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Turkey
is rightly famed for its
cuisine, which is rich and
savory, not particularly spicy-hot,
with abundant use of vegetables
(which makes vegetarians happy.)
If
you have food
allergies, read this.
Though
based on lamb and mutton,
Turkish cuisine includes beef and chicken (no
pork, of course), as well
as all sorts of seafood (even
shellfish, which are forbidden to
strict Muslims).
The
most common preparations are roasting and grilling,
which produce the famous Turkish
kebaps, including döner
kebap, the national dish, and köfte, the
workingman's favorite.
As my friends at Turkish
Flavours say, "Turkish
food is not complicated cooking,
it is about getting simple
cooking absolutely right." More...
The
ingredients must be the best,
most carefully chosen.
The preparation works to enhance
the beauties and excellence of the
food more than the reputation
of the cook.
Originality and creativity,
so prized among chefs in some other
countries, are deemed appropriate in
Turkey only after one has mastered
the traditional cuisine—and
when one has created a traditional
masterpiece, there is little need for
much in the way of innovation. Innovation
cannot substitute for finesse.
Turkish
cuisine has been renowned for a long
time. In 1854 the Earl of
Carlisle (George
W F Howard) visited Constantinople
(Istanbul)
and sampled Turkish food in a simple
bazaar cookshop. The understated
praise in his travelogue Diary
in Turkish and Greek Waters (1854)
reads, "We...went for our luncheon
to a
Turkish, not kibaub, but cook-shop,
where different ragouts of meat and
vegetables are always ready in large
pans. I think the nation
has a decided turn for cookery."
The
cookshops that delighted Lord Carlisle
are far better now. More...
Meat
portions are small compared
to those in North America. Actually, vegetables
predominate in most meals,
though many vegetable recipes use
small amounts of meat as a flavoring.
If you're not strictly vegetarian
or vegan, yet you prefer to eat
more vegetables than meat, you'll
do very well in Turkey. Here
are tips for vegetarians.
Bread is
baked fresh early morning for breakfast and
lunch, and late afternoon for dinner,
and varies from the common sourdough
loaf to rounds of leavened pide (flat
bread) to flaps of paper-thin lavas (lah-VAHSH,
unleavened village bread baked on
a griddle).
Turkey
produces excellent, delicately scented
honey of many varieties.
Among
the best and easiest places to sample
Turkish cooking is in a hazir
yemek ("ready-food")
restaurant. More...
Snacks,
side dishes and street foods include gözleme (fresh-baked
flat bread folded over savory ingredients—a
sort of Turkish crêpe—and börek, pastry
filled with cheese and vegetables
or meat. A traditional favorite is
the Istanbul
fish sandwich.
As
for drinks, pure spring water is
always available. Drink only bottled
water. Some tap water is safe, but
it's difficult to be sure.
Turkey
is famous for its succulent fruit,
and thus for its fruit juices.
There's also ayran (yogurt
mixed with spring water—tastes like
buttermilk), which goes well with kebap (roast
lamb).
Islam forbids
drinking alcohol, but many Turks
are European in their lifestyle and
enjoy alcoholic beverages with
meals: beer, wine,
and raki (clear
grape brandy flavored with anise
and diluted with water) are the favorites,
although gin, vodka, whiskey and liqueurs are
also served.
Turkish
tea is the national stimulant,
even at breakfast,
and famous Turkish
coffee only a distant second.
Among
the favored treats is Turkish
Delight (lokum).
If
you're not in Turkey, but you crave
Turkish food, check out Tulumba.com's
selection. They'll send it anywhere
in the world (use Promotional
Code HNE6408).
Turkish
Kebaps
Meze
(Hors d'oeuvres)
Turkish
Breakfast
Ready-Food
Restaurants
Turkish
Raki
Turkish
Wines
Turkish
Beers
Vegetarian
Food in Turkey
Food
Allergies in Turkey
Travel
Details
Turkey
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