Turkish Cuisine

Turks love to eat, and it’s slightly miraculous that neither Cef nor I have put on kilos, as Turkish food is really good.  Let me focus on dinner, as that’s the best.

More Cold Mezzeler

Cold Mezzeler

First, people don’t hit restaurants until about 8pm.  Dinner is a leisurely affair, and it lasts several hours.  If you’ve reserved a table, they assume that you’ll be there for the whole evening – no fast turnaround like in our restaurants!

It all starts with cold mezzeler – or small plates – that are usually ordered for the table so that everyone gets a spoonful or two.  My favorites are with eggplant, but there are truly all varieties and it’s worth it to get as many as you think you can taste.  A green salad (again for the table) is also usually served. 

More rakı

Rakı and Mezzeler

And I nearly forgot about beverages!  As they bring the first round of mezzeler, they also bring your choice of beer, wine, or (most typical) rakı.  Rakı is an anise flavored liquor that turns white when water is added.  It’s served in long narrow glasses, and the waiter makes a big production of pouring the rakı, pouring the water, and adding 1-2 ice cubes.  The founding father of the Turkish Republic (Mustafa Kemal Atatürk) was a huge rakı fan.  When alcohol was banned by the legislature in the early days of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal arranged for those legislators who voted for the ban not to be re-elected!

Shrimp (Hot Meze)

OK – time for the hot mezzeler.  These are little tidbits, like hot shrimp or small fried fish.  Best to go easy on these if you want to make the next course!

The main dish is usually a fish of some variety.  I usually let Cef go behind the scenes to pick out my fish, and they’re always fresh and delicious.  They are typically grilled or baked – I can’t ever remember having one fried or with any kind of sauce.

Now, if you have any room left (and it’s worth saving space!), comes the dessert.  There are all varieties (including French profiteroles, cheese cake, chocolate mousse), but my favorites are the classical Turkish ones.  These often include baklava like sweets dripping in honey-like syrup made with pistachios or other nuts and paper thin leaves of dough.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  And of course it wouldn’t be a Turkish meal without a glass of çay – or Turkish tea – at the end.

çay

Why there aren’t more Turkish restaurants in the United States, I’ll never know, as the food is amazing, reasonably healthy, and some of the best you’ll ever eat.

Cheers – or şerefe!