Turkish Food

I figured I would take a break from my usual intellectual ramblings to discuss one of the true joys of traveling in Turkey: the culinary experience. Turkish food isn't a very high profile cuisine in the US, but it's not entirely unfamiliar. Turkey is situated between Greece and the Levant (the Mediterranean Middle East), and the culinary influences of these more familiar cuisines are quite pronounced. However, it retains its own unique touches as well. With the caveat that it's never easy to reduce a cuisine to a list of dishes and flavors, I'll try to outline turkish the basics of Turkish cuisine.

The main meats are in Turkish food are beef, lamb, and chicken. In addition to standard grilled, a few unique dishes include doner kebab (thin slices of meat stacked on a vertical spit, roasted over an open fire, and shaved off the spit), sis kebab (grilled meat and vegetables on a skewer), kofte (Turkish meatballs), and cig kofte (raw ground beef with bulgur and diced onions). Doner is probably the most iconic food in Turkey, has a million variations, and has gained prominence in Europe thanks to the large numbers of Turkish immigrants. In addition, because Turkey is a country with an extensive coastline grilled whole fish (usually sea bass, sea bream, or turbot) is also very popular. It's served very simply, with greens and a slice of lemon. Another unique entree is Manti, a pasta stuffed with meat and served with a yogurt sauce; yogurt is a major element of Turkish cuisine in many forms. Popular vegetables include eggplant (the Turks have discovered every conceivable that can be possibly done with it), tomato, olive, and cucumber. In addition to green salads, Turkish food commonly includes salads of diced tomato and cucumber. White, crumbly cheeses (similar in texture to feta, but less salty) accompany many dishes. Fruit isn't a major part of classic Turkish cuisine with the exception of apricots; Turkey is the world's largest producer of apricots. While there are only a few genuinely spicy dishes, paprika, oregano, basil, and mint are all common seasonings. Like in most of the world, rice is a common accompaniment

In addition to restaurants, the streets of Turkey are lined with other culinary distractions. Cart peddling street foods are abundant mussels stuffed with rice, fish sandwiches, simit (bagel-like pastries crusted with sesame seeds), roasted chestnuts, and, somewhat oddly, corn. Bakeries are almost omnipresent. In addition to simit, they sell savory pastries called borek, which consist of a filo-like dough filled with cheese, vegetables, or meat. The shape of the pastry signals what's inside: cigar-shaped for cheese, square for meat, and so on. There are also a wide variety sweets, which come in three basic varieties. First, pastries drenched in syrup. Best known is baklava, a pastry of thin dough and ground nuts drenched in a honey-like syrup, but there are other variants as well. Second, puddings, including one desert pudding with chicken in it (something I have yet to try). Third, Turkish Delight, a soft, gelatinous candy that's mostly sold in tourist traps but is undeniably Turkish in origin.

Finally, any decent meal must include a beverage. The quintessential Turkish beverage is probably cay (tea). Turkish people drink predominantly black tea, sometimes combined with apples or other fruit. Turkish people drink their tea strong, with sugar, and consumed from small, distinctively-shaped tea glasses. Interestingly enough, while tea is the mainstay of dusty cafes on the side streets of Istanbul, it was only popularized in Turkey in the 1920s and 1930s. In a country with thousands of years history, I find it interesting that a drink like this can ingrain itself in the national soul so quickly. Turkish coffee - strong, small, and served unfiltered - was historically the drink of the Ottoman empire, and Ottoman conquests first introduced the drink to Europe. Today, however, you're far more likely to see an affluent young Turk drinking Starbucks or Gloria Jeans than traditional Turkish coffee. A similar fate seems to be befalling raki, the national alcohol of Turkey. Raki is an anise-based hard alcohol, similar to ouzo, that is always mixed with water when consumed. While I like, most Americans and many Turks do not. The final Turkish drink, less popular than tea but more resilient than raki and Turkish coffee, is ayran, a beverage comprised of yogurt, water, and salt. It's better than it sounds.

If you want to check out Turkish food in DC, check out Cafe Divan in Upper Georgetown/Glover Park. Since I ate there before coming to Turkey, I can't comment on the authenticity of the food, but the menu presents typical Turkish dishes, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is nice.