|
A tour of the
Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, once home of sultans, princes,
their wives and concubines, gives a further insight into
Turkish cooking. The names of the recipes emphasize the
romantic, exotic era when Turkey's cuisine was being
developed: Sultan's Delight.
(Hünkar Begendi),
Ladies' Navels (Kadın Göbeği), Ladies' Thighs (Kadın Budu),
Lips of the beauty (Dilber Dudağı), Dainty Fingers (Hanım
Parmağı), and Swooning Imam (Imam Bayıldı)—the latter
certainly not because of any of the former, I assure you.
In Turkey the
sea and its gifts plays a large part in the lifestyle and
the food. One favorite dish. Skewered Swordfish (Kılıç Şiş),
is a Turkish delicacy long remembered by visitors. The aroma
offish cooking over glowing charcoal or by other means
permeates the air around the shores of the Bosphorus—Sardines
in Grape Vine Leaves (Sardalya Sarması), Stuffed Mussels
(Midye Dolması), Baked Fish (Balık Pilaki), and many more. A
favorite sauce served with many seafoods is Tarator, a
delectable combination of ground nuts, garlic, olive oil and
vinegar. Though hazelnuts are generally used, almonds, pine
nuts and walnuts are sometimes substituted.
Döner Kebap
This famous
Turkish specialty is found throughout Turkey and other
countries of the region, though it is definitely Turkish in
origin. As it is impractical for home preparation, a
description will have to suffice.
Even-sized
rounds of boneless lamb, taken from a whole carcass, are
marinated for 24 hours in a mixture of olive oil, vinegar,
onion, parsley, thyme, oregano or other combinations of
herbs. A long, very heavy spit is loaded with the meat,
layers interspersed with slices of fat from the tail of the
lamb. The bottom of the spit is fitted with a disc to keep
the meat in place and the top is finished with a whole green
pepper and a tomato for color. The loaded spit is then
placed before a vertical fire of charcoal or electrically
heated elements. It is motor-driven so that the kebap
revolves to cook evenly. As the lamb cooks on the outside,
it is deftly sliced off into a special pan and served
immediately in pide (flat bread) with salad. The doner kebap
is now prepared in many Western cities with ethnic groups,
since it is as popular in Lebanon, Syria, Greece and Iraq as
it is in its native Turkey.
The flavor
of Turkish food
Turkey's
cuisine, colored by its history, is a mixture of Oriental
and Byzantine influences, with the subtlety of Western
cuisine softening the impact. Yogurt would have to be one of
the most important elements, its use stretching back into
pre-history. While mostly enjoyed in its simple form, with
perhaps a dash of salt or a sprinkling of sugar, yogurt is
also married into soups, becomes a sauce with little effort,
and imparts a delicious flavor to cakes and desserts.
Perhaps the
next pillar of Turkish cooking would be its pilavlar, or
pilaf, renowned in world cuisine and worthy of their place.
In researching, writing and testing the recipes, I became
aware that no matter how they were formulated there would be
some cooks who would agree and others who would strongly
disagree with my methods. This is the beauty of Turkish
cooking: a dish is a reflection of the cook, her love of
food, and her dedication to its preparation for the pleasure
of her family.
Herbs are
subtly used in Turkish cooking, predominantly parsley, dill,
mint, bay leaves and to a lesser extent thyme and oregano.
In spicing, pepper, bahar (allspice), cinnamon and paprika
are the most widely used. A favorite Turkish garnish for
foods is paprika steeped in oil. Circassian Chicken (Çerkes
Tavuğu) goes one step further: a dedicated cook will
painstakingly extract the oil from walnuts to blend with
paprika for the garnish. This, by the way, would be without
doubt one of the most delicious chicken dishes I have ever
tasted.
Turkey produces
a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, all excellent in
their season, but tomatoes in summer are a special joy. A
good Turkish cook would prefer to use fresh tomatoes rather
than tomato paste, but certainly uses the latter when
tomatoes are out of season.
Olive oil,
safflower oil and butter are favored for cooking, though
peanut or corn (maize) oil can be used for general frying,
particularly for pastries. Olive oil is essential for
vegetable dishes, not only for its flavor, but because such
dishes are often eaten cold.
Added Flavor
Herbs and flavor adding
ingredients are highly developed in the Turhish Cuisine.
Adding blacj pepper and pepper flakes into the dishes is
almost traditional.
Red
Pepper :
Red pepper grown in Southern flnatolia, Bursa and Kayseri is
vivid red colored and bitter with a special aroma. It is
sold os dried and crumbled in tiny pieces. Besides adding
flavor to the dishes, it is known to be an appetizer,
stimulant and good for the arteries. Red pepper is called "isot"
in Urfa.
Thyme
:
Thyme grows in highlands and has small leaves with strong
aroma. Thyme is dried and used plentiful in meat dishes.
When the herd grazes in thyme growing pastures, the meat is
very delicious. Thyme has tran-quilizing, soothing effect on
the stomach, is an antiseptic and stimulant of blood
circulation and helps pass worms.
Daphne :
Daphne is an evergreen tree which reaches 3-10 meters height.
It grows mainly in the flegean and theMediterranean Coasts
of Turkey. The leaves are 5-1 Ocm long and 2-3 cm wide and
is good for the stomach as an antiseptic, fllso, causes
perspiration. Fresh green leaves are often used to add to
the flavor of grilled fish.
Basil
:
Basil is a leafy plant that grows 10 - 40 cm in height and
is white. The leaves are 2-6 cm large, notched and aromatic.
The tranqulizer, soother basil is used as herb. Rice is
decorated with basil leaves to add aroma.
Blackpepper :
Black pepper is blackish colored, 4-6mm puckered seeds that
originate in India. It is dried and grounded and used in
almost all soups and dishes. UJhen smelled, the burning
bitter aroma causes people to sneeze. Consists of
evaporating oil, cornstarch and fennel which gives the
burning taste. Blackpepper is one of the essential herbs
used in a large variety of dishes.
Saffron
Saffron grows from tubered roots in autumn and has purple
colored flowers and is about 20-30 cm high. The saffron
inside the petals is reddish orange colored, bitter tasting
and has strong aroma. It consists evaporating oil and is a
very valuable herb giving color, aroma and taste. Saffron is
sold in powder form and is being used in Flnatolia since the
times of Hitits.
The tubered bulbs are planted in end-flugust/earlu September
period and the flowers that blooms in October are collected
twice a day and dried
Allspice
The evergreen tree of about 5-10 meters tall, grows in mid
flmerica and Jamaica. The fruit is collected before it
ripens. The aroma reminds the aroma of carnation and it
contains fennel, evaporating oil and tannin. It helps cure
diarrhea and is an appetizer. While being added to dishes as
a herb, it is also used in some drinks.
Cumin
The plant grows in the Mediterranean countries and is about
50 cm tall. The flowers are white and pink.The seedy yellow
petals are 5-6 cm long. Cumin has a strong aroma. Contains
fennel, evaporating oil and rids stomach gasses. Romans have
started using cumin as a herb.
Tomato
Tomato gives dishes, color as well as taste. It is added
either as fresh chopped tomatoes or used as paste in cooking.
Tomato has originated from South Rmerica, spread all over
the world. It gives 20 calories and contains protein,
carbohydrate, calcium phosphate, iron, fat, vitamins € and
K. However, solanine in tomato is poisonous and causes
headache if it is eaten unripe. Tomatoes are grown in
gardens and green houses. There ore 200 different kinds of
tomatoes around the world. Over-ripened tomatoes in the
fields are used in making paste.
Parsley
Parsley is a well known plant in the Mediterranean Region
added into dishes or used to decorate the plate. It was
considered to have a magic spell by the ancient Romans. This
plant, widely grown and used in Turkey, can grow up to 50 cm
tall. It is cut and sold in bunches with stems. The large
leafed ones are preferred.
Dilluieed
First originated in €urope, dillweed grows to be 6 -130 cm
tall. The wild kind is abundant in turkey. It is grown as
the parsley and is used in soups and dishes such as fresh
broad beans, pea and squash dishes and fish. Dillweed is
sold in bunches with stems.
Onion
People were familiar with onion since ancient history. It is
believed to have originated from the UUestern Rsia. The
inner layers of the thin yellow skinned onion is white. The
red onion is used with fish dishes. The tall fresh green
onion is pulled out of the earth, before the bulb has grown,
and is used with salads and fish. Besides adding taste to
food, onion has carbohydrate, organic asids and vitamins.
Onion has burning effect and causes tears when peeling. It
is known for its anti-bacterial, kidney-stimulator, muscle
toner, blood-sugar balancer qualities since ages. Heredotes
states in his book that during the construction of Keops
pyramide in €gypt, the workers were fed on onions, garlic
and radish to avoid probable epidemics. 100 gr. Of onion
added to soup or any dish has 8.1 gr water, 1.4 gr
protein,8.9 gr carbohydrate, 0.8 gr cellulose and 0.2 gr.oil.
The calori of onion is 46 and contains Vitamins fl, 6, 62
and C.
Garlic
Garlic, used to enrich the flavor of many dishes such as the
tripe soup, is one of the oldest flavors known by ancient
men. It is white or pinkish colored and grows 25 - 100 cm.
tall. The cloves are covered by thin layers of crusty
membrane. These cloves are peeled and used either mashed or
sliced or as a whole. Garlic has a very strong smell and
burning flavor.lt contains carbohydrate, R,B and C vitamins
and evaporating oil with sulphur which completes the taste
of garlic. In olden times it has been used as a preventing
measure against spread of epidemics, fluthorities agree that
garlic helps in curing high blood pressure, glycose,
cleaning of kidneys as well as arousing appetite. The
following mythological story teels us the benefits of garlic.
Asclepios is the God of Health. He cures his patients,
working miracles even bringing dead, back to life. That
infuriates the God of Gods and hits flsdepios with
lightnings. While falling to the ground, he wants to give a
last service to mankind, scribbles a recipe that he leaves
behind. The God of Gods sees that Adepios is writing
something, before dying, he starts to send down pouring
rain. The recipe dissolves in the earth. Zeus, the God of
Gods is calmed down.
He sends the clouds away and the bright sun warms the earth.
Suddenly, a plant erupts at the point where the recipe was
buried. This plant is garlic. Actually, garlic is a remedy
for almost all kinds of sicknesses. It can be eaten fresh
but the smell is too strong and repelling.
Olive
Oil
Olive oil is better than all animal products and is
abundantly produced in Western Turkey and Greece. Long
living olive trees are sensitive to cold weather. Olive is
known and used since the times of Mesopotamia. The story
goes; Poseidon and flthena compete in creating the best
productive land for Athens. Poseidon slams his picthfork
into the earth and salty water springs, Athena plants an
olive tree. The committee decides on the benefits of olive
tree and Athena is elected as the guardian Godess of Athens.
A 100 years old olive tree grows between 5 -10 m. in height
and blooms white flowers. The fruit is the olive which is
collected half ripe for breakfast use. Ripe ones are sent to
factories for oil production, Ancient mills, used to grind
olives, are found through excavation. Olives contain
vitamins and use of olive oil instead of butter is healthier.
When two spoonfuls of uncooked olive oil is consumed, it is
good for blocked gall bladder and constipation. Fine olive
oil odds to the flavor of dishes as well as the salads. |
