This might be Türkiye’s vegan paradise

A Taste of İzmir

In my YouTube series Vegan Cultures, I travel to different corners of the world with one simple mission: everything I eat must be traditionally plant-based. This episode is the last of four from my visit to Türkiye that has sent me from buzzing İstanbul to the Aegean coast.

One of the highlights in this new episode demanded a 4AM alarm… and it was well worth it. In İstanbul, I had already admired the mountains of Simit - the famous sesame-crusted bread found on almost every corner - and often on top of vendors’ heads as they carry them through the streets. In İzmir, though, it goes by another name: Gevrek. The two are close cousins but locals will tell you Gevrek is darker, crunchier and owes its extra depth of flavour to a brief bath in molasses water before it hits the blazing oven. It emerges crisp, chewy and fragrant with toasted sesame. Perfect on its own, but even better with a swipe of red pepper paste and a steaming cup of Turkish tea. To see how it’s made, I braced the early alarm clock and joined the bakers of a local institution for their daily shift.

But that’s not all I discovered along the Aegean coast. If you’ve caught any of my previous Türkiye episodes, you’ll know the country is a surprisingly rich treasure trove of naturally vegan dishes, more than most people - myself included - ever expected. What I learned is that much of Turkish cuisine is perfectly tuned to the seasons. Zeytinyağlılar, for instance, is an entire category of vegetable dishes that are cooked with olive oil instead of animal fats, which is why most of them happen to be plant-based. Here, the seasonal veg proudly takes centre stage and needs little else to shine. Intrigued what this kind of Turkish cuisine would look like? You’ll find some recipes here.

A very important note

Speaking of Türkiye, anyone who’s been there has probably noticed the many stray cats. There’s a common misconception that these animals live happy, cared-for lives, loved and fed by locals. While it’s true that many people have big hearts and offer food, the reality is much harsher. The stray population is large and growing, and most face daily struggles with illness, injury and hunger. Life on the streets is a constant fight to survive.

During my time in İstanbul and İzmir, I saw this harsh reality up close: countless cats sick, injured and painfully thin. With little to no sterilisation outside of a few small charities, the stray population keeps growing. Most of the care falls to underfunded charities and a handful of dedicated rescuers, many working completely alone. One of them is Sule, who runs a local rescue called Help A Stray all by herself. Just a few months ago, my girlfriend adopted a cat Sule saved from the streets, who’s now slowly taking over my spot on the sofa as I write this, see exhibit A.

Every donation, no matter how small, helps keep Sule’s rescue going. Even sharing her work raises awareness and support. She’s stepping in where the system falls short, and your contribution can save more cats like O’Malley.

From the Archive

The Zeytinyağlılar Edition

Hope you enjoyed this week’s round up and the latest Vegan Cultures episode. See you next Friday for a new recipe. Have a good one!

Much love,
Julius