Healthy Turkish Food
When one thinks of Turkish food, some may remember last week’s drinking session that ended with a greasy kebab late at night. That night stop is nothing like the culinary delights one will experience when visiting Turkey. In fact, the Ottoman Empire passed laws mandating that food be served fresh and this has been adhered to until now.
The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest in the world. The ingredients used in Turkey are fresh every day with a variety of seasonal offerings as the climate adapts to a variety of supplies. Turkish staples include vegetables, fish, and lamb with generous amounts of olive oil. The diverse climate allows Turkey to grow and produce fresh tomatoes, olives, melons, peppers, wheat, tea, etc. The surrounding seas are teeming with fish, as any boat excursion will attest. Grouper fish is an excellent dish with a mild but distinct flavor: a cross between a halibut and a sea bass.
Turkish dishes include a selection of mezze dishes; they look a lot like Spanish tapas, which include a variety of hot and cold starters, served in one or more dishes. These include spicy tomato sauce (Ezme), carrot with mint and garlic, yogurt, cucumber and mint (Haydari), stuffed vegetables (Dolma), squid, halumi, tahin. And of course, the pita bread does justice to the hummus and the many colorful chili and tapenade pastas. Turkish mezze entrees are light enough to carry the flavors and make room for a main course and possibly a baklava dessert.
Having such a rich influence of olive oil in the diet, it is not surprising that the native Turks have a low frequency of heart attacks and that their skin is soft and supple. The freshness of the food ensures that the body is always well nourished with vitamins. Dishes served near or on the coast, such as Kalkan or Oludeniz, are mainly based on seafood; This has been well established by scientists as the healthiest food choice.
The crystal clear water of Turkey’s surrounding ocean and its beneficial lifestyle are increasingly being recognized, resulting in a sharp increase in demand for Turkish properties for sale. Westerners are beginning to recognize Turkey as an emerging residence preference. Advances in hospitality, coupled with a healthy lifestyle and the affordability of properties for sale in cities like Kalkan, are making Turkey the choice for vacation and retirement destinations. The coastal cities have incredible views of the oceans and, combined with the gourmet offer, it is an easy option, both for vacations and for retirement.
The proximity of the sea guarantees the freshness of the fish and in all the coastal cities, and the Kalkan villas on the slopes are for sale at very affordable prices: they are half the cost of wet and small European houses.
Many restaurants will offer an a la carte menu along with the fresh catch of the day. The fresh catch is ready for your reading and choosing by weight. There can be no fresher food more affordable and enriched with essential vitamins than that of a Turkish city.
A visit to Kalkan is not complete without a visit to the Moonlight Terrace & Cafe Bar; Kalamar Yolu no. 9 Kalkan – Antalya. Moonlight Terrace offers authentic nutritious Turkish food. The owner Osman is the epitome of a gracious host. Moonlight prides itself on being “a small family restaurant that prides itself on good quality, freshly cooked traditional Turkish food. With the breathtaking views from our rooftop terrace, you will enjoy a relaxed meal and great value for money” . Osman’s own mother is a chef and evokes delicious authentic Turkish cuisine. Try their Biber Dolma (stuffed peppers) or perhaps the Karniyak (fried eggplant then stuffed with minced meat, garlic, onion, tomatoes, green pepper, and spices).
This restaurant “does what it says on the tin”: the views of the bay are spectacular and the food is divine. If you are lucky enough to already have a Kalkan hillside villa or plan to invest in one, Moonlight Terrace will become one of your staples.
