Pekmez (pehk-mehz)
Language: Turkish
Meaning: Molasses
Specifically, pekmez is fruit molasses. It’s like a really thick fruity version of maple syrup, but thinner than jam or jelly. Pekmez can be poured over yogurt or kaymak (clotted cream) or, apparently, mixed with Tahini for breakfast. I never saw the latter, but pekmez did make numerous entries into snack time out in the Black Sea mountains in Turkey. A favorite pekmez there is made from dut (mulberries) – a favorite fruit generally speaking. I can’t wait to get back to the glorious Turkish breakfasts of shepherd’s salad (cucumber and tomato), olives, kaymak and pekmez, and giant slabs of honeycomb.