Back to the Basics: Cappadocia, Turkey
by Peter Knipp
@ 26 Jul 2018
It was a few weeks ago when I took a world-class
Turkish Airlines flight to Turkey and Ukraine, but the experience from such an amazing trip are still etched into my memory. Here, I would not like to talk about the typical visit to Istanbul, but would like to focus more on my stop in Cappadocia, Turkey: a decision that was decidedly offbeat. I believe that people have the tendency to look at the traditional destinations and often miss out on the beauty and historic importance of places that are not on the main travel itinerary.
The geographic history of Cappadocia’s land speaks for itself. Two million years ago, several eruptions took place - that’s how it ended up a little bit like the Grand Canyon with many layers of rock stacked on top of each other. The harder rocks are the ones that make this area very famous for its bizarre and unique stone formations. Many Christians lived in these formations during the Byzantine era, creating underground beautiful cities in caves. My wife and I stayed at the Cappadocia Inn, one of the hotels that are built into hollowed out mountains. It was a place of graceful simplicity – simple food, very private, with very courteous service.
These stone formations are all over the place, which makes it even the more interesting when you go up in a balloon. The balloon ride is really, a die-die-must-try experience. It’s the safest method of travelling: Cappadocia is one of the few places in the world where you’re almost guaranteed to go up in a balloon daily. We go there in the morning and it’s like a crowded bus terminal. There were a hundred or so balloons, all floating up at 4am, with a beautiful sunrise cresting over the mountains. It was a magical wonderland. It was stunning, completely unexpected – I didn’t even know it existed! Despite my many travels, this was an incredible new moment of learning for me.
In the small markets of Cappadocia, you have farmers with serious faces, selling chilli powder, bread, and unbelievable produce all around, all so green and fantastic. And really at these markets, this is where you really see what makes the locals tick. I always get spices, herbs, and ask how they do it. With this, I get a chance to taste off the people, to understand who and what they are. For the markets I visited, it was not about how much money to them, nor was it about how sophisticated the lifestyle. They are all proud of their history – they may not have nouvelle or molecular but they have something wonderful, and simple. They have great produce. Great produce that preserves the history and culture of these people, built around what’s available from the land. There is a basic essence of humanity expressed through their food, something that is incredibly part of these cultures.
Adapted from the
Jul Aug 18 issue of Cuisine & Wine Asia.
