Rabbi Mendy Chitrik embarked on a 3000-mile journey across Anatolia, Turkey, this summer to inspect nearly 300 kosher factories, which produce various kosher products like milk powder and dried fruit.

At a Shabbat dinner in Istanbul with the Konfino family overlooking the Bosporus, various eggplant dishes were served, including eggplant caviar and a Jewish version of almodrote de berenjena, reminiscent of a pre-Inquisition Spanish eggplant kugel.