Turkish Cuisine and Recipes
Turkish cuisine is said to be one of the best in the world, and it is actually a unique blend of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines because of the wide span of the Ottoman Empire in history. Turkish food has a simplicity and pureness that produces quality dishes in an astounding variety. These dishes utilize a lot of fresh produce; most commonly spinach, tomatoes, onion, garlic and especially eggplant, which holds a place of honor in Turkish cooking and can be seen everywhere from the familiar Moussaka to the more unusual Karniyarik, where it pairs up with a minced meat mixture. Eggplant can even be made into a jam in Turkish cooking. Meat in Turkish dishes is usually in the form of lamb or minced ground beef, and it is usually combined with vegetables to produce delicious results. Yoghurt is an especially important component of Turkish cuisine; in fact the English word Yogurt is derived from a Turkish word. Yoghurt is essential as an accompaniment to meat and vegetable dishes, and it is also used in pastries, soups, and even Ayran, a Turkish drink featuring yoghurt in a starring role. All of these ingredients make up delicious dishes that are steadily gaining popularity throughout the world. Soups - Turkish Cucumber Soup: Cucumbers are an important vegetable in Turkish cuisine.
- Bahar Corbasi: This recipe incorporates peas and spinach from the spring harvest in a light, fresh broth; hence the translation, “Spring Soup”.
- Yayla Corbasi: Yogurt is a staple in Turkish cooking, and this recipe pairs it with rice to create a simple and delicious soup.
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Soup Gift
Ideas: There are gifts available that utilize the gift giving
potential of a delicious bowl of soup.
Salads and Pickles - Pancar Tursusu: This deep red beetroot pickle has a sweet and sour flavor and goes beautifully with roast meats.
- Chick Pea Salad: A variation of the Middle Eastern dish Hummus, this is a salad make of chickpeas and sesame oil.
Eggs - Menemen: This scrambled egg dish with vegetables is similar to a Spanish Frittata.
- Poached Eggs with Yoghurt: Yoghurt is a condiment staple in Turkish cuisine, and it’s seen here paired with poached eggs.
- Fried Eggs With Spinach: A simple and tasty dinner recipe featuring eggs.
Dishes in Olive Oil - Zeytinyagli Barbunya: Zeytinyagli means “in olive oil”. This dish of pinto beans with olive oil is flavored with carrots, onions and potatoes.
- Stuffed Artichokes in Olive Oil: Another “zentinyagli” style dish, the artichoke is stuffed with an olive oil, rice and spice mixture.
- Yaprak Dolmasi: Simply put, stuffed grape leaves cooked in olive oil. Make this dish authentically Turkish by omitting the meat and using rice flavored with mint, currents and pine nuts.
Poultry - Cerkez Tavugu: Translated as Circassian Chicken, this popular dish features a tasty walnut sauce.
- Bildircin Izgara: A simple grilled quail recipe.
Fish and Sea Foods - Uskumru Dolmasi: Mackerels are stuffed with onions and typical Turkish spices and nuts.
- Hamsi Tava: A simple fried anchovy dish that is surprisingly delicious served on a green salad.
- Karides Pilakisi: Try this recipe featuring shrimp cooked with tomatoes, onions, carrots and potatoes.
Meat Dishes/Kebabs - Tatar Boregi (Manti Turkish Dumplings): This is one of the oldest dishes in Turkish cuisine, and is commonly served as a one-dish meal. Similar to a meat pie, this dish consists of dough stuffed with a spiced ground meat mixture.
- Adana Kababi: These tasty kebabs are a blend of ground beef and ground lamb, blended with garlic and onions.
- Sulu Kofte: The Italian version may be better known, but this recipe for Turkish meatballs in lemon sauce is a surprisingly tasty alternative.
Vegetables - Karniyarik: This stuffed eggplant dish is somehow both familiar and exotic to western gastronomies.
- Hunkar Begendi: Another eggplant dish, this is translated as “Eggplant cream”, but is often called “Sultan’s Pleasure” to convey the importance of its delicious and unique flavor.
Pilafs Pastries and Turkish Rolls - Burek with White Cheese: Burek is a type of pastry that can have either a sweet or savory filling, and this recipe features one stuffed with feta cheese.
- Ojaldres: Crispy, light rolls made with spinach. Be sure that the spinach is very dry when adding it to the dough mixture.
- Baklava: The Turkish version of this popular dessert is a nut pastry soaked in honey syrup.
Desserts
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