Welcome to my website. I’m Zerrin, a Turkish woman living in Eskişehir/Turkey and working as a teacher. I feel happy when I cook something to my family and friends. It’s a pleasure of me to watch people with their smile on their face while eating.
I certainly believe that there is a strong connection between people’s eating style and their characters. People who like eating and eat heartily are social, have no difficulty in communicating with others, cheerful, humorous and positive. But people who eat only to live just as a duty, and don’t see the miracle in each food are generally pessimistic and introverted. (Please do not get angry with me if you are that kind, this is just my observation.)
Here I’ll try to inform you about Turkish cuisine, which has a very large repertoire with its various kind of dishes. In this way, maybe I can succeed in changing the view of those pessimist people about food and contribute some more joy to positive people with my recipes.
Most women see each other as competitors and they don’t want to share their cooking experience. When they give a recipe to someone (some, even to their daughters), they hide a piece of secret to themselves. I don’t know if there are such women in other cultures.
Be sure that I’m not that kind beause I feel that you can multiply your hapiness by sharing. So I decided to share my recipes with everyone. I hope you will enjoy my website and recipes. It will be my pleasure to respond your questions and comments.
You can find me at http://www.facebook.com/GiveRecipe
You can follow me at https://twitter.com/giverecipe
You can reach me at zerrin@giverecipe.com
78 Comments on "Who am I"
hi Zerrin, you have a great blog ! I agree with your sharing policy. I love cooking and hosting ppl. I have just started a cooking blog to share recipes that i know and authentic recipes that are passed down to me by my elders.
I am an indian from singapore, now residing in US.
I have tasted and cooked dishes of different culture. I hope to share the joy of cooking these dishes in my blog.
Zerrin, I wanted to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year and happy blogging in 2010. Please don’t hesitate to visit my site again and leave a comment or two. Be safe!
Funny! Your comments about how people who love good food are social and optimistic and the ones who only eat to live are introverts who are pessimist and a bit anti-social: well I used to think exactly the same thing! I worked in restaurants and bakeries and met many chefs and noticed that while they have a big ego they are also generous and social creatures in general.
Great recipes. I have a friend from Ankara. Chef Enzo aka. Carlo Sexy Foods Blog.
Hi, Zerrin. Thanks for the comment! I’m not very familiar with Turkish cuisine so I’m really enjoying your site.
I feel the same way about sharing recipes. Yeah, sometimes it’s nice if you’re the only one who can make it *perfect*, but then everyone else isn’t as happy so it’s kind of defeating the point of giving them the recipe, since they want to make what made them happy.
Hi Zerrin, I’m so happy i ran into your blog. I love Turkish cuisine and was looking for a cheese and spinach pie recipe, maybe you know what I’m talking about. I don’t know exactly how much is needed but in few words i can explain the way to make it
a ball of dough (yeast is one of the ingredients) is divided into 3 smaller balls and each ball is flatten with a rolling pin like a yufka sheet, after you flatten all 3 sheets you pour oil (i think) over the first one, lay the second sheet on the 1st sheet and cover if with crumbled cheese and chopped spinach and cover with the third sheet and then wrap it, leave it to rise at room temperature and bake it.
Is that a Turkish pie or I’m completely wrong?
Thanks for your time
GreenGirl
Hi GreenGirl,
I think you are talking about a kind of borek(that is how we call it). To make borek, I generally use phyllo sheets (yufka) that we can buy from yufka shops here. But if you want to make it from scratch here is the method. I don’t use yeast for this dough:
Ingredients for the dough:
2 eggs
4 cups flour
½ cup sunflower oil
1 cup yogurt
1 cup milk
2tsp salt
Put flour on the counter, break the eggs in the middle of it, add oil, yogurt, milk and salt on eggs. Combine all these with your hands. Add some more flour if needed to have a hard dough. Divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll them out. Lay the first yufka in the oven tray, spread some oil on it. Lay the second one on it. Spread little oil on it and then spread the filling. Lay the third yufka, spread oil, then the last yufka on it. Beat one egg with a little(1tbsp) oil and spread it on the top. Cut it in squares and then bake it in oven for about 40 minutes.
Or if you want them in rolls, lay the first yufka on the counter, put the filling, wrap it and put it in the tray in a spiral shape. Then do the same for the second and wrap it around the first spiral. And repeat the same steps for the other yufkas. Finally, spread egg-oil mixture on them and cut after it’s baked.
For the filling, chop spinach and 1 onion and combine it with 1 cup of feta cheese. You can also add some other herbs like parsley, basil, scallions into it.Drizzle a little olive oil in it and it’s ready.
Hope I understood you right and this is helpful for you. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
Hi Zerrin,
I’m really impressed with your site! I love how you have a story for each recipe,great pictures and lots of recipes I grew up with back home in Constanta,where we had some Turkish friends, or people that my parents knew. Every year, my mom would talk to her friends and they will bring the delicious Baklava, and something we would call bananas, but I found out they are called Tulumbe, so good! Anyway I was wondering if you know a recipe for Halva with sunflower seeds and rose water or is it rum ? Thanks , really enjoy your site!
Hi Zerrin……..I just found your Blog and I really like it. You have some great recipes. I’m married to a Turk from Izmir but has been living in Canada 25 years…….I love Turkish food. I learned to cook Turksih food through the years and I learn new recipes when I visit Izmir or Istanbul where his family lives……I see lots of recipes that I can make fro m here. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, my english isnt ideal but I feel by regulary visits of one’s blog it will likely be far better in the next time. You have a beneficial wrting style which is quick to understand and can helps persons like me to learn english. I will be now a regulary visitor of your blog.
Merhaba Zerrin, yabancı bi arkadaşıma Türk mutfağından bahsediyordum , tarif vermekte güçlük çekiyordum açıkçası, sağı solu ararken burayı buldum
… Beni büyük bir dertten kurtardın .. Kopyalayıp yolluyorum arkadaşıma. BU arada tam olarak incelemedim. fakat Büryan Kebabı Kokoreç çiğ köfte , ve karadeniz mutfağından karalahana hamsi buğulama gibi belli başlı yemekleri de ekleyeceğini umuyorum . tekrar teşekkürler emeğine sağlık 
Hi Zerrin!
Thanks for dropping by my blog and commenting!
Yes, there are still such women who don’t like to share recipes with others in this world, and it’s great that you’re not one of them and are willing to share the recipes of all the wonderful turkish dishes that you’ve made in this website! I’ll be glad to try some of the recipes one day =)
Frena.
Great to meet you, Zerrin. My love language is food as well as yours. Great to link with you through Food Buzz!
hi! thanks for dropping by my blog!
you have a great site! kinda reminds me of the several turkish friends i made last yr. (:
Hi Zerrin –
Nice to meet you! I love Turkish cuisine and your philosophy. Especially about spreading Joy through good recipes. I never saw the point in not sharing recipes. That used to be a big tradition in American culture, but I’m happy to say it’s dissipating. I look forward to trying your recipes.
Happy 2011!
Stacey
Hi Zerrin.
Found your web page yesterday can not wait to try some of your fantastic recipes. İ have been looking how to make rolled bitter orange peel in sugar syrup.looking foward to your reply as the bitter oranges will be ready soon.
Best wishes Heather.
Heather, glad to hear that you love my recipes. I’ve been planning to post how to make bitter orange jam for some time. After seeing your comment, I decided to write about it today. I already have a jar from last year, mom made it for us. So I will get the recipe from her and post it as soon as I take its photo too.
What an impressive website. delicious recipes, good photos, easy to read… thumbs up, thumbs up…
I have a Turkish Restaurant in San Francisco CA. I sometimes search to see if I find anything new to add to my menu. Being in food business even I found it informative. I wish you the best.
Hi Zerrin! I have been looking all over the Internet for an ezme recipe. If you need any ideas for future blog posts and it is something you like… think about it! Congratulations on your great blog!
merhaba Zerrin,
tastespotting de rastladim pide tarifine, fotografin neyi cagristiriyor diye dusunurken eskisehirli oldugunu okudum, tamam dedim….
yarin benim icinde eskisehirde biraz gez, tanidik yerlere bir de benim icin goz at,
artik takipteyim.
I have been looking for Turkish recipes to make since I have found a local Turkish restaurant in NY and NJ. Thanks!
Hi Zerrin, I really enjoy your sharing. What is New year cuisine in Turkey ? how to make it ?
Thank you.
Merhaba
Yabancı dilde böyle bir çalışma yapmış olmanız gerçekten tebrike değer.Türk mutfağının tanınması için herkes bir şeyler söylerken siz böyle bir çalışma yapmışsınız. Ne güzel.
Marhaba Zerrin!
I am a Lebanese lady who loves food like you do. I came across your blog while looking for a Turkish recipe. Your posts are a pleasure to the eyes and i am sure a pleasure to taste, i will be trying those.
I am a man who loves food like you do. Your posts are a pleasure to the eyes and i am sure a pleasure to taste. Thanks for the recipes
Hello, I found you when I searched for what my grandfather called “Tourshou”. I guess that means “pickled” any veggie, right? My mother and I wanted a recipe Grandpa made with Green Tomatos. Thank you for what you do to share knowledge and culture. Love, Kate in Salt Lake City, Utah
Welcome to my website and thank you for leaving a comment! We call it “turshu”, almost the same as what your grandfather called. Almost all kinds of veggies (or even fruits) could be pickled, they are almost eaqually appetizing. But my favorites are pickled gherkins, cucumber, white cabbge, beetroot and yes green tomatoes. We eat them just like a salad to pair with a main dish. Love from Turkey!
Kate, I make something like this stuffing green tomatoes with shredded cabbage (kupus) and spices. I can it in a pickling brine of salt, water, vinegar usually with a pice of green pepper, red dried chile, garlic, and a chunk of fresh horseradish. I leave in the processed(water bath) glass canning jars for 6 months or longer to develope the flavour.