Serpme kahvaltı is a Turkish style of breakfast characterized by the fact that the food is not served on a single plate, but in a multitude of small bowls and plates spread across the entire table. You will find everything here from savory cheeses, olives, and fresh vegetables to hot pans with eggs and sweet treats in the form of honey and cream.
The word “kahvaltı” itself was formed by combining the words “kahve” (coffee) and “altı” (under or before). In literal translation, breakfast therefore means “meal before coffee”. Turkish coffee is strong, and drinking it on an empty stomach was not considered wise, hence the need to create a solid foundation to prepare the stomach for the caffeine intake. This type of breakfast has its roots in hospitality and rural life, where everything the farm currently offered was placed on the table.
Eggs are prepared either as menemen (scrambled with tomatoes and peppers) or as sunny-side-up eggs on sucuk or pastırma. The trick lies in the fact that the fat from the sausage renders out into the pan, and the eggs are subsequently fried in it.
Cheeses are often represented by basic white cheese (beyaz peynir) resembling feta, yellow kaşar, or regional specialties aged in skins or caves (such as Konya küflü). An important role is played by olives, which taste different in Turkey than those from the supermarket; they are meatier and often marinated in lemon and oil. The meat component is represented by sucuk (spicy beef sausage), pastırma (pressed and dried cured beef), or kavurma (pulled beef braised in its own fat).
The basic beverage of the breakfast is not coffee, but tea.
It is eaten slowly and non-linearly. There is no correct order of courses. One bite can be savory cheese with an olive, the second bread dipped in honey with cream. Bread, whether it is simit sprinkled with sesame seeds or fluffy bazlama, also serves as cutlery. It is torn by hand and used to mop up the bottom of the pans.
Serpme kahvaltı is a shared meal; everyone eats from common bowls.
With its concept of many small plates, this style of dining remotely resembles Spanish tapas. In terms of satiety and composition (eggs, cured meat, bread, tea), it bears comparison with the Full English Breakfast. However, the Turkish version is somewhat more varied thanks to the amount of fresh vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers) and cheeses, and feels less heavy on the stomach, although calorically it is quite comparable.
I experienced this opulent feast at the popular local spot Lazoğlu Kahvaltı Salonu (see Where to eat in Konya). The price per person was 325 TRY (7.60 EUR). It was a breakfast that far exceeded the standard breakfast norm. The dominant feature of the table was a pan with scrambled eggs on pastırma. With it, I nibbled on fresh bazlama, the crumb of which perfectly soaked up the grease from the pan. The table also featured a meat plate with cold sucuk and kavurma. The egg was hard-boiled and merely sprinkled with pepper and salt. A great experience was the local cheese küflü peynir. The conclusion belonged to the classic bal & kaymak (honey and kaymak). Taking a piece of warm bread, scooping up a dollop of thick cream, and pouring viscous honey with a piece of honeycomb over it, that is the definition of Turkish indulgence.
Bon appétit!
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