In the western parts of Turkey olive trees grow abundantly and this cuisine is very rich in olive oil, vegetables, fish, and herbs. An important factor for the Izmir cuisine is the very rich combination of a perfect climate with the trade routes and the migrations. The first Turkish recipe book was written during Umurbey’s time in Aydınoğlu principality that lived in the İzmir area before the Ottomans. Wild asparagus, artichokes, zucchini blossoms…every season in Izmir has a different flower in an astonishing natural environment that surrounds the city. Very traditional in Izmir are also the mussels that you can eat cooked with rice, usually served with lemon juice. A traditional pastry, instead, is called Boyoz and it’s definitely a symbol of the city. It is possible to find also something very similar to Boyoz in Chile, Peru, and Mexico. Probably it has Judeo-Spanish roots and it was a contribution to Sephardic Jews evicted from Spain after 1492 who settled in Ottoman cities. It is usually eaten with a hard-boiled egg with salt and black pepper.

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