Turkish Gozleme

What are Gozleme?  Quite simply, they are yummy pancakes that were once a Turkish peasant food but have now been co-opted by the masses as a cheap snack or light meal.  My first taste of Gozleme were at a specialty Gozleme cafe in Goreme (yes, ‘Gozleme in Goreme’) and, they were not very good.  I could see the potential of a thin pancake stuffed with spinach and cheese, cooked on a hot Saj (domed griddle) until they were lightly burnished but the ones I had were bland.  They were definitely missing seasoning and were not as hot as they should be.

Further tastings at various cafes gave me hope and the best I had were actually from a snack bar in a service station on the road to the Gelibolu (Gallipoli) Peninsula.  The ambience of the hot bitumen car park with the local bus being washed in front of us could do nothing to diminish the taste of freshly griddled Gozleme with curd cheese, served on a paper plate.

These photos show one of the many local girls preparing Gozleme in the windows of Istanbul restaurants to draw in the tourists.

Roll the Dough 

 Pop it on the Saj

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I go, did you know that my favourite online reference (Wikipedia) now has a Cookbook section?  I probably wouldn’t use it as a definitive source but they did have this recipe for Gozleme, and they look quite simple to make.  I made some ‘Zanzibar Pizzas’ using a similar recipe when I returned from East Africa.  Anthony, Robert & Bronlynn assured me they tasted authentic.  So perhaps I’ll give these a whirl when I get back to Australia and test them on my fellow travellers.