Grandma’s Bread and Beef Stew

I learned this dish from my mother’s mother, who died in 2010 at the age of 103. Living through two world wars and three military coups, she raised three kids by herself. She knew how to survive, how to improvise and how not to waste a single grain.

I remember when she made papara the first time, from leftover bread, rice and a handful of minced meat. The origin of the dish is uncertain, but it is part of the peasant culture of Anatolia and the Balkans. In Istanbul