Author: Asli

Baltic Herring Fair – Silakkamarkkinat // 4-10 October 2015 // Kauppatori, Helsinki

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I ate by far the most delicious fish that I have ever eaten in this city during this fair 3 years ago! Funny, it was my first time in the fair and I could not go again because every time I wanted to go again, something else came up. But this year I am going to be there my friend, I-will-be-there: Baltic Herring Fair 2015, or Silakkamarkkinat in Finnish, or if you prefer Swedish, Strömmingsmarknad – in Kauppatori! This year’s fair will be held in 4-10 October 2015. (Photo above by Jenni Pulli, taken from Flickr).

Corn Bread – Or Should I Say “Corn Cake”?

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I admit, I wanted to make another type of cornbread – the flat type that my mother makes on the frying pan, on the stove. I had a long phone conversation with her just for that but I gave up on her when she could only give me eyeball estimates for the measurements. Then I tried my aunt, she was better with measurements but she had a vital information (something my mother also emphasised): you can’t do that flat cornbread with regular corn flour, it has to be roasted flour. Well well, they were right, that flat cornbread turned out horrible.

Turkish Rice With Tomatoes – And My Fear Of Rice

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I have a BIG advice to you mothers out there: never discourage your child about cooking a certain dish! Your child, whatever age s/he may be, can react to this by not even “trying” to cook that dish for years and years. Ok, she might be also looking for excuses not to cook this or that, but still, don’t do that, it’s not nice. My mother scared the shit out of me when I wanted to cook rice the first time, so I did not even attempt for many years. Until one day, she, herself, told me; “why don’t you cook rice, it’s the easiest thing in the world!”. Come again??

Sütlaç // Sütlü Aş aka “Food With Milk” – Turkish Rice Pudding

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If there is one thing that reminds me of Turkish cuisine, even if I like it or not (and I usually do not), it is this rice pudding. I do not like this, no, as I do not like any rice pudding or porridge or anything else that resembles these.. All those things feel like baby food. But well, I still enjoyed eating this one I made for the blog, because I felt like a little girl eating mama’s rice pudding again.

Sekerpare – A Sweet Turkish Dessert and The Memories of A Turkish Girl

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When I ask people which “Turkish desserts” they know, the first answer is mostly “baklava”. And maybe some would say “Turkish delight”. Baklava, Turkish delight, baklava.. Well I’ve never been taken much by any of these two. My absolute favourite was always this dessert, which is, to put it simply, cookies made of flour and semolina, having a pine or another nut in the middle, and dipped into simple syrup to get moist and veeery sweet; it is called “Sekerpare”, which is literally translated as “Sugar piece”.

“I Listen To My Body And Eat According To Its Needs” – A 5-Hours Talk With My Dear Melis In Lauttasaari

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When you are about to move to a new country, especially one that you have never been before and is quite different than your own, you feel excited yes, but you also feel slightly nervous and maybe even scared. Five years ago, when I was preparing for my new life in Finland, I had all those feelings but I feared mostly to be alone; “what if I can’t make any friends there?”. But these five years proved me wrong, I made incredible friends here. And in last week’s Wednesday morning talk, I was with one of those beautiful friends, Melis, my dear half Turkish-half Finnish friend – who would rather call herself hundred percent Turkish and hundred percent Finnish.