Turkish cuisine! What Turkish delicacies should you try?

Turkey has been attracting tourists for many years with sunny weather, beautiful beaches and fascinating monuments. However, one should not forget about the diverse and appetizing culture of Turkish cuisine. Thanks to the location of the country, we can observe here Asian, European (especially Greek) and Arab influences. Anna Waszkiewicz, manager of the Turkish restaurant Maho in Warsaw, told us about the flavors that we can find while traveling around Turkey.

What influences have left the greatest mark on Turkish cuisine?

Turkish cuisine is treated as a development of the culture of the Ottoman Empire, previously cultivated in these areas. There is a theory that Turkish cuisine has its origin in the Toktapi Palace (in present-day Istanbul), the seat of the Ottoman sultans. It was there that the best Turkish cooks were supposed to reside, experimenting with flavors from different corners of the world. Turkey’s expansionist policy resulted not only in borrowing customs from other cultures, but also left its mark on the cuisine of many other countries (Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East). So we can say that there was a kind of flavor barter.

What are the most characteristic dishes of Turkish cuisine?

Turkish cuisine is based on combining fresh fruit and vegetables with the highest quality meat. Rice or groats, e.g. bulgur, often appear in the dishes. These are usually not complicated dishes. Intense spices, such as chilli, cinnamon, cumin, cinnamon, black cumin, play a large role here, but also fresh herbs: parsley, mint, coriander. The most characteristic and recognizable Turkish dish in the world is, of course, the famous kebab. Despite the pattern adopted in Europe, this dish is not always served in a bun or pita – in Turkey, this word describes dishes served on a plate, consisting of grilled meat (usually mutton or lamb) and various types of vegetables.

According to one of the legends, Persian soldiers were the first to prepare this dish – by grilling meat impaled on swords. There are many ways to prepare meat intended for serving in the form of a kebab. The most commonly known one can be found in almost every corner of the world – we are talking about Döner, i.e. meat turned on an oblong, vertical grill. Another type – Adana kebab – much spicier in taste, made of chopped meat baked with a special skewer. It is worth mentioning that the way of serving, which is most often associated with the word kebab, is Iskender (slices of grilled meat with vegetables wrapped in pita bread after pouring tomato sauce and spiced yoghurt).

Another signature dish is the famous Meze appetizers. And here you can boldly recall the influence exchangeable with Greece, because this dish is one of the flagship dishes in Greek Cyprus. Meze are small but nutritious dishes. The classic set usually includes, among others, spicy chilli paste called acili ezme, cold-prepared eggplant salad – patlican salatasi, cacik, i.e. yogurt sauce with the addition of grated cucumber and garlic, sheep’s milk curd – beyaz peynir, yaprak dolmasi, i.e. stuffed grape leaves and tarama – a delicious cod roe paste. Meze are served as starters before the main course, or as a snack between meals.

Among the traditional and popular Turkish dishes, it is also worth mentioning the soup that is eaten there quite often – corba. This dish is made with different vegetables, depending on the region. Most often, however, you can find the „variety” of tomato (domates) and cabbage (black cabbage). If you have the courage to experiment, be sure to try sheep’s brain soup or tongue soup!

How do cultural conditions influence the culinary habits of Turkey?

Due to the long-standing tradition of Islamic culture, the traditional cuisine of Turkey prohibits the consumption of pork, animal blood and the slaughter of animals in a way other than slitting the throat. Islam also imposes complete abstinence from alcohol, but this rule is not universally observed by all Turks.

Which of the Turkish cuisine desserts can be considered the most traditional?

In Turkey, eating desserts is a kind of social ritual, sweet dishes are prepared in such a way that they are easy to share with others. The sight of people drinking aromatic tea and eating sweets is very common, especially in Istanbul. Turkish desserts can be divided into two types: milk desserts and sweet cakes. Among the ones mentioned first, the reigning (but also surprising) is Tavuk göğsü – a dessert made from … chicken breast. It doesn’t sound very encouraging, but anyone who has ever had a chance to try it will confirm – it is one of the best Turkish desserts! The meat is tenderized by long cooking, then separated into fibres. Mixed with milk, sugar, rice and cinnamon, it gives the effect of melting in the mouth pudding. Another dairy dessert that should not be ignored is the Turkish interpretation of rice pudding, called sütlaç. Finger licking!

When it comes to sweet cakes, Baklava is definitely the first to be mentioned. It is several layers of thin filo pastry, layered with chopped, honey-sweetened nuts (pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts). Another flagship Turkish dessert is Kaymakli Kayisi. These are dried apricots cooked in sugar syrup until softened, then stuffed with buffalo milk and rolled in a sprinkle of pistachios. The taste is indescribable! While on the subject of desserts, it is worth quoting an anecdote related to Pişmaniye – sweet Turkish cotton candy made of wheat flour and sugar. Legend has it that one of the sultans decided to marry his daughter. The girl was beautiful, so there were plenty of candidates. So the Sultan decided to organize a competition for the best and sweetest dessert in the area. The winner turned out to be the man whom the sultan’s daughter mockingly pointed out as the ugliest from the beginning. Rebellious, she refused to marry, manifesting her dissatisfaction. The aggrieved candidate could not spare himself the loss and, regretfully, named the dessert he created „Pişmaniye”, which means „I regret” in Turkish.