National cuisine of Turkey
The cuisine of any country is a whole philosophy that not everyone can comprehend. This is a kind of cooking ritual that lasts several hours. It also includes beautiful table setting. Turkish cuisine is no exception.
Features of Turkish cuisine
It can be defined as a mix of the best dishes of the traditional cuisine of Islamic countries with Caucasian and Balkan dishes. However, it has its own zest and cooking secrets.
Mostly dishes are prepared on an open fire – a grill or a skewer. Spices are added in moderation.
Breakfast in Turkey looks like a real feast, so it’s a must try. “Turkish breakfast” includes a traditional morning set: olives, toast, fried sausages, homemade cheese, scrambled eggs. Less often vegetables, jam with unlimited tea.
Given that Turkey is a Muslim country with its own customs and rules, remember that pork is banned here.
What to try in Turkey
Tasting first courses
If suddenly you are offered somewhere to “drink soup”, then do not be too surprised. Yes, yes, they don’t eat it here, but they drink it. Turkish soup is very different from what we are used to cooking at home. This is a kind of substance from the ingredients ground into a puree. Among the Turkish soups you need to try the following.
Lentil soup
Lentils have taken a special place in the heart of the Turks. It is used as the main ingredient for the preparation of the national soup, which has become the hallmark of the country. The dish can be supplemented at will with carrots, potatoes and onions. At the end, it is generously seasoned with red pepper and lightly sprinkled with lemon juice.
Shifa Chorbasy
This stew is called medicinal. It is often drunk during the cold season to prevent diseases or just to keep warm. Among the main components of chorbasa:
- Red onion;
- carrot;
- green stalk of celery;
- lentils;
- fresh parsley;
- black and red ground peppers.
Tarkhana milk soup
This dish combines unusual dried foods – onions with tomatoes, red peppers, as well as a yogurt-flour mixture. Finally, finely chopped garlic cloves and a piece of oil for flavor, as well as tomato paste to taste, are thrown into the pan.
Red lentil soup
Meat dishes
Kebab
The Turks came up with many variations of this meat dish. Here are some of the most popular ones:
Doner kebab. First, the meat is fried over a fire. After, it is cut into thin pieces. They are altered with onions, detailed tomatoes and lettuce leaves. All are well sprinkled with spices, sauce waterings are added and twisted into a pita leaf.
Adana kebab. Minced meat is overcooked on a charcoal stove and served with vegetable cuts, boiled rice, a handful of greens and pita bread.
Iskander kebab. The thinnest fried pieces of meat are combined with fresh cut vegetables and a handful of greens. The finished dish is served with pita bread, with a delicious yoghurt-tomato sauce.
Pilaf
Local plov is different from our version. The Turks simply boil white rice in water, less often in chicken broth, with a drop of oil. By the way, it is not even always served with meat. Chickpeas, various vegetables or small vermicelli are often added to it. The meat is fried separately with an onion and served on an additional plate.
Kokorech
The dish belongs to non-standard Turkish cuisine. Therefore, once visiting the country, you must definitely try it. Kokorech is the offal of young rams stuffed into the intestines of the animal. After, all this is fried until a crust is obtained and cut into small pieces on top of a crispy bun.
Sujuk
The famous Turkish sausage made from lamb or beef meat. Its highlight is in cooking: the meat delicacy is simply dried without pre-cooking or smoking. The product is generously sprinkled with spices. It is noteworthy that sujuk is not consumed raw, but only after frying in a pan. A delicious combination of sujuk with scrambled eggs or bread.