From Glasgow we headed west, first by train to Gourock, then by ferry to Dunoon the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the Argyll region.
Walking along the shore in search of the Selborne Hotel, where we would stay for the night, we sighted the Victorian pier, a colorful 125-year old structure for which Dunoon is famous. And there, above the pier on top of a small hill we could see the remains of the Dunoon Castle, once an important stronghold said to date from the 11th century. Also on the hill, on a tall pedestal, stood the statue of a young woman, unveiled in 1896 on the centenary of Robert Burn’s death, and featuring Highland Mary with whom the poet had a short fling.
We found the hotel, and got a lovely room overlooking the River Clyde.
Photo by Bo Zaunders
Ready for a good Scottish lunch the next day we chose Lorne, a place on the main drag claiming to possess Dunoon’s finest bar and kitchen. It proved to be an excellent choice. The staff greeted us as if we were old friends and when I asked about their specials and something representative of the region it was suggested I try their haggis with baked potato, salad, and whisky sauce.
Why not? Even though I remembered haggis as being high on the list in the “Disgusting Food Museum” in Malmö, Sweden, I decided to give it a go.
And, as if to confirm that we were back in jolly old Scotland, why not indulge in a glass of single malt? The waitress, hearing that I was curious to try something exceptional, immediately brought me an armful of bottles to pick from.
I picked Jura. Not a bad choice, just a small sip and you felt wonderfully filled-up and satisfied. In that respect it reminded me of Drambuie, the whisky liqueur from the Isle of Skye.
Photo by Bo Zaunders
As Roxie, my wife, enjoyed an Argyll Smoked Salmon Pate, I dug into my haggis. Exceeding all my expectations, it was much enhanced by the whisky sauce, which proved absolutely delicious.
At 2PM we took a bus to the village of Tighnabruaich, where a self-catering flat awaited us.
In the streets of Dunoon, practically everyone we saw had greeted us with nods, smiles and hellos, and on the bus we soon chatted with John, a fellow passenger. At one point the driver stopped the bus just so that we could snap a picture or two.
Tighnabruaich – I still struggle with the pronunciation of it – has been called a hidden gem, a pretty little village sitting on the shore across from the Isle of Bute, and very much part of what has been called the secret coast of Scotland
Photo by Bo Zaunders
Up an exterior, then an interior staircase and we were in the flat that would become our home for the next seven days. It was quite roomy with an impressive row of seven large windows overlooking the beautiful Kyles of Bute. Conveniently, a small grocery store was on the main street, just three doors away. A quick jaunt, and we were all set for a simple dinner.
As time went by, we would make daytrips to Rothesay, the principal town on the Isle of Bute, and Talbert, a large, picturesque fishing village accessible by a ferry crossing Loch Fyne to the west.
Incidentally, before leaving for Scotland, Roxie had followed the 10-day weather forecast and become increasingly alarmed. By the time we left, rain was predicted throughout our entire stay. Fortunately, this turned out to be far from the case. On our arrival the sun shone, and continued to do so for much of the time. Expressing our surprise at such an unreliable weather forecast, we were met with amusement, even laughter. How could one be so silly as to believe in weather predictions in Scotland?
Photo by Bo Zaunders
In Tighnabruaich we soon discovered a couple of nice places for drinks as well as food. The bar and restaurant of the Tighnabruaich Hotel, across the street from us, was one them. I recall our dinner there, Roxie enjoying scampi with lots of green peas and I a succulent battered halibut. We also visited the Kames and the Royal, two other hotels with bars and restaurants.
Photo by Bo Zaunders
As mentioned, the weather was well beyond our expectations. Still, this was at the beginning of May and not overly warm. So, on a couple of occasions, Roxie would build a fire in our wood burning fireplace, and relax with a book on the couch next to it.
Walking around in the neighborhood, often on single-tracked roads lined with yellow gorse, we were struck by the quietude of it all. Discounting an occasional car, speeding as fast as the road would allow, nothing could be heard except the twitter of birds and, now and then, the babble of a brook.
Photo by Bo Zaunders
By contrast, a couple of times, as we entered a bar, we met with the penetrating sound of dogs barking. Dogs were a common sight in every pub, but more often than not they rested quietly next to the feet of their owners.
Photo by Bo Zaunders
Our visit to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute brought a wealth of history. Apparently it has been inhabited since the beginning of the Mesolithic era, about 10,000 years ago.
At the Isle of Bute Discovery Centre and then at the Bute Museum, we traced its history, inspecting such things as Stone Age tools, the reconstructed face of a young Bronze Age woman whose skull had been found in 1600s, and a Viking sword. Much of Bute’s history centers on the Rothesay Castle.
Surrounded by a moat and sitting on a hill above the Bay of Rothesday, it is one of the earliest stone castles in Scotland, and has experienced dramatic sieges and the rise and fall of kingdoms. Once a wooden Norse fortress, it was turned into a Scottish stone keep; English ownership followed after which it became a royal Scottish possession. Somewhat to our disappointment, it was not open to visitors at the time we were there.
Before returning to Tighnabruaich we took a walk along the shore, noticing its many large beautiful houses, many of which, we were told, dated back to Victorian days, when Bute became a popular summer resort.
Photo by Bo Zaunders
A popular sailing destination, this region is also famous for its fishing. In the village Tarbert, on our second day trip via ferry, this became abundantly clear. The entire village is built in horseshoe shape around what must be one of the most charming fishing harbors I’ve ever seen.
Photo by Bo Zaunders
What better finish to our trip than dinner at a restaurant featuring some of the best food from Scotland? We found it in Ardamurchan in Glasgow the night before we left to go home, a restaurant/bar priding itself on sourcing the freshest most sustainable produce Scotland has to offer.
Photo by Bo Zaunders
As a starter, I chose Cullen Skink, a famous Scottish soup, made from milk, potatoes, leeks, onions, and smoked haddock, the last of which gave it a lovely smoked flavor. In all its simplicity, it was a soup made to perfection.
Roxie was already enjoying a Braised Wild Venison Stew, when I decided on another house specialty: Hand Dived Barra Scallops. Fortified by caramelized onion and truffle pate, bacon and crispy leek, the scallops proved extraordinarily rich and full-flavored. A gratifying visit. With an after dinner drink we toasted Scotland, and its secret coast.
This time I’m in Athens, our Managing Editor’s city of origin, and my Greek is limited to “kalimera” (Good Morning) which for the first few days I mistakenly pronounce “kalamari” (Squid) – hence the hotel receptionist’s confusion at calling for squid in those mornings as soon as I saw her at the front desk!
It was just a stop-over to see the Acropolis museum that was opened a number of years ago, but I did not have a chance to visit until now. Then I was off to Rhodes.
Old-money Athens still clings to the Continental cuisine or Oriental (i.e. Turkish) style of cooking though, as my associates tell me, the younger generation now prefers Asian.
Photo by Nick A. Ross
Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants are proliferating, though most of the top establishments catering to the old-money still have French, Continental or Greek/Mediterranean kitchens.
Photo by Nick A. Ross
Haute cuisine à la Greque is practiced at Spondi (an ancient Greek word that means libation), the single-star Michelin rated restaurant located in the Pangrati area behind the Olympic Stadium. Tucked between two apartment buildings, this restaurant takes care of the culinary needs of upper-class Athenians and visitors in the know, with excellent service, brilliantly prepared food and wines that I would call “nectar of the Greek Gods”.
Photo by Nick A. Ross
And if you don’t mind quirky settings, a former warehouse in Piraeus houses Varoulko, a restaurant that — though on the pricey side — has acquired through time a very loyal clientele. The room setting is minimalist but the kitchen really knows its way to brilliance with fish and seafood. The wine list showcases some of the newer viticultural offerings from Greek artisanal vintners as well as offering the products of larger, more established wine houses.
A street in Rhodes, Greece. Photo by Manos Angelakis
My stay in Athens was only for a couple days as I had planned an eating visit to Rhodes to try some of the better restaurants on the island as well an exploration of the medieval town where the fortified buildings of the Knights Templar still stand as a testament to the engineering skills of those Crusaders!
But my main focus was the food…
Photo by Nick A. Ross
You’ll want to try all the dishes at Carne, an upscale steakhouse in Rhodes. The waiters were fluent in English and explained dishes we were not familiar with. It is called a “steakhouse” but it is much more than that.
Photo by Nick A. Ross
We loved the zucchini fritters as one of the appetizers; the eggplant salad — you could smell the eggplant as if it was just roasted and the charcoal grilled Halloumi slices were heavenly.
Photo by Nick A. Ross
Another restaurant we tried, Noble Gourmet, is the island’s most lauded restaurant. Many of the dishes in Rhodes get their flavor profile from past conquerors that brought exotic spices and interesting tastes to the isle but in this case the dishes were nuvelle cuisne at its best. A team of talented chefs works behind a glass wall while a pianist plays “classics” in the dining room. Waves break against the shore just beyond the restaurant’s location at the top floor of the Elysium Resort & Spa. On the pricy side for a Greek restaurant, but very worth it!
Photo by Nick A. Ross
One of the most remarkable dishes was fish, finished on a tabletop grill and served with a mélange of leeks. Octopus mosaic with vine leaves, cauliflower with bottarga, kimchi fennel and strawberry vinegar also was spectacular.
Whether it is nouvelle cuisine, molecular cuisine, Asian fare or classic Mediterranean dishes, Greece has it all!
Geneva is a major European cosmopolitan city and is the second largest city in Switzerland located on the shores of the eponymous lake.
It is the base for some of the world’s largest international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the Red Cross, the World Bank and the United Nations. Most of the locals we interacted with were fluently trilingual (French-German-English) and quite a number quadrilingual (French-German-Italian-English).
Photo by Manos Angelakis
Geneva is also known as the epicenter of the Swiss watch and clock industry; it was in Geneva that the very first wristwatch was produced for a Hungarian Countess by Patek Philippe. During our stay, we visited the Patek Philippe Museum where thousands of very precious watches were exhibited to our delight; I consider this visit one of the highlights of our Geneva stay.
Since the late 16th century many other world known watch manufacturers such as Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Omega and Cartier have been headquartered in the city.
Major scientific and medical research are both taking place in and around the city. In a northwestern suburb of Geneva CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research operates the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator.
Another interesting fact is that the World Wide Web i.e. the Internet was conceived at CERN as a way for the scientists there to communicate and exchange information and data with interested colleagues around the world.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
Switzerland and Belgium are thought of as having the best chocolate producers and Zurich and Geneva are the two Swiss production epicenters adored by chocolate lovers. Geneva is full of chocolatiers from internationally-renowned brands to tiny boutique producers and some have been in the chocolate business for centuries.
If there is one industry that towers above all the rest in terms of revenue, it’s that of international finance. And Geneva’s financial community is known for being among the global leaders in commodity trading.
Geneva is also a hot spot in the international hospitality industry. Some of the best known luxury hotels are located in this city.
The Hotel de la Paix stands out among five-star area hotels with its chic design, boutique services and culinary expertise. The Beau-Rivage is one of Geneva’s landmark luxury hotels situated at an exceptional location facing Geneva’s jet d’eau and is steadfastly anchored both in the past and present.
The Mandarin Oriental Geneva, previously known as the Hotel du Rhône, is a five-star hotel in an early modernist Art Deco style with classic charm. It was the very first luxury hotel to be built in Europe after World War II.
During previous visits to the city we had stayed at all three of the above mentioned hotels but on this trip we stayed at the Hotel Bristol Geneva, and we were very pleasantly surprised at the quality of service and amenities of this hotel that is officially labeled as a Superior 4-star property.
The only city feature we were unable to experience, though we heard a lot about it, was the city’s outstanding gastronomy because of the peculiarities of our visit. Hopefully, we’ll return in the near future for a chance to report on that important aspect of a vibrant city.
Some of the experiences mentioned in this article are based on complimentary stays, meals, or goods.But as always, we are dedicated to giving you unbiased accounts of our experiences. See our Disclosures page for more information.
Well yes… we knew it was one of the coldest places on earth, and of course, there was going to be lots and lots of water that could, without a “by your leave,” turn into ice; but I wasn’t prepared for the wind! When I say wind I don’t mean the regular kind that could send a hat flying, I mean the kind that threatens to catapult your whole body into an airborne missile.
So by now you might have guessed I am talking about our recent cruise to Antarctica.
Antarctica is truly a unique destination! There are no people. There are no ancient monuments. There are no modern bustling cities; no lights, no pavements, no sign of human habitation; and yet tourists from all over the world are flocking to see it before it sinks like fabled Atlantis under the waves and is lost forever. But this land is not a fable, it’s real. It’s Antarctica – a raw pristine natural environment – a gift from the Gods of water and ice.
It was finally confirmed as the 7th continent in 1820. At one time it was thought to be the “Unknown Southern Land” hypothesized but not known. There is controversy about who actually “discovered” Antarctica the continent (who sailed nearest, who spied it from their ship, who first stepped on it) but 1820 seems to be the agreed upon year.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Our adventure began on a warm summery day in Buenos Aires, the renowned capital city of Argentina. We spent the day taking in the sights of the city with its massive tree-lined boulevards and stunning Beau Arts buildings. Sadly there was no time to catch a tango performance – the beating heart of Argentina – since we had a 3 a.m. wake-up call.
This ungodly hour was required in order to catch our charter flight to Ushuaia, there to board our cruise ship, Ultramarine, the newest in the Quark Expeditions line-up of luxury vessels that sail the Southern Sea.
All cruise itineraries are dependent on weather conditions but luck was with us as we departed Ushuaia sailing south through the Beagle Channel – the natural waterway separating Argentina and Chile – named for Charles Darwin’s ship The Beagle.
On our first day at sea, beautiful weather showered us with blue skies and seas calm enough for us to climb into zodiacs to make a landing on the southernmost tip of Chile at Cape Horn. Well, let me modify that statement, since Aeolus (Greek God King of the Winds) was ungraciously blowing off at between 40 and 50 mph at sea level. Of course stronger gusts were expected at the top of the exposed bit of rock where the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans converge.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
The mechanical devise that at one time whisked visitors up the mountain lay in pieces, so upon exiting the zodiacs, we were invited (sic) to climb the 152 precarious, uneven, sometimes broken, wooden steps to the top.
Oh, I forgot to mention that in order to board the zodiacs you are required to don triple layers of everything from socks to hats including heavy duty water-proof boots, goggles, jackets and a PFD (personal flotation devise) which with the raging winds made the jaunt up the steps even more precarious. So up I climbed, one step at a time, at least there was a handrail… of sorts… to hold on to.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Breathlessly clearing the last step, I walked out on what I hoped would be the top of the mountain. Little did I know, until that moment, that the steps were just a prelude to the steep climb still ahead on a pathway constructed of a bright yellow metal grid – kind of like the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz…not!
The platform is to protect the slow-growing plants in this harsh environment from two-legged visitors; while condors, vultures and sea birds are welcomed to wander freely.
One walkway led to the Albatross monument and another to the lighthouse … and this time there were no handrails to help balance against the winds. The impressive Albatross Monument commemorates the thousands of lives that were lost attempting to navigate this historically perilous cape.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
The station is monitored by the Chilean Navy and every year a new family is chosen from volunteers to spend time living at the lighthouse. This year the chosen family was navy Second Sergeant José Luarte, his wife and their three young children.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
The winds were so strong that I couldn’t help but ask if they were concerned that it might carry off one of the children, as I saw the youngest running and her feet were not touching the ground.
They assured me that when it gets really windy – it has been clocked at 186 mph – the children play inside. The family will remain at the lighthouse until relieved by the next volunteer naval family. This is an honor post, manned by patriots who consider it a great privilege to represent their country in this way.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Cape Horn was a great first experience as it bonded together the passengers and expedition staff in a shared adventure and prepared us for the challenges required to navigate the notorious Drake Passage that eventually leads to Antarctica. Sir Frances Drake (1540-1596) first discovered the waterway – but not the continent – while circumnavigating the globe in a wooden ship 1/3 the size of the Ultramarine.
The Drake is known as one of the harshest in the world and the courage and fortitude of those first intrepid sailors is akin to today’s astronauts getting into a tiny capsule and heading for Mars… except they wear protective gear, have sophisticated communications and scientific knowledge of what to expect… Drake and his sailors weren’t even sure if they would fall off the earth when they reached the horizon.
The author received a complimentary expedition, but as always, we are dedicated to giving you unbiased accounts of our experiences. See our Disclosures page for more information.
During a recent layover in Tokyo’s Narita Airport, I rented a day room for four hours to get a snooze and a shower before heading off on my 17-hour journey from Japan to New York City. Oh, how I wish all airports had these available!
For about $10 per hour, I was given a bottle of water and a key to my own room. It was small but big enough for my purposes. I had a bed, blanket, and pillow and some space for my things, as well as a private toilet and shower with shampoo and conditioner.
My only complaint was that I could hear some of the airport noise outside the window. My recommendation would be to take earplugs with you. But it was certainly better to spend that private time relaxing than it would have been to sit in the terminal during those hours.
Day room bathroom at Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Also, the ability to shower just before my long journey allowed me to arrive in NYC feeling at least slightly fresher than I would have felt otherwise.
Tokyo Narita Airport day room. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
You can reserve a Narita Airport day room somewhat in advance, although you currently can’t pay online. The facility is easy to find in the airport, and you have to arrive within a half hour of your reserved time or possibly lose your room. If you prefer, you can just rent a shower, but those can’t be reserved ahead of time. It’s a great idea whose time has come, and other airports around the world should follow suit!
It can be said that it is a fortunate artist that is born during times of great tribulations. Artists are defined by, and define their times, through their emotional response expressed in bold strokes and violent colors. So it is with Oswaldo Guayasamin, the native born Ecuadorian of Maya/Quechua Indian ancestry.
Born in Quito on July 6, 1919 into a working class family, the eldest son of 10, he took up the brush at age 7, and as the story goes, diluted his paints with milk from his Mother’s breast. True or not, perhaps that is just an indication of the intense passion of the young boy that against all odds and family pressure determined to be an artist.
At first, he drew caricatures of his teachers which landed him the reputation as a troublemaker but in 1932 he joined the School of Fine Arts where he was forced into learning form and function which ultimately pointed him in the right direction.
His background of poverty and the loss of his mother at a young age; repression of Indians and the killing of a friend; the worldwide depression of the 30’s; the Mexican Revolution and the Spanish Civil War; shook his artistic soul into a sharp focus and turned an already antiauthoritarian rebellious boy into a crusader against oppression, cruelty and injustice.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
Guayasamin’s paintings scream out as loudly as an orator on a soapbox in the central square rallying the people to demand equality and the end of injustice. His art is visceral and descriptive, representational rather than realistic. Like the Spanish painter Francisco Goya before him, Guayasamin paints his own nightmarish images as a voice speaking out against brutality and tyranny.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
His art style, referred to as Indigenous Expressionism, was strongly influenced by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and El Greco (1541-1614) and in his masterwork ‘Manos de la protesta’ (1968) you can clearly see echo’s of Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ – the horrific portrayal of the German bombing of the Basque city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War – made even more terrifying painted in black and white.
Guayasamin uses color not to make images beautiful but to electrify the starkness of his tortured subject. His elongated figures imitate El Greco but the comparison stops there as Guayasamin is unique unto himself. His work is primal and being surrounded by his bigger than life-size images in ‘The Chapel of Man’ is daunting.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
A steeply winding road leading into an upscale neighborhood in the Quito hills — where the houses precariously cling to the rock-face — will take you to the hacienda that houses “La Capilla del Hombre” or The Chapel of Man museum.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
The building was designed by Guayasamin himself specifically to house his collection of paintings that pay tribute to Latin American peoples and their suffering and accomplishments, from the pre-Columbian world through conquest, colonization and integration. His dramatic architectural detailing of the pyramidal skylight dominating the main entrance hall is a perfect backdrop for his paintings and sculptures of struggle and adversity, but ultimately his triumph.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
A word of caution, the works, while monumental, are dark and mostly emotionally draining and should be taken in small doses. The terraced courtyard overlooking the city and the landscaped surrounding gardens lighten the mood upon exiting the building and add balance to visiting the museum.
While staying at the Corinthia Hotel in London, I had a meal at The Northall Restaurant, which is helmed by Executive Chef Garry Hollihead, who has won Michelin stars at three different establishments including L’Escargot. The restaurant has picture windows that provide views of Whitehall Gardens and the Thames, and it has two private dining rooms available for events. The décor includes mirrored panels and burnt orange leather seating.
The suckling pig at The Northall Restaurant, London. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The Northall specializes in British cuisine. If you had the idea that the British don’t know how to cook or to eat, you’re mistaken. Using wholly British suppliers, the restaurant focuses on a mix of traditional dishes with contemporary twists. Beef is sourced from The Lake District Farm, fish is brought in from Cornwall, and cheeses are from La Cave. The menu is seasonal, but I had a delicious lamb dish, while my dinner companion had the suckling pig.
Lamb dish at The Northall within the Corinthia Hotel London. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
For dessert, I had sorbets and cookies. Steaks can be ordered with a variety of sauces like blue cheese, port and shallot, or truffle hollandaise.
Sorbets and cookies at The Northall Restaurant, London. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Currently on the menu are such dishes as violet artichokes with homemade ricotta and anchovies, Scotland rabbit and Monmouthshire ham ballotine with young summer vegetables and sour cream, Cumbria pork tail terrine with caramelized cherry jam and bitter leaves, and braised pork shoulder and grilled pork chop with new season potatoes and gooseberries. If you want a quintessential British dining experience that’s upscale and well-done, The Northall is the place to go!
The author of this article received a complimentary meal at this restaurant but is dedicated to providing a non-biased assessment of her experience.
Turkish cuisine dates back to the 6th century CE, when the Turkish people were nomads in Central Asia, and their diet consisted of mainly meat, dairy and a few, gathered by their campsites, fruits and vegetables.
Early in the 11th century, a number of Turkoman nomads settled in Anatolia (meaning the Land to the East) amongst the Greeks, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and other ethnic groups that were populating the area, while the Seljuk Turk majority settled in what was then Palestine, The Red Sea shore of the Arabic Peninsula, Persia, Isfahan and the region of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In 1453, when Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople i.e. modern day Istanbul, it was the end of the Byzantine Empire and the beginning of the Turkish (Ottoman) Empire as a regional Moslem power. The Ottomans conquered the Balkans and parts of Eastern Europe, as far west as the outskirts of Vienna and as far south as the Mediterranean shores of North Africa.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
The Ottoman Turks placed great importance on lavish and opulent dining. The kitchens of Topkapi, the Sultan’s palace, were set under ten domes! By the middle of the 16th century, the Topkapi kitchens employed over 1,200 people and fed as many as 8,000 persons each day! The staff was organized as specialist cooks each performing a specific task under the supervision of a master cook i.e. a chef de cuisine.
That was way before Escoffier first organized his kitchen at the Savoy and, later on at the Ritz Paris, in a very similar way and created the discipline of a modern commercial kitchen. It was the beginning of how a restaurant’s kitchen works, nowadays with each person specializing in a specific task or a very few tasks such as salad making, soup making, meat or fish grilling, frying or poaching, sauce making, preparing desserts etc.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
Actually, desserts such as Baklava, Kataifi, Lokum (Turkish Delight), Tavukgöğsü (Sweet Custard made with Shredded Chicken Breast), Sütlaç (Turkish Rice Pudding), Tulumba (similar to short Churros), Kurabiyesi, Ekmek Kadayifi (Turkish Bread Pudding), Revani (Semolina Cake in Orange or Lemon Syrup), Tahini Helva, Ashure a.k.a Noah’s Ark Pudding, Kunefe (Sweet Cheese Pastry), Lokma (Fried Sweet Dough in Syrup) and many others are perenial Turkish favorites. Turkey has a sweet tooth and will undulge at every oportunity!
Many culinary influences came from the surrounding lands the Ottoman Empire conquered as well as from travelers on the Silk Road; one of the Silk Road’s many branches started and ended in Istanbul.
When Mustapha Kemal – known as Atatürk i.e. father of Turkey – established the modern Turkish Republic, the local cuisine started accepting influences from even further away ethnic groups. But I think the classic dishes I grew up with, still reign supreme in the kitchen of the average Turkish family.
The Turkish cuisine is extremely rich, healthy and regional, though it still mostly remains among the lesser-known global cuisines. In the Eastern Mediterranean it is as revered today as it was in the past.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
We’ll start with my favorite breakfast dish, Menemen.
It is an Anatolia-originating dish that utilizes day-fresh eggs, tomatoes, onions and a mixture of sliced hot green peppers and red bell peppers. At a hotel in Ürgüp in Cappadocia, during a stay in 2011, the chef made Menemen every morning.
The fresh sweet skinless tomatoes, thinly sliced red and white onions and rounds of the green part of scallions and red and spicy green pepper slices were cooked down in a mix of butter and olive oil until the vegetables were fully cooked to almost a paste; then the eggs were broken on top and the sauteuse where the vegetables were cooking was placed under a broiler for the eggs to set. A few times, crumbled fresh white cheese (beyaz peynir) similar to feta or ricotta salata was mixed with the vegetables.
This dish also makes an appearance at night, but in a slightly different configuration where the eggs are beaten and the cooked vegetables are then folded in, using less tomato and more of the onion and hot pepper mix and the dish is cooked as a frittata, then sprinkled with dried oregano.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
Street food is ubiquitous in Turkey, a leftover from the nomadic days when one could not be sure where or when the next meal will be.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
In the major cities, itinerary peddlers have carts that sell simit (thin round bread covered with toasted sesame or poppy seeds), roasted chestnuts in the winter and roasted corn in the summer and both in the autumn, fresh shelled almonds or walnuts kept in ice-cold water; as well as dondurma (ice cream on a cone), toffee-on-a stick and numerous other delicacies. Even pickles (turşu) are sold from an elaboratly decorated cart.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
There are storefronts that sell “to go” such nibbles as ice cream, baklava or kadayifi, döner kebap or shish kebap and salad in pita bread, ayran (a beverage made from yoghurt diluted with cold water), kokoreç (charcoal grilled and highly seasoned lamb offal, wrapped with intestines on a skewer) and many other snacks to take out.
In Turkey, no matter where you are, you’ll never go hungry.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
There are restaurants that specialize in particular dishes and are typically classified by the main ingredient of the dishes they serve. There is always a Kebapçı nearby i.e. a restaurant that specializes in grilled beef, lamb or goat meat. In the Istanbul area, on platforms along the seashores of the Bosphorus or under Istanbul’s Galata Bridge there are Balıkçı restaurants that serve fish and seafood in hundreds of variations.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
There are restaurants that serve mostly vegetables or oil-stewed vegetable dishes; many of these vegetables are stuffed with a mixture of rice, pine nuts and ground or very finely chopped onion, garlic, parsley, tomato pulp and spices. Tomatoes, eggplant, long and short zucchinis, bell peppers, preserved grapevine or fresh cabbage leafs, are all stuffed with the rice mixture; then they are baked in an oven.
Mussels and large squid or cuttle fish are also stuffed with the rice and vegetable mixture and oven baked.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
Some of the vegetables are altenatively stuffed with a mixture of ground meat, rice and aromatics and are cooked in equal amounts of water and olive oil untill all the water has been absorbed, then the remaining juice after the food is fully cooked is used to make an egg/lemon sauce in which the vegetables are bathed.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
A very special vegetable dish as far as I’m concerned is Imam Bayildi. The name of the dish means “The Priest Fainted.” It is always better the second or third day after it has been backed, but once you have tasted it, it is very difficult having to wait a couple days to devour it!
Another vegetable stew that I love is Türlü or Briam, the Turkish version of ratatouille. Made every summer in a clay pot from fresh, cubbed vegetables in a diluted tomato paste sauce or from grated fresh tomato pulp, it should delight equally both vegetarians and omnivores, either as a main dish or a side.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
One of the tastier Ottoman specialties is Hünkar Beğendi i.e. the “Sultan’s Delight.” Chunks of lamb or beef stewed in a gently herbal tomato sauce accented with sweet paprika are served over fire-roasted skinless eggplant mixed with béchamel. The resulting dish is indeed fit for royalty.
The origins of this dish are shrouded in mystery – there is an apocryphal story about the dish resulting from an affair between Empress Eugenie, wife of Napaoleon III, and Sultan Abdulaziz – but since the meat looks and tastes almost like a very traditional goulash, I believe it is a Central European transplant modified for the meat and aromatics available in a Turkish kitchen.
Anyway, it is a beloved specialty available in many of the restaurants of the larger cities to the delight of the traditionalists. To quote a good friend: “Turkish cuisine is a treasure trove of flavors, combining the influences of different cultures and regions. It reflects the rich history and vibrant culinary heritage of the Turkish people. Whether you savor a traditional breakfast dish like Menemen, indulge in street food delights, or explore the depths of Ottoman specialties, the diverse and delectable Turkish cuisine is sure to satisfy every palate.”
Ushuaia is just a dot on the map at the bottom of Argentina. It is the town from which we were to board our Antarctic Cruise ship Ultramarine, the latest state–of-the-art expedition ship in Quark Expeditions luxurious ship line-up.
Photo by Barbara and Manos Angelakis
Ushuaia (oo·swai·uh) means “Bay to the West” in the native language of the Yámana who lived at the end of the world for 10,000 years prior to the arrival of Portuguese explorer/navigator Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão Magalhães in Portuguese) who in 1520 discovered the eponymous natural sea channel that separated the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In a heroic effort, Magellan was the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean.
At that time there were about 3,000 Yámana or Yaghan’ people ( Yámana means ‘man’ and Yaghan means “us”), and for a few hundred years after Magellan’s voyage they were left alone to continue their lifestyle.
By the 17th century missionary groups began arriving and that was the end of their lifestyle. The Yamana were short, stocky people that lived in harmony with the land. Everything they needed was provided by their adapted interconnection with their environment. They were hunter-gatherers who traveled between the southern islands in their hand-made canoes in search of food.
The women dove into the frigid waters to collect shellfish while the men hunted sea lions and otters and the rich fatty diet sustained them even in those glacial weather conditions. Since it rained almost constantly, being naked was a necessity to avoid becoming water-logged. To sustain themselves they built fires in the center of their canoes to dry off and stay warm and a fire was always present in their huts.
Tragically, being naked offended the missionaries who insisted the Yámana cover themselves. This decree eventually decimated the population because once their animal skin clothing became saturated they were unable to stay dry and they died of a combination of exposure, introduced foreign diseases and the unbridled extermination perpetrated upon them in an effort to steel their lands.
Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world; located at the tip of Argentina, on the Beagle Channel in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. Tierra del Fuego or “Land of Fire” is the name Magellan derived from the Yámana people because they always carried fire with them; it was the agent of their survival.
The Beagle Channel forms a natural salt water bridge between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans and also separates Argentina and Chile. It is named after the ship that brought Charles Darwin to these waters, where his theory of evolution was developed, which changed the world’s view of humanity forever.
Photo by Barbara and Manos Angelakis
Ushuaia has been an ancient city with very little population and little to offer, but with the explosion of tourism and technology, the city is experiencing a wave of growth, tripling its population in the last five years.
It is neither charming nor stop-worthy but since it hosts the expedition ships that ply the Antarctic waters, new buildings are spreading out the boundaries of the city daily with shops, restaurants and hotels serving the tourists that are flocking to visit this gateway to the Seventh Continent of the world – Antarctica.
Our flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, aside from the 3A.M. wake-up call, was uneventful – but the landing in Ushuaia was magical! On either side of the airplane the jutting spires of the Andes Range fell over one another to be more prominent; more beautiful; more creatively white capped.
We later learned that the mountains are not snow-capped but the white robe is glacial in nature and with a cerulean blue sky above and the Beagle Channel below the little dot on the map seemed not so insignificant.
One must not leave Ushuaia without a visit to their National Park – a place where you can truly experience the sound of silence. The park is at the end of National Route #3, the Pan American Highway that runs from Alaska all the way to Ushuaia. It is located in a watery, boggy bowl surrounded by mountains. The silence is penetrated only by the call of birds of which there are many, having no natural predators.
Photo by Barbara and Manos Angelakis
Periodically as we drove along the road we passed a group of horses smaller than average due to the harsh weather conditions. They are docile and sublimely uninterested in human curiosity so I was able to get close but not infringe on their space to watch colts feeding on their mother’s milk.
Photo by Barbara and Manos Angelakis
The National Park has been protected since 1960 sadly after many of the slow growing trees had already been cut down. Earlier on, a penitentiary was built in this seemingly god-forsaken place and the prisoners were made to cut the semi-deciduous forests for heating and building of houses in the village before environmental forces came to bear and realized that it would take many, many years for the trees to grow back.
The soil is thin and rocky due to the action of melting ice and the pervasive growth of peat moss. Perhaps that accounts for the specialness of the park, which can be reached either by car, or by the famous “End of the World Train” that stops at the El Parque station.
Wildlife is mostly birds like the woodpecker, condor and sea birds. There are no predatory animals other than foxes and aside from the horses, all the wildlife is small while the views are huge and shockingly beautiful. We did not have time to hike the trails or visit the glacial waterfalls but we did have time to interact with sea and land birds and take in the majesty surrounding us.
After a boxed lunch in this spectacular setting, we made sure to take everything we brought back with us and departed the park to return to Ushuaia and a short walk-about. We spent time visiting the funky native marketplace to purchase trinkets and finally we boarded our waiting ship when our Antarctic adventure began.
The author received a complimentary expedition, but as always, we are dedicated to giving you unbiased accounts of our experiences. See our Disclosures page for more information.
Please don’t get me wrong. I love Molecular Gastronomy based dishes and Nuvelle Cuisine concoctions but there are numerous classics from different cuisines that I make in my kitchen when I want to have “comfort food”.
I usually cook dishes that I had when I was growing up as well as classic dishes that I picked up during my peregrinations around the world.
So, yes… I do make Greek Pastitsio, Turkish Imam-Bayildi or Iç Pilaf, a credible Paella from Spanish Valencia and, on a cold winter day, I will even cook a Cassoulet for 4 or 5 hours.
I also cook Thai Massaman chicken or prawns, Moroccan Harira soup and from Italy, Bucatini all’ Amatriciana.
Many tavernas in Rome serve the earthy and piquant Bucatini all’ Amatriciana. The pasta is cooked with a sauce that combines tomato pulp, guanciale (pork cheek) or diced pancetta, onion, garlic, an assortment of pepper flakes and white wine and is covered with grated pecorino cheese.
Photo by Manos Angelakis
The dish is named after the eponymous town of Amatrice in Lazio, Italy’s central region close to Rome. I got the recipe 40 years ago from Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, a storied Michelin-starred restaurant in Milan.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 4 oz. thinly sliced guanciale, pancetta, or chopped non-smoked bacon ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper ¾ cup sliced or minced onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-oz. can San Marzano peeled tomatoes with juices, crushed by hand Kosher salt ½ cup white wine (Verdicchio or Vermentino preferred) ¾ cup finely grated Pecorino (about 1 oz.) 14 to 16 oz. of Bucatini
Method:
Step 1.Heat oil in a large heavy skillet or a sauteuse over medium heat. Add guanciale or pancetta and sauté until crisp and golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add pepper flakes and black pepper; stir for 10 seconds. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until onion and garlic are soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and wine; reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2.Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 2 minutes before al dente. Drain reserving ¼ cup of pasta water.
Step 3.Add drained pasta to sauce in skillet and toss vigorously with tongs to coat. Add reserved pasta water (if pasta looks dry) and cook until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Stir in cheese and transfer pasta to warm bowls or plates.
Writer’s Note: Instead of just the red pepper flakes, I will sometimes add ¼ cup sliced pitted black olives or 1¼ tsp. of Spaghettata (an Italian spice blend from Naples) and ¼ tsp. of fresh oregano leaves, for a much more flavorful variation on the classic Amatriciana.
