Lunch at Safranbolu

OFF TRACK

Kastamonu is a beautiful hilly and forested province situated in the Black Sea region of the country. Our hosts informed us that we would be stopping for lunch at a town called Safranbolu. Having seen some really beautiful wild locations, we were expecting a typical small town, an average ‘lunch stop’ place.

What we encountered took us completely by surprise. Safranbolu derives its name from saffron, as it has a history of being the hub of saffron trade. It is located in the Karabük province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Its former Turkish names were Zalifre and Tarakliborlu. Safranbolu served as a significant caravan station on the East-West route through the 13th century to the early 20th century. At the peak of its glory in the 17th century, Safranbolu was the inspiration for much of the urban development that took place in Turkey.

Safranbolu has hosted many civilisations throughout history, including the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman Empires. During the Ottoman era, the town besides being part of the important silk route was also a favourite place of residence for many of the Ottoman royalty.

This town was added to the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites in 1994, particularly for its well-preserved houses from the Ottoman period in Turkish history. This has been an incentive to preserve the traditional art and architecture of the town and also to encourage traditional crafts. Many of the old houses have now been converted into inns or showrooms for these crafts.

Our lunch was in an extremely gracious house (what once must have been the residence of some rather prosperous Turk!), with white walls, red-tiled roof and brown-framed windows. An entire ground floor room had an enormous indoor pool by the side of which one was expected to have tea. In the olden days this indoor water body must have helped as a cooling system for the house.

Lunch was served in the garden under the trees on white clothed tables. One could not have asked for a more idyllic setting where we sat in the mild sunshine and started on our lunch with soup and freshly baked bread.

The soup was delicious and very typically Turkish. It was made with yogurt and rice as the base and delicately flavoured with saffron and other spices. There were several courses, but what stood out was our favourite dish of dolma that consists of grape leaf rolled and wrapped around a delicious mince lamb filling and topped with yoghurt. We could not have enough of this.

We had limited time and having skipped the ceremonious tea by the pool, we decided to walk around the town through the paved streets. It felt like being transported back in time. Everything had a quaint look about it. Turkish men sat on the sidewalk chatting or drinking the inevitable cup of Turkish chai.

The tea in Turkey is grown on the Black Sea coast. Despite its popularity and widespread consumption, tea is a recent entrant into Turkish culture.

Coffee became expensive as an import after the World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Tea was encouraged as a cheaper home grown option. Tea in Turkey is traditionally prepared using two stacked kettles. Water boils in the larger lower kettle and is poured into the smaller kettle on top with several teaspoons of tea leaves. The remaining water is used to dilute the tea individually.

We settled ourselves at one of the sidewalk cafes and soaked in the ambience of this historic place. We too sipped the tea in transparent little glass cups, holding them by the rim so that we don’t burn our hands. Unfortunately, this experience had to be prematurely terminated with requests to immediately hop on to our bus. The window seat allowed me a chance to bid a warm farewell to this enchanting town with its old-fashioned charm, red-tiled roofs and cobbled streets, a place that has not only held on to its old architecture and but also to the atmosphere. Towns like this are fast becoming a rarity in Turkey today as traditional buildings get replaced by modern structures.