Turkey: The Undiscovered Treasure

An affordable getaway where beautiful food is at the top of the order: not to mention the sun and beaches.

There are many popular destinations in Turkey such as Marmaris, Bodrum and Istanbul. However the places to go for fine dining are the small picturesque villages. On the menu is Dalyan, situated in the Southern city of Dalaman.

Coming into Dalyan there are restaurants lining the streets, all with a friendly waiter at your service. The choice is endless and if you plan on staying a week, you can count on having a different place to eat day and night (unless one in particular really attracts your taste buds).

In the morning, waking up to a cool breeze and sunrays, many would see it as impossible to beat an English breakfast; this however, is where Daylan comes into its own. With a menu of endless choices in your hands, it is hard to choose exactly what you desire.

The best choice however has to be the buffet service, which consists of fresh fruit salad, cereal, omelette or fried eggs, cheese rolls, fried triangular parcels, bread and jam with as much coffee, tea, and fruit squash as you want.

If you want to dine in Turkish tradition a good breakfast choice is Terine, simply put, it is cheese on toast with a meat of your choice. However the way it is cooked and presented glorifies its simplicity and enhances the flavours.

At night the choice of restaurants is exciting. A custom to the restaurants is the free, freshly baked bread; accompanied by a creamy, garlic sauce. The river borders many of the restaurants; with the famous rock tombs lit up as you sit down to eat. If it’s fish you are looking for there’s no better place to go than the Kordon restaurant.

Whilst the menu contains your standard foods for those who don’t want to stray too far from home, it is also filled with exotic dishes. The special is a shared platter of various meats or fishes.

The meat platter offers chicken, famous Turkish kofte meatballs, lamb kebabs, powdered with Turkish spices and marinated in a sauce of your choice.

The fish platter is full of complimenting flavours, there’s sea bass, tuna, bream, haddock and lemon sole, all freshly caught and cooked to a tender perfection.

Another special, original dish is the Ali Nazik which is a must try. It consists of mincemeat, eggplant, yogurt and garlic, flavours that mix into a one great taste.

Dalyan is also known for its blue crab. After experiencing a boat trip where you actually catch the crab, you can be assured it is the freshest around.

Whilst the restaurants provide everything you need, going on one of the Dalyan’s boat trips will introduce you to fresh, perfected barbequing. After viewing the turtles and fishing for crab (which you can eat later) it is time for the climax.

A dome of rice, chicken and beef accompanies freshly shredded salad, dashed in olive oil. For many this is the best meal to be eaten throughout the holiday. The whole experience costs £10 per person, there’s no reason not to.

Moving onto dessert, it would be hard to wander away from the Turkish delight but there are shops full of the sweet treat in every flavour imaginable. If you can prize yourself away from the delight, try the Baklava, a rich, sweet pastry made from layers of dough filled with chopped nuts, sweetened with syrup or honey.

With food of the highest quality, it is a pleasant surprise to see the value for money being so good. Each restaurant covers traditional foods from America, Italy, Mexico, India and China. Yet trying the Turkish traditional foods encapsulates the whole experience and will leave you wanting more.