One widespread belief suggests that Hızır is a prophet who has attained immortality by drinking the water of life (ab-ı hayat), and who has reached God, and wanders around among people from time to time, especially in the spring, helping people in difficulty, and distributing plenty and health. Various practices are performed on Hidrellez night in the belief that Hızır will bring blessing and abundance to the places he visits and the things he touches. Food bowls, pantries, and purses are left … Read more
Kashkek A dish of mutton or chicken and coursely ground wheat (Keşkek)
As a collaborative social practice, the preparation and cooking of kashkek requires a joint workforce. Before the cooking process, wheat is threshed jointly with a common rhthym in a special large stone mortar called 'dibek'. It is soaked in water over night, then boiled in big vessels. Together with the boiled mutton or chicken, it is smashed with thick sticks jointly until it reaches a special stiffness which determines its degree of taste. Then it is served with fried butter and tomato paste. … Read more
Tabla (Drum) A way to celebrate
The tabla is a membranophone percussion instrument (similar to bongos), used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means 'drum.' The tabla is used in some other Asian musical traditions outside of India, such as in the Indonesian dangdut genre. Playing technique involves extensive use of the … Read more
Henna Used for hair dying and permanent tattooing
Henna has been used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, and fingernails, as well as fabrics including Silk and wool as well as for leather. Additionally, the name is misused for other skin and hair dyes, such as black henna or neutral henna, which are not derived from the plant. … Read more
Tulum Cheese Using goatskin casing for ripening and preserving goats cheese
Tulum cheese (Turkish: tulum peyniri) is a traditional Turkish goat's milk cheese ripened in a goatskin casing, called Tulum in Turkish. As a rich source for protein, calcium, fat and phosphorus, Tulum cheese is an important food for healthy nutrition, with its unique flavour provided by the natural microflora created in the goatskin during ripening. Tulum cheese is made by heating high-fat goat's milk to a temperature of 30 °C (86 °F) and subsequently souring it through the addition of a … Read more
Tarhana Natural Instant Soup
Tarhana is a traditional dish in Turkish cuisine that refers to a dough or powder made using various vegetables, spices, yeast, and yogurt. The name can refer to the actual powder or dough itself, as well as a soup made by using the dough or powder and adding boiling water. Created as a way of preserving food before the invention of refrigerators and other safe food storage methods, this is effectively one of the oldest instant soups. Tarhana mixes can be purchased from grocery stores, … Read more
Belly Dancing Dance for Celebration
Belly Dance takes many different forms depending on the country and region of practice, both in costume and dance style. New styles have evolved in the West as its popularity has spread globally. Belly Dance has: • Percussive movements - Staccato movements, most commonly of the hips, which can be used to punctuate the music or accent a beat. Typical movements in this group include hip drops, vertical hip rocks, outwards hip hits, hip lifts, and hip twists. Percussive movements using other parts … Read more
Mosaic Art with Patience
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance such as in a cathedral. Small pieces, mostly roughly square, of stone or glass of different colors, known as tesserae, (diminutive tessellae), are used to create a pattern or picture. The earliest known examples of mosaics made of different materials were found at … Read more
Pekmez Carob and Grape Molasses
The thick, sticky syrup from carobs and grapes. Molasses is a syrup that is made by boiling and thickening the grapes and similar fruits. The healthy components extracted from these fruits include disease-fighting antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Among several potential benefits, grape molasses may help restore iron in anaemic people; and a compound in carob molasses may benefit those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Grape molasses can be used to sweeten cookies, cakes and … Read more
Nowruz Ancient new year celebration
Nowruz, literally meaning 'a new day' is an ancient celebration day and a ritual celebrated by many nations and communities in a wide geographical region from Central Asia to the Balkans. Nowruz is a joyful celebration for the arrival of spring as the new year in the northern hemisphere, accompanied by unique cultural colors, beliefs and ceremonies. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical Northern equinox, which occurs on March 21. Nowruz has deep and rich roots as a festival and ritual … Read more
