Their Daily Bread

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Two hours southeast of the Turkish capital of Ankara lies a surreal landscape of giant pink rocks carved by nature into phantasmagoric formations. Locals call the area Cappadocia (fairy chimneys), and at nearly every roadside stop, there's a stall selling gozleme — the region's extraordinary flat bread: a mixture of feta cheese, parsley, vegetables and spices wrapped in dough and sizzled on a griddle until crisp.

Gozleme is tangier than an Indian paratha, more robust than a French crepe and altogether delicious. Cappadocians eat gozleme for breakfast, lunch and dinner (usually with a refreshing glass of ayran, a frothy yogurt drink). Newer restaurants in the area offer variants stuffed with eggplant or mushrooms. While purists scoff at such modern interpretations and argue that there can only be three types of gozleme — cheese, spinach or potato — travelers needn't be limited by local controversies. Enjoy gozleme in whatever form you find it.

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