Turkish Coffee | Episode 1: How did Turkey's staple foods become 'posh'?

In Turkish Coffee's Duvar English debut, Aygen Aytaç and Nazlan Ertan discuss the steep hike in food prices, COVID-19-related unemployment in the food industry and rich local cuisines in Turkey. Each week, Nazlan and Aygen will discuss socio-economic issues in Turkey, as well as lifestyles, cultural peculiarities, arts and literature.

Friday February 05 2021 11:28 am

Duvar English

In their Duvar English debut episode, Aygen Aytaç and Nazlan Ertan dissect the impact of sky-rocketing food prices on Turkish people's eating habits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inflation in Turkish food prices rose more than 20 percent in the first month of 2021, causing producers, vendors and the state blaming each other for the steep price hikes.

As a result, families in Turkey report that essential goods that are exported like baby food have become luxury items. Perhaps more surprisingly, prices of basic groceries like as herbs and greens have reportedly also rose out of the reach of the average household.

What is the impact of the pandemic in our food yearnings? How have poor boy's meals of the past become the posh dishes of today? And can anyone – from Turks to Africans to Middle Eastern people – agree on the origins of their favorite dish?

Each week during Turkish Coffee, Nazlan and Aygen will discuss socio-economic issues in Turkey, as well as lifestyles, cultural peculiarities, arts and literature.