Kahramanmaraş Dondurması - The Ice Cream that Seemingly Defies Physics

Many Turkish towns and cities are known for what they produce -Malatya for its apricots, Gaziantep for baklava, and Adana for its kebabs.  Kahramanmaraş is famous for its ice cream.

Just a regular, ol' slice of Maras ice cream - served plain and simple with a sprinkling of pistachio and some fruit syrups. 

 In the summertime you can find Kahramanmaraş ice cream sold by vendors in the popular tourist destinations in Istanbul.  They perform and entertain as much as they sell dondurma.  Their job is to make the ice cream do the seemingly impossible - pull it like taffy, spin it around like a rope and then play tricks on the tourists with the sticky mass that doesn't easily leave the spoon. 

This is ice cream unlike anything you have experienced. The traditional serving is plain ice cream with a sprinkling of powdered pistachio, served with a fork and knife, for it is not easily scooped with a spoon.  While it may sound unappetizing to eat such a hard, frozen mass it is in fact very smooth and melts like butter as soon as it hits the warmth of the tongue.  No need to greedily gulp down a cone of ice cream to prevent a sticky mess of melted syrup down your arm - Maras ice cream sits patiently in its cone, allowing  you to leisurely savor each creamy bit.

The rope-like texture of Maras ice cream needs to be cut with a knife, but why did they give a cleaver to that little girl?!?
(Image found here)

 The secret to Kahramanmaraş ice cream is the salep - or the dried, powdered root of an orchid that grows in Southern Turkey.  Salep is what gives this ice cream its incredible creamy flavor, and also these gravity-defying, melt-resistant qualities.

Illustrations  of the salep producing orchid, Orchis mascula
Image from this website, where you can buy harvested salep.   

 Salep is also used to make the warm, creamy drink sold around Turkey and many Arabic countries in the winter months. 

The orchid in the wild, Orchis mascula

Image via

Perhaps the orchids grow exceptionally well in the mountains surrounding Maras, or perhaps it is the famous ice cream maker, Mehmet Kanbur, who created the Mado ice cream brand, that makes Maras ice cream remarkable.

This video demonstrates how the ice cream is made by hand and in the factory, including an interview with Mehmet Kanbur, the owner of Mado.

 Whatever the reason, anyone from Maras will tell you that there is no other place in all of Turkey (and many will claim - the world), where you can get the same quality ice cream.  Some even claim that the Mado ice cream sold in the Istanbul cafés is not the same as the Mado ice cream savored in Maras.  It must be true because at the Maras airport you see just about every other passenger checking on a bag full of Styrofoam boxes packed with dry ice and - you guessed it - Maras ice cream.

The Mado store in the Maras airport - for those last minute, desperate ice cream purchases. 

Mado is by far the most popular brand, but there are several other cafes in Maras that sell similar ice cream.  Mado, however, has become a famous symbol of this amazing ice cream around Turkey and around the world.

Mado does not only sell ice cream, but also a wide variety of savory and sweet treats.  Just a glance into their many cafes will cause your blood sugar to peak and send your head spinning with so many options to try.  To make it easy on yourself, you can try the famous Mado brunch at their restaurant next to the Mado factory.  The price is a little steep (~27 TL per person) but you can try a variety of pastries, börek, homemade breads, jams and everything else and more that you would expect with a Turkish breakfast.

Very rustic and cozy ambiance at the original Mado Cafe.

For a smaller treat, we like to head to the several Mado cafes in the central part of Maraş.  There you can find the first Mado shop and it is full of memorabilia, old newspaper clippings, and antique Turkish housewares.  I tried out künefe for the first time in this café - cheese coated in small pasty threads, fried and covered in a sweet syrup - served, of course, with Maras ice cream on the side.

Künefe at the downtown Maras cafe

If I haven't convinced you that Maras ice cream is some of the best in the world, then I've failed miserably.  But it's your loss!  I know come June I'll be enjoying scoop after scoop - or more like - slice after slice of this delicious dondurma. 

To read more, here is an interesting article from a Turkish language website that highlights Maras icecream:

http://www.learningpracticalturkish.com/soft-ice-cream-business--006-08-08.html

Kahramanmaras: A Tale of Many Cities

I imagine that some of you out there have heard of Kahramanmaraş (especially in relation to Maraş dondurması), but I'm sure very few of you have ever been.  Maraş is not a tourist destination, and I think the locals like it that way.  Maraş is located in between two regions of Turkey - the Mediterranean region and Southeastern Turkey. 

Photo from allaboutturkey.com

Which region does it truly belong to?

The different regions of Maras, and location of the Maras municipality within Turkey
Photo from Wikipedia

I've been told this is a popular question on Turkish game shows - so I'll give you the official answer - it's the Mediterranean Region.  However, I'm sure an anthropologist could argue that culturally Maraş is more like Southeastern Turkey than the coastal towns along the sparkling blue Sea. 

Maraş has a long history that dates back over 4000 years to the Hittites, when the city was named "Maraj" after a Hittite commander.  The city was known as Gurgum during the reign of Sargon, an Assyrian king.  The Romans called it Germanicia and the Byzantines followed suit.  Then, when claimed by the Arabs it went back to the original name, which in Arabic was "Mer'ash".  The Seljuks and the Zülkadiroğullari also lived in this area before the Ottomans finally became the keepers of the land.   As a city on both the Silk Road and the Spice Road, many feet from many cultures have worn a path through Maraş and most likely shaped some aspects of the culture that remains today. (Information from the Tourism Guide of  Kahramanmaraş)

In the early and late 1900's Maraş became the focus of several important modern historical moments, and depending on your viewpoint, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…"

In the winter of 1920, the first major battle of the Turkish War of Independence took place in Maraş  which forced the French to retreat and astonished the Allied forces.  This was an important turning point for Turkish independence, and in 1973, the city of Maraş was transformed to  Kahramanmaraş by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, ("Kahraman" meaning hero)  to commemorate the victory against the French in the Turkish War of Independence. 

The statue near a main road entering the city that proudly displays the award given to Maras to commemorate the battle won during the Turkish War of Independence.
(Photo from http://www.hocam.com)

However, it wasn't all joy and celebration for everyone, as many Armenians that were living as refugees in Maraş were caught and targeted in the crossfire of this battle, and retreated with the French to suffer a long, cold march that ultimately took many more lives.

Then in 1978,  Kahramanmaraş fell into the spotlight with a dark deed - the massacre of leftist Alevis, that left 105 dead.  We were actually in Maraş this winter during the anniversary of this day.  The news portrayed peaceful meetings and reconciliation of the Sunni majority and Alevi minority, which are still present in Maraş. 

There is obviously much more to these time periods and to these historical events - but that's 4000 years of history summed up into a couple paragraphs.  I barely scratched the surface with these tidbits of history.  However, the events of the last century are the ones that I had heard about specifically, and now I'm fact checking on Wikipedia (I probably should find a more reliable source).  Yet, from what I can tell, they have played an important role in the way the Maraş people view themselves, and also how the rest of Turkey thinks of this growing city of now over 400,000 people. 

Even though I have now spent a total of 5-6 weeks in Maraş, I can say that I do not yet really "know" Maraş.  We have not explored all the historical and natural sites that would typically attract the tourists.  With these overlapping layers of history, it seems that they are still unearthing old mosaics and ancient buildings that were painted and built over in time.  You can learn more about this at the Maraş Archaeological Museum (where we happen to know the mosaic expert in residence :-) ).

Instead of exploring, our trips have been spent with family, which has introduced me to an entirely different Turkey and a wide array of modern and traditional Turkish customs. 

Yet, little by little, we have sampled some of the best spots to enjoy a nice tea, a sampling of sweet and savory pastries, a sizzling köfte, and a traditional Ottoman-style meal. 

The best place to enjoy tea - from the Teras Restaurant on top of one of the many mountains surrounding the city. They have many outdoor tables and areas to sit and enjoy a tea.

Inside the Teras restaurant you can still watch the city below out of the large windows that cover an entire wall of the building.  In summer they open them for a nice, fresh breeze.  The prices aren't bad either!

Mezes at Turaç Ocakbaşı- a restaurant in an old-restored Ottoman-style home complete with copper plates, cups, an old Ottoman stove, and antique decor.

The main dish of mixed grilled meats at Turaç - grilled over charcoal - yummy. 

 We've toured the local bazaar, where one can enjoy the beautiful creations from the famous coppersmiths of Maraş  or be dazzled by the blinding yellow light reflecting from the many gold shops.  We've enjoyed nargile and tea at the top of the Maraş castle.  We've tasted the local salep and enjoyed many, many scoops of the local ice cream- the best in Turkey.

The Maraş market - dried eggplants and peppers, sheepskin and floral dresses. 

A local Maraş coppersmith, sadly a dying tradition
From HakanIrfan's Flickr

The BEST Ice Cream in the World!  More to come about Mado in the next post. 

We've also hit up the city center, where you can find just about anything you need in all the modern stores and also enjoy traditional Turkish fare and décor at the original Mado restaurant. 

So I guess we have done a lot.  Yet, when I look at the Maraş Tourism Guide Book that I was given, I realize we haven't even begun to explore the Maraş region and all that it has to offer.  While watching all the beautiful winter sunsets I pondered what was beyond the city and I watched the sprinkling of lights come on in the mountains realizing that there are surely many beautiful things hidden in those folded hills, and maybe, just maybe, one day I'll get to see them.

The not so distant mountains of Maras - hoping one day I'll get to hike to the top. 

*More to come about Mado in the next post!*

To get to the Teras restaurant - you can use this location in google maps (37.60142861058348,36.912736031804016) - it will take you up a steep hill past a large forest and up to the top of the mountain/hill where the restaurant is located.  

The Turaç Ocakbaşı restaurant is located at Sait Zarifoğlu Bul. Dumlupınar Mahallesi, Orman Caddesi No:101

Phone number: 0344.214.14.83

Better yet - ask your hotel, local host or taxi driver to take you there.  It is near the city center and should be well known.

Hot off the e-presses: Activities and Strategies for Everyday Language Learners

Hot off the e-presses!  It's Activities and Strategies for Everyday Language Learners by Aaron Myers . 

I've been following the Everyday Language Learner blog for the past nine months or so, and it has had a profound effect on how I view the language learning process.  Aaron has a seemingly endless well of new ideas to improve language learning and to keep the drive to learn going strong.   As a subscriber to his regular emails and posts, I was offered an early opportunity to check out his new ebook Activities and Strategies for Everyday Language Learner on the Kindle.  It just released today live on his website and you can get the PDF version for FREE - yes, for FREE!  Check it out here. 

Aaron has compiled 55 tips, ideas and activities to help the self-directed language learners.  About a third of these ideas are for solo learning, another third will require the help of a native or expert speaker, and the remaining third are a combination of some general tips to create a language learning plan and stick to it, as well as some tips to take you out into the community and learning. 

The timing of this book could not be better for me.  I have been evaluating what I need to be doing to take my Turkish to the next level, and I recently decided to sign up for some private lessons with a Turkish tutor.  Now I am armed with 20 activities that I can bring to these lessons with a native speaker and get the most out of my para ($$).

The best part is, it doesn't matter if you are studying Turkish, Arabic, Spanish or French - these lessons are for anyone studying any language and they can work for many different levels.  Aaron's ideas and tips are universal, but his strong background in Turkish is definitely a bonus for us Turkish learners.

I know that it can seem overwhelming to put all that effort in, to really take hold of the reigns and lead yourself through a new language.   However, I think Aaron has that covered as well.  Here are some of my favorite posts of his related to making the time, finding the motivation and sticking with a plan.

Don't we all wish there were 25 hours in a day?  Well, unless the earth starts spinning slower, we're stuck with just 24.  Aaron has some ideas for making more time with the time we think we don't have enough of:

• The 25th Hour: 6 Ways to Find More Time

I just love the face of the kid on this post, he really does not want to read that book!  I feel that way sometimes.  I scowl at my Turkish textbook as it taunts me from the top of the dresser.  Some days we just can't do it - but here are some ways we can still keep touch with the language, even though we may not dare open a book:

•  12 Strategies for Reluctant Language Learners

I don't do resolutions, but I guess my goal this year is to really improve my Turkish so that I can finally have a real conversation with all of H.'s relatives.  I try to make myself accountable with Google calendar, but I think these three might work a little better - Ask Me Everyday, Lift, and Language Learning Log:

• Three Resources to Help You Stick With Your Plan in 2013

  I let most days go by without a word of Turkish, yet after reading Aaron's new ebook, I've realized I have no excuse to offer anymore.  He has many, many ideas for filling the small gaps in our days with language learning and with a little up-front effort, creating loads of materials to keep improving.