Few things are as wonderful as living in a Cappadocian village during the fall harvest season.
Pekmez (grape molasses), tomato paste, dried fruit, and on and on… Much work brings a sense of accomplishment and a readiness for the long, cold winter.
One of our favorite activities is making pekmez with our neighbors.
We have captured the process on video in 8 steps:
1. Pick the grapes from our vineyard
2. Stomp the grapes to get the juice
3. Mix dirt into the juice and let it sit for a few hours
4. Bring the juice to a boil
5. Let it sit for at least half an hour
6. Bring it to a second boil for a few hours
7. Filter it to extract any remaining dirt
8. Enjoy your sweet, delicious pekmez
We use the pekmez as syrup on pancakes, as a substitute for molasses in baking, and as an ingredient in homemade ketchup and bar-b-que sauce.
How do you use pekmez?
To read more about pekmez, this is a good article in Today’s Zaman.
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Duke Dillard moved to Turkey with his wife and 6 children in 2007. He got an MBA at Bilkent University in Ankara, where they had their 7th child. After 4 years in Ankara the whole family moved to Cappadocia, and this blog was born. We love Cappadocia and Cappadocians and want to help visitors make the most of their time here. You can connect with Duke on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and/or link circles on Google+. Click here to read more about Duke and his family.
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