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Turkish
Cuisine ..
For those
who travel to engage in culinary
pursuits, the Turkish Cuisine is worthy
of exploration. The variety of dishes
that make up the cuisine, the ways they
all come together in feast-like meals,
and the evident intricacy of each craft
involved offer enough material for life-long
study and enjoyment. It is not easy to
discern a basic element or a single
dominant feature, like the Italian
"pasta" or the French "sauce".
Whether in a humble home, at a famous
restaurant, or at dinner in a Bey's
mansion, familiar patterns of this rich
and diverse cuisine are always present.
It is a rare art which satisfies the
senses while reconfirming the higher
order of society, community and culture.
A practically-minded child watching
Mother cook "cabbage dolma" on a lazy,
grey winter day is bound to wonder:"Who
on earth discovered this peculiar
combination of sautéed rice, pine-nuts,
currants, spices, herbs and all tightly
wrapped in translucent leaves of cabbage,
each roll exactly half an inch thick and
stacked up on an oval serving, plate
decorated with lemon wedges? How was it
possible to transform this humble
vegetable to such heights of fashion and
delicacy with so few additional
ingredients?
And, how can such a yummy dish also
possibly be good for you?" The modern
mind, in a moment of contemplation, has
similar thoughts upon entering a modest
sweets shop where "baklava" is the
generic cousin of a dozen or so
sophisticated sweet pastries with names
like: twisted turban, sultan, saray (palace),
lady's navel, nightingale's nest...
The same experience awaits you at a
muhallebici" (pudding shop) with a dozen
different types of milk puddings. One
can only conclude that the evolution of
this glorious cuisine was not an
accident, but rather, as with the other
grand cuisine of the world, it was a
result of the combination of three key
elements.
A nurturing environment is irreplaceable.
Turkey is known for an abundance and
diversity of foodstuff due to its rich
flora, fauna and regional
differentiation. Secondly, the legacy of
an Imperial Kitchen is inescapable.
Hundreds of cooks, all specializing in
different types of dishes, and all eager
to please the royal palate, no doubt had
their influence in perfecting the
cuisine as we know it today. The Palace
Kitchen, supported by a complex social
organization, a vibrant urban life,
specialization of labor, worldwide trade,
and total control of the Spice Road, all
reflected the culmination of wealth and
the flourishing of culture in the
capital of a mighty Empire. Finally, the
longevity of social organization should
not be taken lightly either. The Turkish
State of Anatolia is a millenium old and
so, naturally, is its cuisine.
Time is of the essence, as Ibn'i Haldun
wrote, "The religion of the King, in
time, becomes that of the people," which
also holds for the King's food. Thus,
the 600-year reign of the Ottoman
Dynasty and a seamless cultural
transition into the present day of
modern Turkey led to the evolution of a
grand cuisine through differentiation,
the refinement and perfection of dishes,
and the sequence and combination of the
meals in which they are found. It is
quite rare when all three of the above
conditions are met, as they are in
French, Chinese and Turkish Cuisine.Turkish
cuisine has the added privilege of being
at the cross-roads of the Far East and
the Mediterranean, resulting in a long,
and complex history of Turkish migration
from the steppes of Central Asia (where
they mingled with the Chinese) to Europe
(where their influence was felt all the
way to Vienna). Such unique
characteristics and extensive history
have bestowed upon Turkish cuisine a
rich selection of dishes all of which
can be prepared and combined with others
to create meals of almost infinite
variety, but always in a non-arbitrary
way. This led to a cuisine that is open
to improvisation through development of
regional styles, while retaining its
deep structure, as all create works of
art do. The cuisine is also an integral
aspect of the Culture. IL is a part of
the rituals of everyday life. it
reflects spirituality, in forms that are
specific to it, through symbolism and
practice. Anyone who visits Turkey or
has a meal in a Turkish home, regardless
of the success of the particular cook,
is sure to notice the uniqueness of the
cuisine. Our intention here is to help
the uninitiated employ Turkish food by
achieving a more detailed understanding
of the repertoire of dishes and their
related cultural practices as well as
their spiritual meaning.
Early historical documents show that the
basic structure of Turkish cuisine was ,already
established during the Nomadic Period
and in the first settled Turkish States
of Asia. Culinary attitudes towards meat,
dairy products, vegetables and grains
that characterized this early period
still make up the core of Turkish
thinking. Early Turks cultivated wheat
and used it liberally), in several types
of leavened and unleavened breads either
baked in clay ovens, fried on a griddle,
or buried in embers. "Manti", (dumpling),
and "Bugra," (the ancestor of "börek,"
or filled pastries, named for Bugra Khan
of Türkestan) were already among the
much-coveted dishes of this time.
Stuffing not only the pastry, but also
all kinds of vegetables was common
practice, and still is, as evidenced bv
dozens of different types of "dolma".
Skewering meat as well as other ways of
grilling, later known to us as varieties
of "kebab," and dairy products, such as
cheeses and yogurt, were convenient
staples of the pastoral Turks. They
introduced these attitudes and practices
to Anatolia in the 11th century. In
return they met rice, the fruits and
vegetables native to the region, and
hundreds of varieties of fish in the
three seas surrounding the Anatolian
Peninsula. These new and wonderful
ingredients were assimilated into the
basic cuisine in the millennium that
followed.
Anatolia is the region known as the "bread
basket of the world." Turkey, even now,
is one of the seven countries in the
world which produces enough food to feed
its own populace and still his plenty to
export. The Turkish landscape
encompasses such a wide variety of
geographic zones, that for every two to
four hours of driving, you will find
yourself in a different zone amid all
the accompanying changes in scenery,
temperature, altitude, humidity,
vegetation and weather. The Turkish
landscape has the combined
characteristics of the three oldest
continents of the world (Europe, Africa,
and Asia) and an ecological diversity
surpassing any other country along the
40th latitude. Thus, the diversity of
the cuisine has taken on that of the
landscape with its regional variations.
In the eastern region, you will
encounter rugged, snow-capped mountains
where the winters are long and cold,
along with the highlands where the
spring season with its rich wild flowers
and rushing creeks extends into the long
and cool summer. Livestock farming is
prevalent. Butter, yogurt, cheese, honey,
meat and cereals are the local food.
Long winters are best endured with the
help of yogurt soup and meatballs
flavored with aromatic herbs found in
the mountains, followed by endless
servings of tea. The heartland is dry
steppe with rolling hills, and endless
stretches of wheat fields and barren
bedrock that take on the most incredible
shades of gold, violet, and cool and
warm greys, as the sun travels the sky.
Along the trade rotates were ancient
cities with lush cultivated Orchards and
gardens. Among these, Konya, the capital
of the Selcuk Empire (the first Turkish
State in Anatolia), distinguished itself
as the center of a culture that
attracted scholars, mystics, and poets
from all over the world during the 13th
century.
The lavish cuisine that is enjoyed in
Konya today, With its clay-oven (tandir)
(tanduri you know) kebabs, böreks, meet
and vegetable dishes and helva (halva)
desserts, dates back to the feasts given
by Sultan Ala ad Din Keykubat in 1.237
A.D.
Towards the west, one eventually reaches
warm fertile walleys between cultivated
mountainsides, and the lace-like shores
of the Aegean where nature is friendly
and life has alwavs been easygoing,
Fruits and Vegetables of all kinds are
abundant, including, best of all, sea
food! Here, olive oil becomes a staple
and is used both in hot and cold dishes.
The temperate zone of the Black Sea
Coast, to the north, is protected by the
high Caucasian Mountains and abounds in
hazelnuts, corn and tea. The Black Sea
people are fishermen and identity
themselves with their ecological
companion, the shimmering "hamsi" a
small fish similar to the anchovy, There
are at least forty different dishes made
with hamsi, including desserts! Many
poems, anecdotes and foIk dances are
inspired by this delicious fish.
The southeastern part of Turkey, is hot
and desert-like offering the greatest
variety of kebabs and sweet pastries.
Dishes here are spicier compared to all
other regions, possibly to retard
spoilage in hot weather or as the
natives say, to equalize the heat inside
the body to that outside!
The culinary center of the country is
the Marmara Region, including Thrace,
with Istanbul as its Queen City. This
temperate, fertile religion boasts a
wide variety of fruits and vegetables,
as well as the most delicately flavored
lamb. The variety of fish that travel
the Bosphorus surpasses that of other
seas. Bolu, a city on the mountains,
supplied the greatest cooks for the
Sultan's Palace, and even now, the best
chef's in the country come From Bolu.
Since Istanbul is the epicenter of the
cuisine, a survey of the Sultan's
kitchen is required to understand it...
The importance of culinary art to the
Ottoman Sultans is evident to every
visitor to Topkapi Palace. The huge
kitchens were housed in several
buildings under ten domes. By the 17th
century some thirteen hundred kitchen
staff were housed in the Palace.
Hundreds of cooks, specializing in
different categories, such as soups,
pilafs, kebabs, vegetables, fish, breads,
pastries, candy and helva, syrups and
jams, and beverages, fed as many as ten
thousand people a day, and, in addition,
sent trays of food to others in the city
as a royal favor. The importance of food
has also been evident in the structure
of the Ottoman military elite, known as
the Janissaries. The commanders of the
main divisions were known as the Soupmen,
other high ranking officers included the
Chief Cook, the Scullion, the Baker, and
the Pancake Maker, though their duties
had little to do with food. The huge
cauldron used to make pilaf had a
special symbolic significance for the
Janissaries, and was the focal point of
each division. The kitchen was at the
same time the center of politics, for
whenever the Janissaries demanded a
change in the Sultan's Cabinet, or the
head of a grand vizier, they would
overturn their pilaf cauldron. "Overturning
the cauldron," is an expression still
used today to indicate a rebellion in
the ranks. It was in this environment
that hundreds of the Sultans' chefs, who
dedicated their lives to their
profession, developed and perfected the
dishes of the Turkish cuisine, which was
then adopted in from the Balkans to
southern Russia, and reaching as fir as
North Africa. Istanbul was then the
capital of the world and had all the
prestige, so its ways were imitated. At
the same time, it was supported by an
enormous organization and infrastructure
which enabled all the treasures of the
world to flow into it. The provinces of
the vast Empire were integrated by a
system of trade routes with
caravanserais for refreshing the weary
merchants and security forces. The Spice
Road, the most important factor ii-i
culinary history, was under the full
control of the Sultan. Only the best
ingredients were allowed to be traded
under the strict standards established
by the courts.
Guilds played an important role in the
development and sustenance of the
cuisine. These included hunters,
fishermen, cooks, kebab cooks, bakers,
butchers, cheese makers and yogurt
merchants, pastry chefs, pickle makers,
and sausage merchants. All of the
principal trades were believed to be
sacred and each guild traced its
patronage to the saints. The guilds set
price and quality controls. They
displayed their products and talents in
spectacular parades through Istanbul
streets on special occasions, such as
the circumcision festivities for the
Crown Prince or religious holidays.
Following the example of the Palace, all
of the grand Ottoman houses boasted
elaborate kitchens and competed in
preparing feasts for each other as well
as for the general public. In fact, in
each neighborhood, at least one
household would open its doors to anyone
who happened to stop by for dinner
during the holy month of Ramadan, or
during other festive occasions. This is
how the traditional cuisine evolved and
spread, even to the most modest corners
of the country.
A survey of the types of dishes
according to their ingredients may be
helpful to explain the basic structure
of Turkish cuisine. Otherwise there may
appear to be an overwhelming variety of
dishes, each with a unique combination
of ingredients and its own way of
preparation and presentation. All dishes
can be conveniently categorized: grain-based,
grilled meats, vegetables, seafood,
desserts and beverages. Before
describing each of these categories,
some general comments are necessary. The
foundation of the cuisine is based on
grains (rice and wheat) and vegetables.
Each category of dishes contains only
one or two types of main ingredients.
Turks are purists in their culinary
taste, that is, the dishes are supposed
to bring out the flavor of the main
ingredient rather than hiding it under
sauces or spices. Thus, the eggplant
should taste like eggplant, lamb like
lamb, pumpkin like pumpkin, and so on.
Contrary to the prevalent Western
impression of Turkish food, spices and
herbs are used very simply and sparingly.
For example, either mint or dill weed
are used with zucchini, parsley is used
with eggplant, a few cloves of garlic
has its place in some cold vegetable
dishes, and cumin is sprinkled over red
lentil soup or mixed in ground meat when
making "köfte" (meat balls). Lemon and
yogurt are used to complement both meat
and vegetable dishes as well as to
balance the taste of olive oil or meat.
Most desserts and fruit dishes do not
call for any spices. So their flavors
are refined and subtle. There are major
classes of meatless dishes. When meat is
used, it is used sparingly. Even with
the meat kebabs, the "pide" or the flat
bread is the largest part of the dish
alongside vegetables or yogurt. Turkish
cuisine also boasts a variety of
authentic contributions to desserts and
beverages.
For the Turks, the setting is as
important as the food itself. Therefore,
food-related places need to be
considered, as well as the dining
protocol. Among the "great-food places"
where you can find ingredients for the
cuisine are the weekly neighborhood
markets ("pazar") and the permanent
markets. The most famous one of the
latter type is the Spice Market in
Istanbul. This is a place where every
conceivable type of food item can be
found, as it has been since pre-Ottoman
times. This is a truly exotic place,
with hundreds of scents rising from
stalls located within an ancient domed
building, which was the terminus for the
Spice Road. More modest markets can be
found in every city center, with
permanent stalls for fish and vegetables.
The weekly markets are where sleepy
neighborhoods come to life, with the
villagers setting up their stalls before
dawn in a designated area to sell their
products. On these days, handicrafts,
textiles, glassware and other household
items are also among the displays at the
most affordable prices. What makes these
places unique is the cacophony of sounds,
sights, smells and activity, as well as
the high quality of fresh food, which
can only be obtained at the pazar. There
is plenty of haggling and jostling as
people make their way through the narrow
isles while vendors compete for their
attention. One way Lo purify body and
soul would be to rent an inexpensive
flat by the seaside for a month every
year and live on fresh fruit and
vegetables from the pazar. However,
since the more likely scenario is
restaurant-hopping, here are some tips
to learn the proper terminology so that
you can navigate through the cuisine (just
in case you get the urge to cook a la
Turca) as well as the streets of Turkish
cities, where it is just as important to
locate the eating places as it is the
museums and the archaeological wonders.
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