Turkish Treat
Turkey’s rich history is evident in its food. With its Ottoman past, it has a lot in common with cuisines from the Caucasian, Circassian, Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Balkan and Greek regions.
Exemplifying this fact, is a famous quote you will often come across in menus in Turkey by a famous litterateur Abdulhak Sinasi; “Do not dismiss the dish saying that it is just, simply food. The blessed thing is an entire civilisation in itself!"
The all too familiar Kebabs, Biryani and Pilaf are something we are familiar with in India as well given our Mughal history. The variety of fresh dough unleavened breads also bear some similarity to our naans, that bring us closer to their culture.
Speaking of Kebabs, Chef Sahin Ibis, the Turkish chef at Baris, a Mediterranean dining in the capital, says “The main difference is the level of spice. In Turkey it is mostly about the meat and the flavours. Here in India people prefer it with spice.” The most popular kebabs are the Urfa and Adana Kebabs named after cities. While Adana still bears some spice, the Urfa is ground meat with hot peppers which is tasty just not spicy. The meat is usually seasoned with cumin and paprika.
Baris is one of the very few joints in Delhi serving Turkish dishes. While the chef has tried to keep a lot of dishes authentic, he is forced to innovate given the difference in meat preference as also the hard to find ingredients such as “sumac” that is used a lot in Mediterranean and Middle East cooking.
Some of the popular Turkish dishes on the menu are the Beetroot Lebneh (a chilled meze), Urfa and Adana Kebab (made of ground lamb) Shefin salatsi (with aragula leaves), Pumpkin Catalan (Believe it or not a pumpkin dessert) to be downed with turk kahvesi or the classic Turkish coffee.
Pumpkin features a lot in Turkish cuisine just like the ubiquitous eggplant. Their fresh feta like cheese or ‘beyaz peynir’ that is literally ‘white cheese’ is much liked by everyone and served even at breakfast time with olives.
When it comes to the Meze, contrary to popular belief it is not restricted to Lebanon; the Turks have their own Meze or starters. Executive Chef Anand Prakash, at present with 52 Janpath says, “Turkish Meze is different from a Lebanese Meze but of course there is a common influence. Meze comes as a cold platter or hot. The Turkish dips are different. There is a walnut dip and a roasted beetroot dip that are typical. The popular cigar rolls or ‘sigara’ stuffed with feta are very much part of Turkish Meze.”
The Meze in Turkey also comprises of lot of sea food such as fried calamari, squid and fresh mussels, that is not always feasible to replicate out here, feels Anand.
Traditionally the Meze comes accompanied by a drink called ‘rakı’, an anise-flavored liquor similar to ouzo and arak. Lot of youngsters just gather around a raki table and relish the Meze, giving the main course a skip altogether.
The most obvious link between the Indian and Turkish palate is the love for sweets which is more than evident if you have ever walked the streets in Turkey and observed the number of bakeries lining them. Nikhil Anand, Co-owner of Kunafa, a Mediterranean confectionery, says, “Apart from the Turkish Delights, they have a number of filo pastries and sweet breads. In fact the Turkish Baklava is almost the same as the Syrian Baklava except they pour extra sugar syrup into it. The ‘Kadayif’ is made from vermicelli and pistachio.” Kunafa has been around in the city since 2012 and continues to be in great demand meeting high profile wedding orders and offering an exotic alternative for corporate and others looking for gifting something different yet sweet.
The “Love Tea” available at Kunafa is another slice of Turkey to savour. Made of 36 flowers, it is considered an elixir of life and is sure to give you the Ottoman experience.
