Turkish cuisine has countless magical ingredients and one of my favorites is (of course) the worst one for you. It is called kaymak, a clotted cream made from slowly cooking and reducing buffalo’s milk, a process that concentrates the fat and produces a thick, butterlike substance that is served with candied fruits like kabak tatlısı and other candied fruits. During my month in Istanbul, I was no stranger to kaymak, sometimes indulging in it twice a day with my already rich desserts. My only regret is that I never did realize my dream of visiting the old school kaymakci (kaymak maker) Pando at his shop in Beşiktaş. I suspect that achieving my kaymak related goals will be the driving force behind my next trip to Istanbul.

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