Turkish Bread and Pide

Turkish bread is nothing short of paradise to your taste buds! Whenever friends come to see us, one of the first things they want to do (apart from purchasing Efes Pilsen!) is go to the nearest little market or bakery and get some fresh bread. It's just so warm, crusty on the outside, hollow-sounding, soft-centred, light...the perfect bread. We're not being biased here. It's that good! 

Before we actually published the first post on this blog, we used to discuss what we would write about and Turkish bread has been on the list from that time. But, it's taken till now to do 'The Turkish Bread Post.' Why? Because it had to be the right time; a time when bread was in the forefront of our minds.

A good Turkish bakery should only have a few loaves in the window. the rest should be bought before they get there!

Turkey is full of local bakeries. Find yourself a good bakery in your local area and

Today's Turkey: "Synthesis of Islam and liberalism?

Piety And Pluralism


Liberal democracy can grow on Muslim soil if neither Islamists nor secular strongmen are allowed to mix religion with politics.

By MATTHEW KAMINSKI

Modern Turkey dazzles the eye and addles the mind. With growth in double digits and shiny new buildings everywhere, the old "sick man of Europe" looks more like a Eurasian China—though with minarets, an aggressive media and free elections. The man who oversaw this rebirth, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, began his political career from within Turkey's Islamist movement. He won a third term in June in a landslide, campaigning with an iPad in one hand and prayer beads in the other. In recent years he has sidelined the powerful Turkish military and sought to loosen decades-old restrictions on traditional Muslim dress. Some of his opponents are in jail on treason charges. Critics call him a dictator and an Islamist. His supporters credit him with the country's economic miracle and its new openness to democratic principles.

So which is it? To find an answer, a good place to start is Mustafa Akyol's "Islam Without Extremes." A columnist for English-language papers in Turkey, Mr. Akyol offers a delightfully original take on Turkey and on the prospects for liberal democracy in the broader Islamic Middle East. Throughout the 20th century, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries were offered a choice between secular and religious authoritarianism. What the Muslim world needs, he says, is a "synthesis of Islam and liberalism." Today's Turkey comes

American expats: Turkey doesn’t need EU

As negotiations for Turkey’s EU bid drag on into their the sixth year, American expats told Sunday’s Zaman that they do not see EU accession in the near future.

American expats also argued, however, that with its economy forging ahead, Turkey does not actually need to join the club. As non-Europeans and non-Turks, Americans have an interesting third-party role. Where Americans in general may not have any “skin in the game” of Turkey’s EU bid, Americans living in Turkey not only interact with Turks everyday but also are members of the society. No polls or studies on the public opinion of foreigners now living in Turkey exist; therefore, Sunday’s Zaman sat down with a few American expats who work for a multinational or international group to chat about current Turkey-EU affairs. When Harvard University graduate Gillian Morris first came to Turkey in 2007, she said she full-heartedly believed Turkey would be the EU’s 28th member. Morris, an economic analyst at an international consultancy firm, said, “I was very optimistic, perhaps slightly naïve then.”