Van is supposedly renowned for its superior Kahvalti (breakfast), being one of the only places in Turkey with eateries solely dedicated to this. I’m sure this is usually the case, however yet again Ramazan intervened in my enjoyment of local cuisine. Only one of the kahvalti cafes was open, and I’m reasonably confident that what I had wasn’t the best of what Van has to offer. It did however give me the opportunity to sample a local delicacy, translated as grass cheese; essentially a cream cheese with a grassy herb mixed in. It was good, but the local honey stole the show, served draped over a small thin pancake.
What I have learned is that what passes for butter in these parts is best avoided. Resembling neither its yellow western counterpart nor the white clotted version available in other regions, it instead has the look of arterial build up and a taste which I imagine not dissimilar. Try spreading it on bread and it just crumbles into an unappealing powder.
