The Gaziantep “Atom” Smoothie
We’ve already gone over the mouth-watering goodies we discovered in the food-obsessed town of Gaziantep, what we did not expect to find, was the best smoothie we have had in a long time. We had not one, not two, but four of them in the two days we were in town.
With summer fast approaching, we thought it only fair to share the quick recipe of this much-loved local drink. It is not the lightest of smoothies, in fact it could probably replace a light lunch or breakfast, but I promise you it will quickly find a place among your summer favourites.
Gaziantep’s streets are dotted with fresh juice shops, you can get anything from a simple nar (pomegranate) or portokal (orange) juice to the famous “Atom”. Named for the energy it gives, “Atoms” are being churned out by the minute at the little shop on the corner, people queueing for its Barbie pink concoction. We ask 20 year old Zafer, who has been making them for the past ten years, to teach us how to make our own.
The secret ingredient here that makes the smoothie so special is the spoonful of mixed nuts and honey they throw in. All throughout Turkey and Greece, you will find jars of dark honey stuffed with pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts. It is often called ballı çerez meaning “honey appetizer”. Different nuts are painstakingly arranged into intricate layers in a jar and then held in place by thick honey. The classic versions have peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, apricot kernals, sesame seeds and even some cinnamon and coconut.
If you cannot find a jar of ballı çerez, it is very easy to make your own – just fill a sterilised jar with your favourite unsalted nuts and cover with your favourite honey. Natural runny honey would work better than the creamed kind here. I am definitely making my own jar when we get back, it would stand up well to experimentation with other flavour additions like vanilla beans or lemon zest.
The other secret ingredient which gives it an extra colour kick is what they call şalgam juice. Şalgam literally means turnip, but is actually made from pickled red carrots. Traditionally from the southern city of Adana, this beetroot coloured drink is sometimes served up plain with sticks of pickled carrot in it, though here a concentrated syrup is used. Finding şalgam juice may be difficult, but could be easily replaced by grenadine if you want to keep the colour, or would be just as good without.
ATOM SMOOTHIE \ætəm\
Serves 2
1 banana
5 strawberries
2 kiwis
1/4 honeydew melon
1 3/4 cups ice cold milk (you could replace this with your favourite milk, almond, rice, soya, but adjust the honey for sweetness accordingly)
1 tbsp walnuts
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp pistachios
1 tbsp honey
a drizzle of şalgam syrup or grenadine
note: you can replace the walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios and honey with 4 tbsp of your favourite ballı çerez brand or your own homemade mix.
Throw it all into a blender and buzz until smooth, pour into glasses and top with extra crushed nuts if desired.
Enjoy and Happy early Summer to everyone!
