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survey of types of dishes according to their ingredients, may be
helpful to explain the basic structure of the Turkish Cuisine.
Otherwise it may appear to have an overwhelming variety of dishes,
each with a unique combination of ingredients, way of preparation and
presentation. All dishes can be conveniently categorized into: grain-based,
grilled meats, vegetables, fish and sea food, 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.
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| Turks are purists in their culinary
taste; the dishes are supposed to bring
out the flavour of the main ingredient rather than hiding it behind sauces or
spices. Thus, the eggplant should taste like eggplant, lamb like
lamb, pumpkin like pumpkin.
Contrary to the prevalent Western impression of Turkish food, spices and herbs are used
very sparingly and singularly. For example, either mint or dill weed are used with
zucchini, parsley with eggplant, a few cloves of garlic has its place in some cold
vegetable dishes, cumin is sprinkled over red lentil soup or mixed in ground meat when
making "köfte." Lemon and
yoğurt are used to complement both meat and vegetable
dishes, 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. |
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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 occupies the largest part of the
portion along with vegetables or yogurt. The Turkish Cuisine also boasts a variety of
authentic contributions in the desserts and beverage categories. For the
Turks, the
setting is as important as the food itself. Therefore, food-related places need to be
surveyed, as well as the dishes and the eating-protocol. Among the "great good places"
where you can find the 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 always 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 terminal for the Spice Road. More modest markets can be found in every city
center, with permanent stalls of fish and vegetables.
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The
weekly markets are where sleepy neighborhoods come to life, with the
villagers setting up their stalls before dawn at 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
sights, smells, sounds and activity, as well as the high quality of
fresh food, which can only be obtained in the pazar. There is a lot of
haggling and jostling, as people make their way through the narrow
isles while the vendors compete for attention. One way to 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 will be restaurant-hopping,
here are some tips to learn the proper terminology so that you can
navigate through both, the Cuisine (just in
case you get the urge to cook a la Turca), and
the streets of Turkish cities, where it is just as important to locate the eating places
as the museums and the archaeological wonders.
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