Euro trip food post: Macedonian segment

[amw]

I have been pondering how and when to do some kind of food post about my time in Macedonia and Greece. While i was working i often forgot to take photos because i was with colleagues, and when i wasn't working i didn't get a lot of good shots anyway because i ate outdoors where the lighting wasn't great. But aside from that, the food in Macedonia

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[geminiwench]

Mediterranean food is my favorite group of ingredients/flavors.

Lots of fresh-produce, fresh flavors.... and as you know, not every place is very interested (or historically able) to do that. But yeah... also a people who think onion, garlic, black pepper and basic red chili is "hot"... which I admit, is totally my level of pleasure-spicy.

I love a pastry and I hear Greece isn't France or Italy but... they have more sesame/honey/nut pastries that I gravitate toward.

[amw]

I used to think all Mediterranean food was pretty much the same, but i think traveling in Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey has changed my mind on that, because they're all quite different from one another, and they all differ again from what I've had from North African and Levantine restaurants overseas. In particular, Greece is the least spicy of the lot. What i wonder is if there's something intrinsically Greek about the aversion to spice, or if it's a style of seasoning that developed along with the tourist industry, like trying to be as broadly inoffensive as possible. Unfortunately i didn't really have enough time there to visit more different places and get a better sense for it

[geminiwench]

I appreciate getting to travel "along with you" on these adventures and I love your food posts!

[terminal_ennui]

Was it pomegranate molasses? I buy a bottle of that every couple of years (because it lasts forever) and it’s also fucking FIRE in a seltzer water (with or without the addition of vodka).

I think the best meal I’ve had in my life was at some stupid tourist restaurant in Turkey somewhere around Ephesus; can only imagine how much better leaving the tourist path would be.

[amw]

Yes, that's the stuff! Isn't it great? I am still surprised i've never had it before. Maybe it has been used on dishes i ordered in the past and i just didn't know what it was?

I would love to visit Turkey again. When i visited with dad it was only for a few days and even though i hated the touts, scammers and aggressive misogyny (primarily coming from what i assume to be Arab tourists), i also left thinking Istanbul was the city of the future. It just felt so much more vibrant than European cities.

Since then Erdoğan has been busy chasing out artists and journalists and other free thinkers, so i'm not sure it'll feel the same, but as far as Muslim-majority countries outside of Central and Southeast Asia go it seems like one of the least awful to visit as a solo woman traveler. I remember really liking the food!

[nahele_101]

I like how you mixed politics with the food and history here. It's really interesting to read. Hummus makes the world better.

Is the coffee dark or light roast? I have this impression that all coffee from that area is really dark, heavy, with lots of fine grinds in it.

[amw]

Good question