Turkish Cuisines 101: Part-3
Types of Turkish Cuisines
To explain the basic structure of Turkish cuisine one must actually do a survey of the ingredients along with their preparation & the presentation of the dish. If you do not there will an overwhelming variety of dishes, with a unique combinations of ingredients & methods of preparation along ways of presentation. All Turkish dishes are conveniently categorized into grilled meats, vegetables, grain-based, seafood, desserts & of course, beverages.  Â
In Turkish cuisines, the setting is equally as important as the food itself. Food-related places must be considered as is the protocol of dining. In such the great food places are the weekly neighborhood markets called "pazar" as well as the permanent markets where you will find all of your ingredients for preparing the dishes of the cuisines. Certainly the most famous of the permanent type is the Spice Market in Istanbul. It is in this place where one may see every conceivable type of food item that can be found in the way that it has been since pre-Ottoman era. Truly an exotic market place, with the plethora of aromas & scents that rise from many stalls located within at this, the terminus of the Spice Road. There are more modest markets can be found in every city center throughout Turkey with their permanent stalls for dairy, fish, meats & vegetables.
Turkey's foundation of all cuisines is based upon their grains, rice & wheat along with their vegetables. Every category of dishes traditionally contains 1 or 2 categories of main ingredients. Turks are purists in their cuisinal tastes. There is a defined concept about how foods must bring out the flavor of the main ingredient as opposed to masking & sublimating it under sauces or with too many spices. An eggplant should taste like eggplant, lamb like lamb, Fish like fish, etc. Turkish foods actually use spices & herbs very sparingly in simple ways. As an example, parsley is used with eggplant, a few cloves of garlic has its place in some cold vegetable dishes, mint or dill weed are used with zucchini & cumin is sprinkled over red lentil soup or mixed in ground meat when making "kofte" those scrumptious meat balls. Both lemon & yogurt are usually used to compliment both vegetable as well as meat dishes. Additionally lemon & yogurt are used as well as to balance the sometimes overwhelming taste of olive oil & garlic. Desserts along fruit dishes are devoid of any spices so that their flavors are more refined always more subtle.
Turks have several major classes of meatless dishes. If or when meat is used, it is used very sparingly. With a meal of the meat kebabs, "pide" the flat bread is the biggest part of the dish along with vegetables or yogurt. Turkish cuisine also originated a large variety of authentic desserts as well as beverages that are unique & now well known worldwide.
It is these weekly markets are where the sleepy & often seemingly dead neighborhoods come to life! When the villagers come & begin setting up their stalls before dawn in the well known & designated area to sell their produce & other products. It is on these days that one can find glassware, brassware, handicrafts, textiles & any other household items among the stalls at singularly affordable prices. It is the cacophony of smells, sounds, sights & all of the activity, combined with the high quality of fresh foods, that makes them unique.
The Turkish Diet Â
Turkish food is known & accepted as one of the world's great cuisines. Travelers today have discovered Turkey its dining possibilities as well. It is the "modern" Mediterranean diet, which includes Turkey's cuisines, that is considered the healthy diet to follow. Turks have known this for centuries.
During the rise of the Ottoman Empire, which at its height extended into Eastern Europe, Egypt as well as Inner Asia, that the genius of Turkish cuisines is shown to have had its greatest influence. It was the centuries of Ottoman rule spread Turkish cuisines & ingredients into Eastern Europe& throughout the Middle East. Well-known recipes today exhibit plainly an influence from Turkish cuisines such as yogurt salads, stuffed vegetables, stuffed vine leaves, fish in olive oil & those wonderful & syrupy filo dough desserts.
Even with the influence of western foods & fast food chains in the larger cities, Turkey has zealously& proudly preserved the wonderful Turkish culinary heritage. During the last decade, Turkish chefs from many of the main hotels participating in many international food symposiums have re-introduced Turkish cuisines to the entire world along with educating Turkish citizens about a proud food heritage.
Turks have been blessed with a large country straddling Asia & Europe. Turks have vineyards cultivated for their world famous yellow sultana raisins & for producing fine wine. In Turkey's southern cities, tows & villages it is customary to see grapevines trailed upwards along balconies, stairwell railings & along fences where they provide shade & fruit at each level. Herds of sheep & goats are most plentiful. Lamb & chicken are their main meats. Pork forbidden in Islam is of course, absent. All of this transpires under ancient olive, fig, & pistachio trees among the classic ruins of Roman columns that embellish the beautiful landscape along with adding to the air of antiquity.
Ottoman rulers in their courts passed laws regulating the freshness of foods. Modern Turkish food is very notably always fresh. Leftovers are uncommon in any household. Freshly baked breads are a staple. Seasonal fruits & vegetables abound in great plentitude being served during the height of their growing seasons. Turks love & are justly famous for their eggplants, peaches, figs, fall quince & delight year round in olives, dried apricots & all types of nuts. Turkey exports most of Europe's hazelnuts or filberts as well as pistachios..
When one dines on Turkish food is one dines on centuries old recipes. It was the ancient Georgians who introduced wine cultivation in Anatolia, eastern Turkey. Persians introduced sweets, sugar & rice. Skewered & roasted meats, the famous shish-kebabs, came from the horse nomads of Turkish heritage along with their flatbreads that are baked upon an overturned griddle called a "sac." "Yogurt" is a Turkish word as well. Yogurt made its way north to Bulgaria & Eastern Europe during the Ottoman occupation of those areas. Olive oil production is 1000's of years old & is a part of the entire Mediterranean culture.
In the Topkapi palace, chefs perfected many dishes with specialized recipes. Chefs could & would spend entire careers producing & then refining recipes such as milk puddings, pilafs, & delightfully delicious desserts. There are & were specific villages such as Bolu, that were known for producing the chefs who worked in the palace. As a result of this imperial cuisine, the nationwide Turkish population developed a raised appreciation along with an expectation and for superior & excellent foods.
In Turkish markets you must taste before you buy. Holes are cut into melons to allow the shopper to taste first & make decision to buy. Errand boys bring tea on copper trays to shoppers as they are sampling peppers, spices, vegetables dairy products & fruits. Sacks of linden tea, jars of amber honey, olives, dried fruits, sea sponges, henna & the many, many spice blends compete for the buyer's attention.
It is the beauty of Turkish cooking that it is highly affordable, uses of fresh ingredients that when combined with the ease of basic cooking techniques makes it one of the best in the world. Dishes are simply presented & not hidden under sauces or excessive presentations. Classic recipes from centuries of palace & home cooking are well known to all home cooks. Turkey's most common seasonings are dill, mint, garlic, parsley, cinnamon & lemony sumac. Yogurt is the most common side condiment. In the Turkey's southern regions the main condiment is Aleppo pepper flakes, or "pul biber." This is a semi-moist, hot, flaked red pepper that one sprinkles upon foods. Vegetarians & meat eaters both find much to choose from on the menu.
Turkish cuisine also has many variations. There are at 40 some odd ways alone just to prepare eggplant. A unique sight are the strings of dried, hollowed out eggplants. These are reconstituted & then stuffed with rice in winter. Honey, preserves, nuts along with cheeses round out any menu.
A unique specialty of Turkish cuisine is the "zeytinagli" or olive oil course. Foods such as peppers or tomatoes are prepared with olive oil. These are traditionally served at room temperature.
Unique specialties of the cuisines make great souvenirs from a trip to Turkey such as "Lokum," a gelled sweet often mixed with hazelnuts or pistachios, is cut into cubes then rolled in powdered sugar. In the USA this is called Turkish delight. Rose, banana & eggplant liqueurs are savored & sold. Sweet hot red pepper paste, "Muhammara," denotes the distinctive Arabic influence. Rose petal or sour morello cherry jam, fig and quince preserves are popular. Pulverized Turkish coffee, the black Risi chai or tea of course raki are sure to be happy reminders of great meals &Â dinners one had in Turkey. One may find a thicker version of filo dough,"yufka" in middle eastern markets at home to make some of the delicious dishes. All of these food specialties are imported by grocers of Turkish foods so that they can keep them available in the United States for the expatriate or nostalgic traveler.
Turkish Recipes
Turkish Artichokes
Categories: Turkish, Vegetable
Yield: 4 Servings
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Juice of 1 lemon
1 ts Salt
8 ea Artichokes
16 ea Pearl onions peeled
1 c Olive oil
2 ea lemons juice of
1/2 c Water
1 tb Honey
1 ts Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tb Fresh dill minced
Lemon wedges for granish
*NOTE:
Marinate overnight but for sure a minimum of 12 hrs.
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Combine 1 ts salt with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan.
Heat to a simmer then cool.
Stir juice of the first lemon, cooled salty water & additional water in a bowl large enough to hold all eight artichokes.
Prepare artichokes by slicing off stem.
Snap off petals until only hearts remain.
Scoop out hairy choke.
Drop each artichoke heart into bowl with salt & lemon.
When all artichokes are prepared, remove them from water.
Blot dry & place in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
Add remaining ingredients except for garnish items.
Cover saucepan & bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low then simmer for 40-45 mins.
Allow artichoke mixture to cool then refrigerate.
Chill, covered, until approximately 1 hr. prior to serving.Â
Serve sprinkled with minced dill & lemon wedges.
ORIGIN:
Mimal Baladzur, Adana-Turkey, crica 1995
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Kulfi - Turkish No Freezer Ice Cream
Categories: Turkish, Dessert, Dairy, Ethnic
Yield: 8 Servings
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14 oz Can fat-free evaporated milk
1 c Light cream
14 oz Low fat sweet condensed milk
Flavorings of choice
In a large bowl mix together welll evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream & flavorings.
Pour into popsicle molds, stainless steel kulfi molds or a small bowl.
Freeze 8-12 hrs.
Remove from molds by resting their bottoms in warm to hot water for 3-5 secs.
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ORIGIN:
Alisa Baydan, Instanbul-Turkey, circa 2004
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Phali - Young Beets Leaves in Walnut Sauce
Categories: Turklish, Ethnic, Appetizer, Salad, Georgian
Yield: 6 Servings
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1 c Water boiling
1 lb Young beet leaves & stems
1 c Walnuts shelled
Salt to taste
4 ea Garlic cloves minced
2 ts Jalapeno chili seeded
1 ts Ground coriander
1 c Onion minced
1/4 c Fresh dill chopped
4 tb Red-wine vinegar
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Pour boiling water over beet leaves & cook covered over low heat 1/2 hr.
Drain, cool, & press out liquid.
Cut to 1/4"-wide slices.
Mix & process walnuts, salt, garlic, & jalapeno chili into a paste.
Toss with beet leaves, coriander, onions, dill, & vinegar until mixed well.
Serve cold as a salad course with dinner or as an appetizer.
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Variations:
Fresh radish leaves or tender cauliflower leaves may be used instead of beet leaves.
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ORIGIN:
Alisa Baydan, Instanbul-Turkey, circa 2004
Sources:
Uniquely Wonderful Turkish Cuisines
By: Prof. Layla Hosun, Istanbul-Turkey
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Dr. Omur Hasafad, Culinary Educator, Yeditepe University, Istanbul Turkey
http://www.armory.com/~ssahin/mutfak
http://www.sallys-place.com/food/ethnic_cusine/turkey.htm
http://www.turkses.com/culture/culture/c_cuisin.htm
http://www.istanbulrestaurants.com/detail.php?id=722
Copyright © 2006-2008 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.
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