Yesterday’s lunch was a plate of ızgara köfte (grilled meatballs) and homemade ayran at Kadenbas Köftecisi, between the lake and a cement factory in Edremit, about 15 kilometers south of Van.
This was some of the best köfte I’ve ever had, and this region is known for many things, but köfte is not one of them. The outside of the köfte was crunchy, and when I broke the köfte open with my fork, the meat was so fresh it crumbled into a thousand pieces, practically under its own weight.
There are many things I will miss about this region. Kadenbas Köftecisi is now one of them.