Poğaça (savoury pastries)

We have a saying, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I knew that if I wanted to survive in Turkey I needed to learn the language as soon as possible. I found a beginners course at Bosphorous University. It was not only interesting to learn the language but socially stimulating as I had the wonderful opportunity to meet other people from all over the world like myself, starting a life in Turkey. Some were there on business, some married to Turkish wives or husbands. What ever their reason for joining the language class, we all  understood each others isolation and frustration. I particularly connected with two girls, Judith from South Africa and Sue, from the Bahamas. Together, we ventured through Istanbul finding our way around, practising the Turkish we had learnt. Sue & I especially spent a lot of time together. I can honestly say that I wouldn't have survived with out her. We shared moments of tears  and good times with much laughter. 

I travelled to the university by bus and on many occasions had my breakfast en route. Poğaça (poh-ah-cha) is a popular, fast way of eating breakfast. These savoury plump pastries are both satisfying and tasty, they can be eaten plain or with a cheese filling. They are usually sold on the streets in mobile glass containers with an umbrella erected above. The word Poğaça was always a challenge for me to pronounce and in the beginning I didn't have enough courage to walk up to the man selling them. However, over time I felt more and more confident to speak Turkish and even though I still had that English twang of an accent that wasn't the thing that gave me away as being foreign. It was when I said "Lutfen" (please). Yes, that's when I got the strange look from the Poğaça seller. "Bir tane peynirli lutfen", "one with cheese please" I would ask. Lutfen, is hardly used when asking for something,  I can't help myself, In English we say please and thank you simultaneously. So, when in Rome, I do as the Romans do, but with a please at the end!

I choose to use mahlep in this recipe, I love the aroma and taste of this spice and use it in cakes and biscuits also. It's made from the seeds of a special sour cherry and has a nutty flavour perhaps the equivalent to nutmeg. It is also known as mahlab in other countries. It can be bought in Asian and Turkish shops here.

125g Feta cheese

Parsley (just a handful)

100g soft margarine

75ml oil

75ml milk

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of mahlep

300g plain flour (sieved)

pinch of salt

1 egg (for glazing only)

Make the filling first by mashing together the feta cheese and parsley in a bowl.

Now for the dough:

In a saucepan, warm the milk slightly.

Then, pour it in to a bowl together with the margarine, oil, baking powder and mahlep. Sieve the flour into the bowl & add the salt.

Knead mixture together until dough is firm and smooth.

This mixture makes approximately 12 so divide the mixture in to 12 equal balls.

Take a ball of dough and flatten with your hands into an oval shape. Dough should be thin, certainly no more than 5mm thick.

Take a small quantity of the cheese mixture and place it in the middle of the oval. Fold the side over and pinch at the edge. You can make circle shapes if easier, just bring the edges up to meet like a little parcel.

Use the yolk of the egg to glaze all around the top of the parcels.

Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if you prefer.

Leave the pastries to rest for at least half an hour before placing in to the oven at 175 and bake until glazing is dark golden brown.

(I baked these today. I think perhaps my pastry was slightly too thick but never the less, they were tasty.)