beats swimming in the deep blue sea and sun- bathing on the fantastic beaches of this district, though Urla is also a regular destination for gour- mets. The town is famous for grapes and wine, and artichoke specialities, while it is also home to the first olive oil atelier in Anatolia. Olives are an essential ingredient in Turkish cuisine, while Turkiye has also become one of the world’s five largest producers of olive oil. This can be partly attributed to the Mediterranean climate and the fact that central Anatolia, Asia Minor, is said to have been the birthplace of the olive tree. And while we’re on the subject of olives and oil, it is interesting to note that olive oil produ- ction in this region is mostly entrusted to wo- men, but also that I witnessed the testing of this oil that appeared to be carried out in the same way that wines are tested, but also in a comple- tely different way. The oil is poured into a glass and first heated with the palm of the hand, then covered with the palm of the other hand and smelled. We correctly guessed the smells, sen- sing the aromas picked up by the olives in di- fferent oils: tomato, mowed hay, artichoke etc. Next you take a sip, stick your tongue to the ro- of of your mouth and slurp until the oil scratches and burns at the base of your throat and cau- ses your eyes to water. The more your eyes wa- ter, the better the oil and the higher its content of essential amino acids – everything that ma- kes it “liquid gold”. We tried five or six types, ni- bbling green apples between the oils in order to neutralise the flavours, and departed Urla fee- ling enriched by an unforgettable experience. KUŠADASI I na kraju, ponovo na more, u dobro poznati, lepi Kušadasi u kom se plavo nebo stapa sa Egejskim morem i gde su zadivljujuci zalasci sunca svakod- nevna pojava. Večerali smo u jednom od niza fenomenalnih restorana, uživa- li u plodovima mora, ali o gastronomiji nekom drugom prilikom. Ona zavređu- je poseban tekst... KUŞADASI And to conclude, let’s head back to the coast, to the well-known and beautiful Kuşadası, where the blue sky entices the Aegean and breathtaking sunsets are a daily occurrence. We had dinner in one of this resort’s numerous phe- nomenal restaurants, enjoyed seafood specialities, but we’ll address the local gastronomy another time. It deserves its own article...
URLA I TESTIRANJE ULJA Sledeća stanica – Urla. Sa duhovnih i istorij- skih visina spuštamo se na ona čulna, ovoze- maljska, u kraj koji se može pohvaliti najboljim maslinovim uljem na svetu. Urla, strateški pri- morski grad koji je tokom istorije ugostio ra- zličite civilizacije, vredi posetiti jer nema ništa bolje od kupanja u dubokom plavom moru, na fantastičnim plažama ovog kraja, ali Urla je takođe česta destinacija za gurmane. Grad je poznat po grožđu i vinu, jelima pripremljenim od artičoke, a tu je i prva fabrika za proizvod- nju maslinovog ulja u Anadoliji. Masline su i inače suštinski element turske kuhinje, a Tur- ska je postala jedan od pet najvecih proizvo- đača maslinovog ulja u svetu. Ovo se delom može pripisati mediteranskoj klimi i činjeni- ci da se priča kako je baš centralna Anadolija rodno mesto maslinovog drveta. A kad smo kod maslina i ulja, zanimljivo je zna- ti da se u ovom kraju proizvodnjom uglavnom bave žene, ali i da sam prisustvovala testira- nju ulja, baš kao što se to obično čini sa vini- ma. Samo ipak sasvim drugačije. U čašici se ulje prvo dlanom zagreje, poklopi se drugim dlanom, a onda pomiriše. Pogađali smo miri- se – osećali u različitim uljima arome koje su masline pokupile – paradajz, pokošeno seno, artičoke... Onda se uzme jedan gutljaj, jezik zalepi za nepca i srče, dok vas ulje ne zagrebe i opeče po dnu grla i ne krenu vam suze od to- ga. Što više plačete, uslovno rečeno, to je ulje bolje i punije esencijalnih kiselina, svega onoga što ga čini „tečnim zlatom“. Probali smo pet-
šest, između ulja jeli zelene jabuke da bismo neutralisali ukuse i otišli iz Urle bogatiji za jedno nezaboravno iskustvo. URLA AND OIL TESTING Next stop: Urla. We descend from spiritual and historical heights to sensual, earthly ones; to an area that can boast of producing the world’s best olive oil. Urla is a strategic coastal town that has welcomed various civilisations throughout its history and is worth visiting because nothing
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