WORLD CUISINE: Rich Turkish Cuisine
July 21, 2008 – 12:46 pm
Delicious Turkish Food
Imagine different flavors forming a total cuisine, it is diverse, delicious, rich and Turkish cuisine is an example of this! Everyone enjoys it, as there is always something for different tastes, a soup lover can taste different soups, desserts made with dough or milk are available, for meat lovers kebabs are great, for vegetarians there are vegetable dishes.
Turkish cuisine mainly takes its roots from the Ottoman cuisine; additionally Balkan, Asia, Middle East and even Mediterranean cuisine impacts can be seen. It is diverse because it is the combination of many cuisines along with its own taste.
Soups
Soups are the part of main meal for Turkish cuisine. Especially in cold days, there is soup on the table every day. Flour, vegetables, yoghurt and cereal are the main ingredients of soups. The name of the soup type generally comes from the main ingredient of it; the most popular Turkish soup is tarhana. Soups made with yoghurt are also popular; they are yoghurt soup, yayla. Iskembe, paca soups consist of meat and they are usually preferred at night, there are even special restaurants cooking and serving them at night.
Kebabs - Meat Dishes – Fish
Meat is one of the main ingredients of rich Turkish cuisine. Beef, chicken, and fish are preferred, however beef is used mostly. Turkish cuisine is famous for delicious kebabs. There are lots of kebab types, shish, beyti, urfa, adana, tas, cag, testi and lots of others… They are called differently because their ingredients and cooking styles are different. Meat is also used as a minor ingredient in some meals, vegetable and meat can be found together.
Turkey is a country surrounded by seas; this makes its cuisine a fish rich one. You can eat delicious fish at luxurious restaurants or at a boat on the sea. Fish kinds found in Turkish seas are gilt – head bram, anchovy, sardine, bonito, swordfish and some other delicious ones.
Vegetable Dishes
Turkish cuisine looks like meat dominant; however there are many vegetable dishes. The country produce varied types of vegetable, so the vegetable dishes are various. Potato, tomato, eggplant, spinach, cabbage, pea are consumed and imambayildi, karniyarik, dolma, sarma are major vegetable dishes.
Desserts
Desserts of Turkish cuisine can be divided into two categories: milk based and flour based. Milk based desserts are delicious and light, the most popular ones are kazandibi, sütlac, keskül and tavukgögsü. If you want to taste something more sugary you can prefer the second category, flour based ones. Did you hear Baklava? It is the most famous Turkish dessert, preparation of it is a long process, in it flour, walnut, sugar and additional things are used. There are dessert types similar to Baklava; they are kadayif, sari Burma and söbiyet.
Beverages
Alcohol is consumed in Turkish cuisine. The traditional alcohol is Raki made from anise; there are wine types as grape is grown in many areas of the country. Beer types are also available like the Turkish beer Efes Pilsen. Tea is widely consumed, in addition to this; ayran, made from yoghurt is the most popular beverage drunk with every dish. Turkish coffee is known all around the world, there are coffee cafes preparing and serving it, it is one of the traditional flavor of Turkish cuisine.