FAR EAST ADVENTURE UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF

NORTH KOREA

You’d be surprised what you can do with the humble chickpea. Fry up some falafel, mash them into hummus, toss into a curry – whatever you like. Best of all, this flexible legume is also the star of Turkish street snack nohut piyazi ( see online for recipe). Mix with onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and peppers – it’s easy. Yet this simple treat as much a tradition as it is food.

Travellers to Turkey will find this dish on any corner in south-eastern Anatolia. Vendors cook the chickpeas in a rich lamb stock (use veggie stock at home if vegan) and serve in fresh salads or stuffed into rolls sold in front of bakeries as breakfast for ravenous workers. This tradition is still going strong in cities such as Sanliurfa and Gaziantep, says Musa Dagdeviren, author of The Turkish Cookbook and a chef who also hails from this region.

Much of the highlands of Anatolia’s east are off itineraries now – the FCO currently advises against travel owing to their proximity to Syria. But tours still visit Gaziantep – a city recognised even by UNESCO for its gastronomic past – to see its bustling market and taste its famed pistachio baklava, or head to the ancient sites of Sanliurfa.

There are, however, easier ways to taste regional cuisine. As Dagdeviren says, “Turkish culinary identity is based on a diverse heritage.” As local migrants cluster in big cities such as Istanbul, they breathe new life into its street food. You can find lots of eastern dishes there, not least in the author’s Ciya Sofrasi restaurant.

Similarly, like most Middle Eastern dishes, nohut piyazi comes alive with spice; cumin, sumac and chilli flakes all make those chickpeas sing. So, if you can’t make it to the south-east of Turkey, Istanbul’s 17th-century Spice Bazaar is a good place to start. The sensory overload of stalls piled high with flavours teaches everything you need to know about Turkish cooking. Visit www.wanderlust.co.uk/194 wanderlust.co.uk March 2019

The Unesco-listed city of Valletta, Europe’s smallest capital, is the noble legacy of the medieval Knights Hospitaller and has a Grand Harbour as spectacular as you’ll find anywhere. Elsewhere, Mdina is a fortified city brimming with its own history, while over on Gozo, the Ġgantija temples date back to megalithic times.

Capital city Funchal has bags of charm, although its flower gardens ( pictured) and produce markets are perhaps best enjoyed when cruise-ship groups aren’t in town. Elsewhere, off-road jeep trips are a great way of sampling the scenery, and there’s also dolphin- and whale-watching (at its best between April and October).