The full Turkish breakfast: a leisurely custom
In southeastern Europe there is a variant of the full breakfast known locally as kahvalti: abundant, substantial and always accompanied by hot black tea.
Every culture has its own version of breakfast. The UK is famous for its own; Japan, for its unique and authentic dishes. But southeastern Europe boasts kahvalti, a full Turkish breakfast that overflows with unpretentious generosity.
It can vary depending on the region, the occasion, and the freshest seasonal ingredients. A family breakfast differs from one served to guests. However, it always consists of two essential elements: hearty but substantial bites, and a pot of hot black tea. Basic dishes include bread, simit with sesame seeds or pide with various seeds, and spreads such as apricot and fig jams, tahini, molasses, or even Nutella. Various types of cheese, especially feta, are served alongside fresh tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers. Fried eggs, cold cuts, Turkish sausage, and kaymak, that thick cream with honey, add substance. The result is a balanced breakfast that perfectly suits the Turkish lifestyle.
The important thing is that it's refreshing. The ingredients should be fresh, the bread freshly baked, the cheese well chosen. It's a meal that invites you to linger at the table, to converse, to savor it without haste. This is where the true nature of kahvalti lies: not in its variety of elements, but in the intention of the one who prepares it.