Turkish Culture
Turkey is famous for its yogurt and dairy industry, boasting the largest number of cows in Europe. Every little household in the outlying village has one or two cows. Any milk, which is not consumed by the household, is sold to the village collective who then sells it onto the major dairy producers. Even the Turkish Government get involved by offering a free stud service to cow owners, with the intent on breeding better milkers.
‘Danone’ a major world force in yogurt production is very prominent in Turkey. Yet, Danone produces yogurt for the mass consumer market and therefore not in line with some of the allergy protocols kept by Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) sufferers. Lactose, which is contained in milk, can cause problems for those who cannot break down this complex carbohydrate (disaccharide consistent of galactose and glucose). Yogurt has to be fermented 24 hours for it to be rendered virtually lactose free by the good bacteria. As this 24-hour fermentation period is not economical for commercial producers, yogurt has to be homemade.
On a recent trip to Turkey, I hired a guide for an exploration into Turkish yogurt culture. My dashing guide Suat from Harmony Travel in Bodrum had received instructions from me that I wished to see what normal tourists do not get to see and that it should have to do with yogurt. Obviously used to unusual requests he did not blink an eye. We set off to our first destination, an old school friend who lived in a nearby village with his family. Obviously having called ahead, we were greeted by the whole family including Sevdiye the mother. She was delighted that I was so interested in her yogurt making and had prepared a batch for us to taste. She explained that in Turkish folklore it was said that one day a shepherd had left out a batch of sheep’s milk overnight and that when he returned to it in the morning it had fermented and set into what is today know as yogurt. This story could very well be true, as scientists believe that the wild bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus would have been one of the first bacteria to be used in yogurt fermentation. This strain of bacteria, in conjunction with Streptococcus thermophilus and sometimes Acidophilus, is still used in yogurt production today.
Turkish people use yogurt for just about anything from fixing a sore tummy to inducing a good night’s rest. It is the first food given to infants outside of breast milk and a cup of yogurt is consumed at night for strong healthy bones and a restful night’s sleep. The mythical benefits of yogurt date back to the sixteenth century and have been substantiated through various clinical tests since. A recent study cited in the International Journal of Obesity has found that yogurt can support weight loss and another study conducted in 2006 found that probiotics such as the ones contained in yogurt have an emerging role in the treatment of gastrointestinal infections especially in infants. The study showed that infants who were given infant formula supplemented with Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus the incident of diarrhoea was 24 per cent less than those who were given straight formula. Dr. Jimmy K Limdi of Fairfield Hospital Bury, Lancashire in the United Kingdom notes in his article ‘Do probiotics have a therapeutic role in gastroenterology?’ (2006) that in countries, such as Netherlands and Finland, where large quantities of yogurt are consumed colon cancer risk is much lower. The same goes for Turkey where the incidence of colon cancer is also low (European Journal of Epidemology).
Sevdiye was kind enough to demonstrate and explain her yogurt making procedure and I was pleased to find out it was the same way I made yogurt, bar a few minor exceptions. Like most villager she still used a fire fueled with olive tree timber in her back yard and a pot that looked like it had been around since that first shepherd’s accidental yogurt-making day. She brought out some yogurt that had been setting overnight for us to taste. It tasted wholesome and delicious. She said she also made her own butter and gave us some to taste. If only I could keep a couple of cows on my back terrace in Sydney… 
Suat beckoned us to come to the village co-operative hall. Suat’s friend Osman is the chairman of the co-operative. Here all the village women present their homemade Turkish carpets, which range from $500 to $50,000. Those made from pure silk are of luminous beauty, as the surface of the silk shows an amazing colour change. These silk rugs can contain up to 500 double kpsi (knots per square inch), which is nearly 1 million per square meter. They are true works of art.
After we viewed these fine pieces of art, I am tempted to sell the family home for one of these wonders, but am convinced by my partner not to do so. Osman’s wife has arranged for a true Turkish village feast, and as with all meals, yogurt is one of the main dishes. We are served Cacik, Kebak yemegi, Zeytinyagli taze fasulye, Meneme, Tavuk kavurma and a salad. Somehow, this food tastes better than any I have tasted yet in Turkey and I beg Osman’s wife Emine for the recipes (see below). 
Reluctantly we began our journey back home and I arranged to meet Suat the next day, when he will take me to a local market. He tells me that this is where villagers come from all over to sell their home grown and homemade wares and he says I will find lots of yogurt there.
True enough, the next day we arrive at Milas. Mylasa, as it was known used to be the capital of the Kingdom of Caria and today it is a quiet agricultural town and quite close to Bodrum airport. Once per week the local market operates in Milas and to my surprise, it spans several blocks, selling everything from clothing, carpets and kitchen utensils to fresh produce. There are growers who produce mountains of beans, strawberries and cherries and various other fruits and vegetables. And there are simple village folk who come to sell homemade soaps and yogurt of course. I become excited and start to pull my wallet out, as I want to buy some cherries. Suat pushes my hand back indicating that I should wait. He leads me around the market stalls and then approaches a cherry vendor. He begins to haggle. The market stall owner looks indignant. I am guessing he is telling Suat that he has ten children and wonders how he is going to feed them if he Suat is offering him such a low price for the very best cherries in the market. Finally, they come to an arrangement and I end up paying $2.50 per kilo of cherries. I buy three kilos. As we go through the market I realize I am about to buy much more than we can carry, so we purchase a little trolley for $5 and Suat happily wheels it along for me. I am excited to see so many little stalls with containers of yogurt resting in watery whey that it is hard to decide who to buy from. 
The yogurt is thick and has been dripped, but still tastes sweet and strong. We also buy some yogurt that has most of the moister dripped out of it and is crumbly like feta. Most of the yogurts are made from cows milk, but sheep and water buffalo is also available. 
Finally, we have seen all there is to see and we decide to have lunch at a little restaurant owned by a friend of Suat’s. Ali’s restaurant is called Oren and is just a little hole in the wall, right beside the entrance to the market. He serves us with some Aryan, which is Turkey’s national beverage made from yogurt, water and a pinch of salt. Again, we are served with some delicious Turkish cuisine and our four-course lunch cost all of $20 for the both of us.
Everything about Turkey has been wondrous. It is a down-to-earth culture perhaps in its cultural context what life was like about 40 years ago and in some areas perhaps even more than 100 years ago. The food is simple and delicious; the people are friendly and forthcoming. There is a richness to life in Turkey that is expressed by its history and its very fine art in fabric design and ceramics. Yogurt is, as it seems, the least of all of these wonders, yet it permeates throughout every household and is an integral part of the daily ritual of meal taking. These people do not need to be told by scientists that yogurt is full of good bacteria that will keep them healthy; they have much better authority than that, centuries of anecdotal evidence!
