Jen’s Beauty Life

I didn’t grow up eating gözleme.
To be honest, I didn’t even know how to pronounce it properly at first.

The first time I tried it was at a local flea market in Kirribilli Markets.
One of those slow weekend mornings — no plans, just wandering between stalls, coffee in hand.

I remember watching it being made.

A thin flatbread.
A simple filling of cheese and spinach.
Nothing fancy. No heavy sauces.
Just folded, pressed, and cooked on a hot plate until golden.

Then it was handed to me with a small wedge of lemon.

That part surprised me.
Lemon?

But that squeeze of lemon changed everything.

The richness of the cheese, the softness of the spinach, the crisp bread —
and then that sharp, fresh hit of citrus.
Simple, but perfectly balanced.

It didn’t try to impress.
It didn’t need to.

That’s probably why I loved it.

So many foods I’ve grown to enjoy in Australia are like this.
They look modest. Almost too plain.
But when you slow down and actually taste them, they quietly stay with you.

Gözleme became one of those foods for me.

Something I didn’t expect.
Something I now look for at weekend markets.
Something that reminds me that good food doesn’t have to be complicated — it just has to be honest.

Have you had a food in Australia that surprised you like this?
Something simple that stayed with you longer than you expected?