Kitchens of the World - Turkey

Turkey lies on the Asian-European trade wind, and that is why the food there is diverse and comes from all over the world. On the covered Turkish table, the influences of Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans intertwine. Around the Black Sea, fish is often on the menu, the southeastern part is famous for kebabs and baklava, and the western part is based on olive oil. The main ingredients of Turkish cuisine are lamb, beef, chicken, fish, eggplant, green pepper, onion, garlic, lentils, beans and tomatoes. Among the nuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts are used the most, and among the spices and herbs, black pepper, cumin, parsley, paprika, mint, oregano, red pepper and thyme. An important part of Turkish cuisine is yogurt, which is a good accompaniment to almost all meat and vegetable dishes. Outside the cities, yogurt is often eaten with rice or bread. Ayran, one of the important Turkish drinks is made from yogurt, which also finds its place in cakes and even in some types of soup.

Hot summer brings lighter food

A typical Turkish breakfast consists of cheese, butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey and cream. The "morning" food also includes spicy Turkish sausage called Sucuk and some types of soup. Menemem is a dish made from tomatoes, green peppers, olive oil, onions and eggs. Breakfast is not complete without Turkish tea. The main meal of the day also changes depending on the season. In the hot summer, the cuisine adapts to the temperatures and then the locals most often eat a meal of roasted vegetables (often eggplant) or potatoes, accompanied by yogurt, tomato sauce, cheese and pickles, and for dessert melons, watermelons and summer halva, which is less sweet and strong than usually. A typical meal starts with soup, which is served hot or cold. Chicken soup with almonds, cabbage soup and yogurt soup are just some of them. The main meal often consists of vegetable dishes, in which all kinds of vegetables are used. Dolma is a term for stuffed vegetables, which may or may not contain meat - it is often a grape leaf dolma with onions, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers. Among the egg delicacies, the one made from eggs, yogurt and olive oil is interesting. Among the meat dishes, you can't go without boiled lamb, to which vegetables and lemon juice are sometimes added. In addition, rice or bulgur are usually present at the main meal.

Turkish fast food

Although foreign fast food restaurants have not spared Turkey either, the locals still prefer to resort to local fast food, such as kofta or doner. Kofta are meatballs, usually made from beef or lamb, with spices and/or onions. The meat is mixed with rice, bulgur, vegetables or eggs into a smooth mass. Vegetarian versions have also been developed which are made from fish or vegetables and these are very popular in India. The meatballs are then fried or fried, sometimes marinated and served with hot rice sauce. Doner kebab is also well known in our country and the original one is usually made from lamb meat, although it is increasingly replaced by chicken meat. In Turkey, the doner kebab is prepared early in the morning and the last one is served until the end of the afternoon. Around the world, this dish has been adapted, including all kinds of meat, in some places they add fried potatoes or hummus, and in others they have adapted it to the shape of a pizza.

Eat sweet and talk sweet...

… the Turks often say. You can't go without dessert in Turkey, and dessert here definitely deserves that name, as the amounts of sugar used seem to be enormous. In first place, always and everywhere, is baklava, made from either pistachios or walnuts. Among the dairy desserts, rice pudding, sweet gelatinous milk pudding or pudding with ice cream and additionally sweetened with sweet syrup are often on the table. Some traditional Turkish desserts are based on fruit, which is cooked in a pot or oven together with sugar and cinnamon, then the dessert is cooled and served with walnuts, pistachios or cream. The simplest dessert is dried fruit such as figs, raisins and apricots. Whether the dessert is more or less generous, there is always room for real Turkish coffee, with a surprise hidden at the bottom. But to read the coffee grounds, you need to visit a real Turkish housewife, and a visit to Čopova will not be enough.