Food and Drink

Written by admin on July 20, 2008 – 8:45 pm -

Turkish Cuisine

In order to truly understand the Turkish food, you have to also understand Turkish history and the various cultures and peoples who’ve added their own flavour to the proverbial pot.

For centuries the Turkish mainland, Anatolia, served as the principal bridge between East and West, not just geographically, but politically and culturally as well. Anatolia’s enviable geographic position meant that the Ottomans could control access to east, and therefore grew quite wealthy from trading in commodities such as silks and spices.

It also allowed them to hold rival European powers, such as the Spanish and Portuguese at bay, forcing them to find alternative routes to the East, leading, inadvertently, to Columbus’ voyage to the Americas.

  
Herbs and spices at a local market

Istanbul, as a natural harbour, had always been one of the world’s busiest harbours all through Turkish history, from pre-Byzantine times, right through the Ottoman Empire and the formation of the Turkish Republic. Today it’s busier than ever as it continues to bring in all manner of exotic goods and delectable foodstuffs
from all over the world.

With its mouth-watering mix of foods and flavours; Asian, Oriental, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and of course European, Turkish cooking is perhaps the original fusion cuisine. Turkish dishes are garnished with a rich assortment of herbs and spices which are either grown locally or imported from the four corners of the world. Fruit, vegetables and other such produce is sourced domestically along with with fresh bread and pastries, honey, nuts, dried fruits and local delicacies.

Turkish Meze

A Meze is basically an assortment of snacks, such as salads and cheeses, olives, artichokes, flavoured yogurt dips and dolma. Dolma is basically the word for “stuffed” food and is found frequently in Turkish dishes, either as a starter or accompaniment or as a main course.

One of my own personal favourite dishes were the yaprak sarma which are basically vine leaves stuffed with herbs and rice and fried in olive oil. It is generally served with a wedge of fresh lemon to squeeze over.

Yaprak Sarma - image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Lemons at a local market.

 

Turkish Kebabs

Of course there’s also Turkey’s most famous dish, the kebab, though visitors will be surprised to find that there are, in fact, many more variations than the standard doner kebab most westerners are used to.

Another delicious food is Köfte, or Turkish meatballs, made from lamb and seasoned with fresh herbs and spices, which can be had as a main course but can also make great midday snack.

 

Turkish Seafood

With the Black Sea to the North, the Aegean to the West and of course the Mediterranean, seafood is, understandably, a vital part of Turkish cuisine. Indeed for seafood lovers Turkey is nothing short of heaven, with local fishermen providing restaurants with freshly caught fish, shellfish, shrimp, octopus and crab daily.

Turkish Drinks

After a nice Turkish meal nothing beats a glass of Raki.
Raki is an aniseed flavoured beverage which is used as the Turkish equivalent of a digestivo. It is generally drank mixed with water, which turns the drink white, and served in a short, narrow glass.

If you find the Raki too sweet for your pallet, you can also enjoy a glass of Efes, the Turkish national beer. Or, if you’d rather keep your head clear, I recommend a glass of Turkish tea, served piping hot in a small, clear glass, to refresh, relax and revitalise.

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Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Written by admin on July 7, 2008 – 9:17 pm -

The Turks are a very proud and nationalistic people, something which one cannot help but notice when traveling through the country. Flags and banners are ubiquitous, especially on national holidays like Republic Day, where one can see the Turkish flag flying proudly wherever they look. Just as popular as the flag itself, if not more so, are banners that commemorate Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.

Mustafa Kemal, the man who would later become known as Ataturk, or Father of the Turks, was born in 1881. Enrolling in the military at a young age, Mustafa Kemal had a distinguished career, coming to prominence during the First World War.

Despite his own remarkable efforts during the war, including a decisive role in The Battle of Gallipoli resulting in bitter defeat for the Allies, the Ottoman Empire was, none the less, defeated. In the aftermath of the war the Allies now began the process of carving up and occupying the shattered remnants of a once-mighty Empire. The Turks were far from defeated, however, and from these shattered pieces, Mustafa Kemal helped the scattered military units to regroup and form a coherent resistance movement. Mustafa’s ultimate goal was no less than complete and total independence for Turkey, a dream which came to fruition in 1923.

Though Ataturk created a secular republic, the Turks’ veneration of Ataturk is practically cult-like. In a sense, Ataturk was more than a political leader, he was also a spiritual one, even if his doctrine was deliberately non-religious. Ataturk was adamant that the new Turkish Republic be a secular, democratic and modern one, and no sooner had he pronounced the new nation, than he commenced his policies of modernisation, revolutionising every aspect of Turkish life from education and language to the nation’s economy to the very notion of nationhood itself. In “Kemalist” doctrine religion and state were irrevocably detached from one another and in its place Ataturk promoted a modern, pragmatic philosophy favouring nationalism and national unity over any form of religious devotion. By doing this, Ataturk not only fought for, created and re-invented a new secular, modern and democratic Turkish Republic, but also helped to create the very ideological glue that has, for decades, helped to bond the nation and its people together.

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