Thursday, March 10, 2011

Overview of Traditional Turkish Cuisine for Prospective Travelers

Due to the great extent of the Ottoman Empire reaching from Europe to
Africa and Middle East until a century ago, the traditional cuisine
today still carries a touch of both the western and eastern cuisines.
Most of the traditional food can be classified as Mediterranean and
some as Middle Eastern. The Turkish cuisine today is considered to be
one of the diverse cuisines in the world of culinary. Breakfast: If
you are staying in a hotel that is serving traditional Turkish
breakfast, you can expect to be served feta cheese, sliced tomatoes,
green and black olives, sour cherry and strawberry jam, scrambled
eggs, meat salami, soujuk (a kind of pepperoni), fresh fruits, honey
and yogurt. Besides these you will be served with many types of white
bread and Croissant type pastries. Turks accept the breakfast to the
king of meals and they choose to treat their guests like champs. You
will leave your hotel ready to take a long walk with enough energy
only from the breakfast you just had. Other Traditional Food: Kebabs
are very popular throughout the country although there are various
ways it can be served. Yogurt kebab is very popular since Turks
usually tend to mix any kind of food with yogurt, some examples
include rice or pasta. Iskender Kebab which originated around Bursa
also includes yogurt but it is mostly made up of thinly sliced gyro
served over cubicles of pide (white bread) topped with tomato sauce
and has the yogurt served on the side of the plate. Manti is another
Turkish dish that is being served with yogurt; it is more a kind of
tortellini filled with meat. Doner is the famous 'gyro' which is
usually lamp meat cut into very thin slices... The infamous shish
kebab would be the cubicles of meat and other vegetables on a skewer
and again the favorite choice of meat of locals happens to be lamb
meat. Chicken is another but a healthier option that can be served the
same way as these meat kebabs. Since the country is covered by water
on three sides, seafood is a major part of the traditional cuisine.
Most popular seafood include shrimp, calamari or fishes such as Lufer
(bluefish), palamut (bonito), levrek (seabass), kalkan (turbot), kefal
(grey mullet) or hamsi which is the favorite from the Black Sea
region. In Istanbul seaside. It is possible can run into street
vendors that sell grilled fish in white bread just like a sandwich.
All traditional dishes can be expected to be served with spices such
as garlic, cumin, crushed red peppers, oregano or mint. Salad
dressings are usually a combination of fresh squeezed lemon juice and
vegetable oil. Tea and coffee are widely consumed, especially after
and between meals. Turkish coffee is muddy on the bottom and is very
strong. It is served in traditional cups which are shorter and smaller
than usual mugs and they all have little handles. Some popular deserts
include baklava which is a pastry that has either nuts or pistachio
mixed in it. Turkish Delight (lokums) also are usually made up of rose
water and are covered with sugar. They usually include crushed nuts in
them. Food throughout the country is usually prepared with the utmost
care and is very clean. Most of the traditional food is prepared with
more attention given to taste rather than nutrition and some
dieticians may not classify them as healthy considering today's diet
standards since most of them contain a lot of fats or carbs. Some
samples of Mezes (tapas): Traditional mezes include but are not
limited to: Humus: mashed chickpeas and tahini spread. A traditional
Middle Eastern tapas. Eggplant Salad: Grilled eggplant puree seasoned
with garlic lemon and olive oil Cacik: thick yogurt and cucumber
seasoned with garlic and fresh dill Yaprak Sarma: hand rolled grape
leaves stuffed with pine nuts, rice and herbs Imam Bayildi (Stuffed
Eggplant): Baby eggplant halves stuffed with fresh tomatoes, parsley
and spices Soslu Patlican (Eggplants with sauce): cubes of eggplant
baked with olive oil and garnish with tomatoes and peppers Babaganush:
Smoked eggplant puree, olive oil, lemon juice and some garlic. Stuffed
Grape Leaves: Grape leaves stuffed with rice, topped with olive oil
and sometimes meat. Lebne: Thick homemade yogurt with walnut garlic
and dill. Tarama: Red caviar spread, blended with olive oil and lemon
juice Traditional Drinks: Raki is the Turkish neighbor of Greek Ouzo
which is made up of aniseed and various grapes. It is a transparent
drink that turns into white when mixed with water or ice. However, the
locals prefer to drink it mixed with just a little of water and ice in
a thin and tall glass followed by a second similar glass filled only
with water. Alcoholic drinks are widely available although Turkey is a
country where the majority of the population is Muslim and the
religion prohibits consumption of alcoholic beverages. However, the
country is secular and the consumption is in high volumes. It is not
considered a wrongdoing for those who choose to drink. Raki is the
most popular drink that accompanies seafood; just like what white wine
is to seafood or red wine is to red meat in the western countries. The
most popular local bear is Efes which is very similar to the
traditional American bears and other imported bears such as Budweiser
or Corona are widely available.

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