q&A with Mounir Toub: ‘bastilla is now my signature dish’
- Baghrir: better than pancakes and crêpes
