Salatalık as Snack

There are Americans who will not eat green things. I know this from experience. Turks are not afraid of green things. On the contrary -- Turks embrace vegetables, they adore vegetables. In Turkey you're never far from a good salad. Because we love vegetables too, we adore Turks for this.

Take the humble salatalık (cucumber). In Turkey the cucumber is not a vegetable to merely chop into a salad, preserve into a pickle, or stir into yogurt for a side dish. It is a delicacy that can stand on its own, savored on the street. And not just by adults either -- kids love 'em.

All over Istanbul -- and in Gaziantep as well -- we found men pushing carts loaded with golf course-green vegetal missiles awaiting the skinning and salting that would render them deserving of the moniker 'Snack'.

Some salatalık carts attract more traffic than others.

This vendor, parked in the middle of the Sunday flea market next to Beyazit Mosque, enjoyed steady business while another on the opposite side of the square stood idle. Why?

Maybe it was the come-hither appearance of his product, kept cool and glistening with regular splashes of water . Perhaps his salatalık tasted better than those of his rival, and word had spread 'round the market from prayer beads seller to used mobile phone purveyor to junk hawker.

It could also have been a bordering-on-showy way with the vegetable peeler, that seemed to inspire in bystanders equal measures of awe and admiration.

In the twenty minutes that we meandered the market this guy's veg stash was reduced by half. Peeled, sliced horizontally, barely to the base, into 4 petals, tuzsuz (without salt -- the harsh commercial salts used by these guys are to be avoided), .5 Turkish lira (32 American cents).

It was indeed a very good salatalık.

Cucumber vendor, Istanbul anywhere.

Comments

[Turkey's For Life]

Fantastic isn't it! We very rarely ate cucumbers before we moved to Turkey. They are just so much more crunchy here compared to England. AND much, much cheaper.

It's a great sight to see the kids chomping on them here.

[Ahmet C. Toker]

it surely was 50 turkish kurus :). 50 lira is like 30 dolars.

another use of cucumbers in turkey from my childhood days. cut a fresh one into two, and rub it around your neck. it sure does smell like one of your dad's perfumes. i am not kidding.

[the lacquer spoon]

Cucurbitaceous vegs are consumed a lot during summer, but looks really interesting to munch on fresh cucumbers on the street. Natural water bottle like coconuts :)

[Karen Coates]

This makes me think of a hot, bumpy bus ride we took en route to Phongsali, in northern Laos. In the middle of nowhere, in a pretty green valley, was a long row of highway vendors selling giant, juicy cucumbers. The driver stopped and everyone jumped out to buy a bag of cukes. By the time we took off again, the bus had filled with the sucking, smacking sounds of so many people eating whole cucumbers, one at a time.

[Sticky]

without the showy peeling demo, cucumbers are enjoyed simply in Hanoi, too. A street-side tea stand always has cucumbers available, which can be quartered lengthways, put on a plate and served with chili salt.

[Robyn]

TFL - Same here, in the US, but bec cukes often don't have much flavor there. These are fantastic, and actually I don't mind leaving the skin.

Ahmet - Context! I converted to 32 cents so obviously I didn't *mean* 50 lira. But the missing decimal point is now there, so thanks. My dad doesn't wear perfume but that's really interesting, about rubbing cucumber on your neck. Slices of chilled cucumbers placed over the eyes are also supposed to reduce puffiness! All in all a very reviving veggie.

lacquer spoon - and like watermelon. It's very refreshing. And thanks for teaching me a new word today: Cucurbitaceous.

Karen - a scene you would never encounter on a bus in the US. Or anywhere in the US.

Sticky - Oh, I'd love it with chili salt. I'd be having one of those at least once a day if I lived in Hanoi.

[Ben H.]

I eat cucumbers as snacks here in the states and I often get weird looks as I walk between classes with my green snack. Turkey looks fantastic and I hope I can go someday!

[Cookware Hampshire]

I too am a fan of the humble cucumber and it's nice to see that in some places it gets the recognition it deserves. Unfortunately the closest I've been to Turkish culture is Northern Cyprus and I have to say I didn't encounter the same 'showy' cucumber stands. Just the usual run of the mill roasted nut carts. It all looks great though and the photos are brilliant. Thanks for sharing!

John.