Ask Mehmet: Finding local markets

  • Published
  • By Mehmet Birbiri
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Ask Mehmet is a forum for people to ask questions of the local area, as well as the outer confines of the region and the country as a whole. To submit a question, send an e-mail with the subject "Ask Mehmet" to 39abw.pa@incirlik.af.mil. Then, look for an answer to the question on the 39th Air Base Wing's official website at www.incirlik.af.mil and Incirlik Air Base's Facebook page.

Question:
I frequently go to the "Sunday Market" set up in Incirlik village. The items I purchase are always fresh and quite tasteful. I also noticed when I go to the market, I don't make a list of the items I will purchase - I always get what I see and find. I think the reason for that is the language barrier. I don't know the name of the items I want to buy. Will you give us a list of fruit and vegetables in Turkish?

Answer:
Just as you do, many Turkish people purchase fruits and vegetables from markets set up on certain days of the week. You mention about the abundance and taste of the fruits and vegetables at the market. How about the prices? They are so inexpensive as well.

Fruit and vegetables here taste so good because they are grown in natural ways. The soil in and around Adana is so fertile that you can grow almost every fruit and vegetable. Since they grow locally, produce reaches consumers very fresh and low transportation costs don't affect prices.

You mentioned about the "Sunday Market" in Incirlik Village. The market is set up on Thursdays, as well. On Sundays it is in the village square. After exiting the base, turn left and the road by the perimeter fence will lead you to the market place. Right after the village mosque, the road bends to the right and you will see the market. The Thursday market is set up on the school street parallel to the Sunday market street. You should turn right before arriving at the mosque.

Apart from the Incirlik markets, farmers' markets are also set up in various districts of Adana on different days of the week. For instance, there is a Monday market close to the contractor's gate. After leaving the base through the main gate, get on the highway toward Adana and turn right at the second traffic light - the road that leads to the Autobahn. After a base golf course and contractors gate on the right, take the next left turn. The market is on the left side of the street.

The market across from Hotel Hilton is open every day. It is not noticeable from the street in front of the hotel, but if you turn into the side street across the hotel, you will see it.

Fruit and vegetables are sold either as a single or by the kilogram, or 2.2 pounds. If you want to purchase approximately one pound of any item, say "Yarim kilo istiyorum," pronounced "yah-rihm ki-lo ist-ee-yoh room." That means "I want half of a kilo."

Most of the items have price tags on them, all in Turkish lira. If items don't have a price tag, you can point out the item and say "Kac lira?" It's pronounced "khach lira," which means "How much?"

When you go to farmers market, you will notice that not only fruits and vegetables are sold there. You will see various kitchenware, metal or plastic, various house utensils and fabric, as well.

Here is a list of the most common fruits and vegetables:

Vegetable - Sebze (sab-zah)
bean - fasulye (fah-sool-yea)
pea - bezelye (beh-zell-yeah)
cabbage - lahana (lah-hah-nah)
spinach - ispanak (ihs-pah-knock)
carrot - havuc (hah-wuch)
cauliflower - karnibahar (kahr-ne-bah-are)
tomato - domates (doh-mah-tess)
potato - papates (pah-tah-tess)
artichokes - enginar (ehn-ghin-are)
cucumber - salatalik (sah-lah-tah-like)
corn - misir (mis-ihr)
pepper - biber (be-behr)
red pepper - kirmizi biber (kihr-mih-ze be-behr)
green pepper - yesil biber (yeh-sheel be-behr)
radish - turp (tuhrp)
egg plant - patlican (pot-le-john)
leek - pirasa (pih-rah-sah)
okra - bamya (bahm- yah)
mushroom - mantar (mahn-tar)
onion - sogan (so-o-aahn)
garlic - sarimsak (sah-rihm-suck)
lettuce - marul (mah-rule)

fruit - meyve (may-veh)
apple - elma (el-mah)
pear - armut (are-mut)
orange - portakal (pohr-tah-kahl)
tangerine -mandalina (mahn-dah-lee-nah)
cherry - kiraz (ke-razh)
banana - muz (mooze)
peach - seftali (shef-tah-lee)
grapes - uzum (ue-zuem)
plum - erik (eric)
melon - kavun (kah-woon)
watermelon - karpuz (kahr-pooz)
grapefruit - greyfurt (gray-fuhrt)
apricot - kayisi (kah-ye-se)
strawberry - cilek (chee-lack)
pomegranate - nar (nahr)