Boiled eggs with golden yolks, fresh tomato wedges, plump olives and a glass of Turkish tea (çay) sit against the purply-blue of the Bosphorus, the strait that splits Turkey across two continents. The cover of Özlem Warren’s third cookbook, Istanbul: Delicious Recipes From the Heart of the City, is a beauty, one that thoroughly champions the joys of a Turkish breakfast spread.
“My favourite Turkish breakfast had to be there. It really is a very, very special meal. It is more than a meal, to be honest,” she says, smiling with joy. “The moment I touch down in Istanbul, the very first thing I dream about is gathering family and friends and heading down to the Bosphorus, to the breakfast houses and gözleme (Turkish flatbread) places, especially if it’s a weekend.
