In a tangerine orchard in Mızraklı, one of the many mountainous villages in Turkey’s southern Hatay province, Yeliz Yoğun sat next to a burn pit rolling yufka – Turkish flatbreads – for her mother, Sabah, to bake.
On this summer morning, the temperature was already high while standing under the trees, away from the fire, and the sun was not at its highest yet. Sabah was sitting next to the flame but was determined to finish all the dough they had prepared since the first light of the day. An NGO called Dünya Evimiz (“The World Is Our Home”), provides Yeliz and Sabah with donated flour as part of a program to distribute free yufka or tandır bread baked by women to people living in tent camps around Hatay. The women who produce the bread receive a small income, but even small earnings are crucial for Yeliz and her family.
“Am I tired? Of course I am. I am exhausted,” said Yeliz Yoğun while preparing one of the final flatbreads. She rolled the dough, then effortlessly whirled it around her wooden stick. “But I wish we had more. More yufka means more money. The upcoming winter scares me. Life in a tent is difficult, and earning money as well. I wish we had more opportunities to rebuild our lives. We want to produce.”
The February 6, 2023 earthquakes that struck southeastern Turkey killed more than 50,000 people and left nearly 3 million displaced and in need of shelter. Yeliz Yoğun and her family were among the survivors, yet their homes were heavily damaged – they have been living in a tent for almost eight months.
Hatay – the province in which they have spent their whole lives – is one of the areas most affected by the earthquakes, and lost not only many lives, but also almost a third of its population to displacement. Since accommodation options are limited in the city center, many people who stayed relocated to rural areas.
Story and photography for Culinary Backstreets