The tastes of Turkey

Rhiannon Davies

I was taken aback recently when a fellow expat friend said to me, “I like Turkish food but I find it all a bit… samey.” I was quick to point out that he clearly wasn't looking hard enough.

Being an expat in Turkey has allowed me to scratch beneath the surface of Turkish food. Kebabs are Turkey's most famous edible export; their popularity being such that seemingly every small town in the UK along with Germany and other countries now has at least one döner joint, and when I tell people who have never visited Turkey that one of the reasons I moved here is for the food they often raise an eyebrow, wondering how I haven't managed to tire of these yet (or managed to avoid doubling in size). The longer I live here, the more I learn about Turkish cuisine and the more varieties I find, however subtle.

Perhaps my friend's comment was more due to the lack of availability of “foreign” food. In this increasingly globalized world, in countries such as the US and the UK, we've become used to eating our way around the world on a weekly if not daily basis, with French croissants for breakfast, Japanese sushi for lunch and Mexican burritos for dinner.

In countries such as the UK, which doesn't have a strong culinary tradition of its own, but does have many international influences dating back to the time of the British Empire and continued by the multitude of immigrants who make up British cosmopolitan society, modern eating blends aspects of French, Indian, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and West Indian food, amongst others. In Turkey, external influences are less obvious, but this is mainly due to the already rich cultural history of Turkish cuisine that incorporates within it many different cuisines.

The Ottoman Empire stretched across countries and continents whose culinary traditions were assimilated into what we now think of as Turkish food. Persian, Arab, Balkan, Slavic, North African and Central Asian influences can all be found. Even the words themselves demonstrate this; meze and pilaf are Persian in origin, fasulye from Greek, muhallebi from Arabic and mantı is Chinese or Korean. Since the19th century, Western eating habits and ingredients have also begun to creep in. Combined with the historical traditions of the Hittite, Roman and Byzantine empires and exceptionally rich abundance of different flora and fauna mean that some would say Turkish cuisine is characterized by its diversity.

Regional variations

Even within Turkey itself, the food varies widely from region to region. The geographic differences of the regions mean that different resources are available, and as such, different culinary traditions have emerged. Thankfully, these seem to still be resistant to modern globalizing forces and the increasing number of supermarkets that stock all things all year round. This geographical diversity divides and separates the seven regions of Turkey and provides the foundations for the food available.

Aegean region

The Aegean has a number of similarities to Greek cuisine due to the shared culture of the region's past. Many Turkish and Greek dishes even have the same names, such as istakoz (lobster) and the Turkish dolma or Greek dolmades, the name for a group of stuffed vegetable dishes. Olives grow well here, meaning that endless varieties of zeytinyağlılar exist, showcasing the regions seasonal vegetables on the meze tray. Fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful almost all year round, and this region is known for its figs and peaches. Allspice, dill weed, oregano and mint are the most common spices here.

Black Sea region

The Black Sea is synonymous with hamsi (Black Sea anchovies) that are cooked in many different ways, including hamsi rice, steamed hamsi, hamsi in cornbread and fried hamsi. The Laz people of the region have their own traditions, and we can also see influences of Balkan and Slavic cooking. Other regional products that feature heavily are corn (used in cornbread), black cabbage (used in soup) and hazelnuts.

Central Anatolia region

The major agricultural products of the Central Anatolian steppe are wheat and mutton, and the local cuisine reflects this. It is famous for its specialties such as keşkek (a traditional wedding dish made with wheat and meat), mantı (Turkish ravioli) and gözleme (Turkish stuffed savoury pancakes). It has hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters that may account for the preserving of food through pickling or drying such as pastırma, the spiced dried beef made in Kayseri and tarhana, a type of dried soup made from onion, peppers, flour and yoghurt. Konya, meanwhile, is known for fırın kebap (oily roasted mutton) and etli ekmek (pide topped with meat).

Eastern Anatolia region

In this more mountainous territory, vegetables and fruits grow less abundantly, meaning that traditional food is more dependent on meat. Erzurum gave us the cağ kebap, cubes of lamb roasted first on a cağ (a horizontal rotating spit) and then on a skewer. Van is renowned for breakfasts that are lengthy affairs with tables laden with numerous plates including Van cheese, which is studded with wild garlic, and one of the many variations of otlu peynir (herbed cheese) particular to the area.

Marmara region

The very popular İskender kebab is said to originate from Bursa and features thin cuts of roasted lamb spread on top of buttery pide bread, topped with savoury tomato sauce and served with a dollop of yogurt. Edirne, meanwhile, is famous for çiğer, thinly sliced and fried liver, causing some Istanbulites to make pilgrimages there just to satiate their appetites.

Mediterranean region

The Mediterranean region also boasts a good climate for growing and is rich in vegetables and herbs. Adana has spiced kebabs, usually accompanied by şalgam, a kind of pickled purple turnip and red carrot pickle juice. Whereas Antalya has a unique type of piyaz, a bean salad made with tahini dressing and served with köfte. This region also encompasses the Hate province, the area perhaps most famous for its food, inspiring many gastronomic tours to sample the goods, including delicious sweets such as künefe, the sweet cheese-based desert from Antakya.

Southeastern Anatolia region

The flavors of this region tend to be more Middle Eastern, reflecting the proximity of its neighbors. The most common spices are hot red pepper flakes, paprika, dried sumac and dried mint, and these are used to spice up the meat and dishes of the region such as çiğ köfte (originally made with raw meat but now replaced in Western Turkey by bulgur wheat) and lahmacun (Turkish pizza, topped with mincemeat).

All of these regional variations can be found in the many restaurants that line the streets of İstanbul. So many internal migrants have left their hometowns for İstanbul but have been unwilling to leave behind the tastes of home. This means that it's possible to go on a culinary tour of Turkey without ever leaving the city. In the series of articles to follow, I will visit restaurants in the city, famed for specializing in dishes from the different regions and sub regions of the country, to discover the different tastes of Turkey and prove to my afore-mentioned friend that Turkish food is anything but “samey.”

Source: Today's Zaman

Posted in: Turkey, Turkish cuisine