As we celebrate Easter here in Istanbul, it is a reminder that we are fortunate, blessed beyond measure. Though we may be hundreds of miles from our home church, our families and loved ones, and the Easter bunny as we know it, we find that celebrating the resurrection of Christ can be done in our hearts. It certainly helps to share good food in great company though!
This Easter we celebrated by attending Easter morning Mass at Istanbul's second largest Cathedral, St. Esprit Church or Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (see map below). The church happens to be in our lovely, old neighborhood of Pangaltī in Osmanbey. Pangaltī is a brisk 50 minute walk from our current apartment in Gayreteppe, and this morning we ventured on said walk with mass in our sights.
This Easter we celebrated by attending Easter morning Mass at Istanbul's second largest Cathedral, St. Esprit Church or Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (see map below). The church happens to be in our lovely, old neighborhood of Pangaltī in Osmanbey. Pangaltī is a brisk 50 minute walk from our current apartment in Gayreteppe, and this morning we ventured on said walk with mass in our sights.
Mass began promptly at 10AM and, like many Catholic churches on Easter and Christmas, the church was packed to the brim, but what it lacked in seating it made up for with spirited singing and unity. I say 'unity' not only in the sense that most in attendance are Catholic in this predominantly Muslim country, but more so in that the church had a congregation unlike any other I've seen. This congregation was made up of mostly ex-pats from the Philippines, Western and Eastern African countries, and a handful of Western Europeans. It was another world inside this huge metropolitan city. During mass we sang songs in Latin, English, Tagalog, and what I think may have been an African language.
The church itself was beautiful, inside and out; it built in Baroque style in 1846 under the direction of the Swiss-Italian architect Giuseppe Fossati. St. Esprit has been a destination of several papal visits to Turkey, including those of Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI.
After mass, we wanted to stop by our favorite bakery in Pangaltī, Harbiye Firin. When we lived near here, there was never a day when we did not smell the heavenly scent of freshly baked treats wafting out of its doors and onto the sidewalks of Pangaltī. It was difficult to not indulge daily on their baked goods, everything is delicious!
The church itself was beautiful, inside and out; it built in Baroque style in 1846 under the direction of the Swiss-Italian architect Giuseppe Fossati. St. Esprit has been a destination of several papal visits to Turkey, including those of Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI.
After mass, we wanted to stop by our favorite bakery in Pangaltī, Harbiye Firin. When we lived near here, there was never a day when we did not smell the heavenly scent of freshly baked treats wafting out of its doors and onto the sidewalks of Pangaltī. It was difficult to not indulge daily on their baked goods, everything is delicious!
Today, we ordered two of our usuals: zeytinli açma (olive bread) and üzüm çerez (raisin scone). We also picked up an Easter favorite for Greeks and Armenians: Paskalya Çoregi (literally, Easter bread). This Easter bread reminds my spouse and me of a braided Swedish cardamom wreath that I make every year from my grandmother's recipe.
Paskalya Çoregi is a braided, yeast bread made with the mahlep spice. A fellow cook here in Turkey has posted her recipe for Paskalya Çoregi. It is a straight forward recipe worth a try and leaves your home smelling of warm, fragrant mahlep.
In preparation for Easter, a few other splurge items were purchased (bacon and avocado). Bacon is outrageously expensive at $25 USD per pound and is somewhat difficult to find here too. Our breakfast spread included two other Turkish breakfast regulars: çoban salatī (tomato and cucumber salad) and kaymak (clotted cream) served with honey.
I even baked off a speciality dessert by request - classic cheesecake! A traditional cheesecake takes adequate preparation in America, here in Turkey it takes double the time from sampling krem peynir (cream cheese) to hunting down the perfect faux-graham cracker. Check my recipes page for my attempt at making a Turkish cheesecake!
Wishing all a blessed, happy, and delicious Easter!
Wishing all a blessed, happy, and delicious Easter!