Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

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Emkay
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Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by Emkay »

I’d really appreciate some advice. A lovely Turkish family bought our neighbour’s house well over a year ago. I only saw the husband and lots of Handwerker during renovations. Recently, the whole family moved in together …wife and 2 young children. I’d offered the husband house plants and garden plants though none needed yet. All neighbours have welcomed the new family kindly.

It’s so lovely that the wife who doesn’t speak much German, came over last week with a big plate of amazing food….vegetarian assortment. She handed the plate over and left. I thanked her profusely. This evening, one of the children came over with a big plate of freshly baked cheese filled buns.

I’d love to reciprocate the very kind gestures somehow. Can anyone suggest what I could do? What are Turkish new home traditions? Many thanks in advance.
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PandaMunich
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by PandaMunich »

Return the plates with something you know how to cook/bake well.
Better not use a recipe that includes alcohol.

Instead of self-raising flour, you can use normal flour mixed with mixed in Backpulver (about a very generously heaped tea spoon of baking powder per 100g of flour).

Angel cakes are always a favourite with children: https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-sty ... -1.4007652
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Lemon drizzle cake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream filling: https://donalskehan.com/recipes/lemon-curd-cake/
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Scones with sultanas: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tea_ ... ones_77839
or cheese scones: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/cheesescones_1287
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Nixon
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by Nixon »

No alcohol and no lard, any pork related ingredient.
As Panda mentioned, don’t return just empty trays, if you are in a hurry to return them, even a chocolate would do it.
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by jaycool »

Pork Rinds and a case of beer. :P

Just kidding, obviously. I'm glad you seem to have won the neighbor lottery.
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ooch
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by ooch »

They showed you Theirs
You show them Yours

pork might be tricky
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by kiplette »

The thing I make (it's a right faff) which people really love is Millionaire's Shortbread.

Mary Berry: https://lewisandkim.com/2013/02/13/week ... hortbread/

Always go the extra mile and marble the top with 3 colours of chocolate. Get your chocolate from a discounter and go with their own brand. It'll be grand, there's a sugar coma with every bite of this so no point wasting some fancy stuff on it :lol:
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by snowingagain »

This is a good tip. My cakes never work that well (except fruitcake and gingerbread) as I bake little now and have never adjusted to German baking powder (does just bunging in more really work?!).
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by Tap »

snowingagain wrote: Thu Sep 24, 2026 4:51 pm This is a good tip. My cakes never work that well (except fruitcake and gingerbread) as I bake little now and have never adjusted to German baking powder (does just bunging in more really work?!).
As long as you use the right flour, it should work. I use 405 or 550 flour for pastry and cakes, but a stronger flour, 812 or 1050, for bread, etc. I also get my flour from a local flour mill, it's much better quality than what we buy in the supermarket. Rewe sometimes have "Back Mehl mit Backpulver" which is similar to our self-raising flour, but they don't always stock it.
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by Robinson100 »

kiplette wrote: Thu Sep 24, 2026 12:15 pm The thing I make (it's a right faff) which people really love is Millionaire's Shortbread.

Mary Berry: https://lewisandkim.com/2013/02/13/week ... hortbread/

Always go the extra mile and marble the top with 3 colours of chocolate. Get your chocolate from a discounter and go with their own brand. It'll be grand, there's a sugar coma with every bite of this so no point wasting some fancy stuff on it :lol:
What a wonderful idea!!!

Today I am baking scones for my ex-boss - we have been meeting up for coffee and cake every second Friday since the start of this year, and it was her Birthday last weekend, so I promised to bring something typically English along!
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by Nixon »

Scones?

Just found them in our kitchen lol

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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by Nixon »

Btw, TGIF.
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by snowingagain »

Nixon wrote: Fri Sep 25, 2026 9:29 am Scones?
Just found them in our kitchen lol
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Just found them? Are they rock solid or do you have a baking fairy possibly Instagram neighbour (with a key)?
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Re: Lovely new Turkish neighbours….what’s a traditional welcome gesture?

Post by Nixon »

Magic!
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