LAMB SKULL SOUP

With less than half of my month-long exploration throughout Turkey remaining, I found myself in the seaside town of Bodrum. This picturesque Mediterranean resort town is known for its night life and the Castle of St Peter, which houses the Underwater Archeology Museum. After a day of winding up the Aegean coast with views of quiet bays and unmarked ancient ruins I was ready for a hearty meal.

From my table on the beach I could see the castle lit up across the bay, and the Turkish music playing in the background was joined by the sound of the waves lapping ten feet away. The springtime evenings were still a little cool on the sea, so I decided to start with a bowl of soup. Looking down the list: tripe soup - gross; lentil - slightly better; tomato - that's too normal; kelle paça çorbasι: lamb skull soup - mmmm, now we are talkin'! I also ordered a glass of red wine to help wash the soup down - I'm not sure if red was the best type to pair with lamb skull soup, but seriously, what is?



What came was a grayish white, almost creamy, soup with bits of lamb meat in it and as I took my first spoonful I caught the waiter smiling a little too much out of the corner of my eye. He was so excited that a foreigner was trying his favorite specialty that I hardly had time to taste the rich but thin broth before he was hovering over me, asking how I liked it. Well, not wanting to insult the cook and risk getting sheep skull in all my other dishes I was on to the second bite to prove that I enjoyed it, and the next thing I knew, the waiter was gone and I was enjoying a great view with a tasty meal.

I'm not sure what the big deal was - after adding some garlic oil and a squeeze of a lemon it tasted just like chicken skull soup to me... : )





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