Wining&Dining

Understanding The Formation of Turkish Cuisine
Early historical documents show that the basic structure of the Turkish Cuisine was already established during the Nomadic Period and in the first settled Turkish States of Asia. Culinary attitudes towards meat, dairy, vegetables and grains that characterized this early period still make up the core of Turkish Cuisine. Turks cultivated wheat and used it liberally in several types of leavened and unleavened breads baked in clay ovens, on the griddle, or buried in ember. "Manti" ( dumpling), and "bugra" (attributed to Bugra Khan of Turkestan, the ancestor of "borek" or dough with fillings), were already among the much-coveted dishes at this time. Stuffing the pasta, as well as all kinds of vegetables, was also common practice, and still is, as evidenced by dozens of different types of "dolma". Skewering meat as well as other ways of grilling, later known to us as varieties of "kebab"and dairy products such as cheeses and yogurt were convenient and staple foods of the pastoral Turks. They introduced these attitudes and practices to Anatolia in the 11th century. In return they were introduced to rice, the fruits and the vegetables native to the Region, and the hundreds varieties of fish in the three seas surrounding the Anatolian Peninsula. These new and wonderful ingredients were assimilated into the basic Cuisine in the millennia that followed.

Anatolia is a Region coined as the "bread basket of the world." Turkey, even now, is one of the seven countries in the world which produces enough food to feed everyone and then some to export. The Turkish landscape encompasses such a wide variety of geographic zones, that for every two to four hours of driving, you will find yourself in a different zone with all the accompanying changes in scenery, temperature, altitude, humidity, vegetation and weather conditions. The Turk ish landscape has the combined characteristics of the three old continents of the world : Europe, Africa, and Asia, and an ecological diversity surpassing any other place along the 40th latitude. Thus, the diversity of the Cuisine has come to reflect that of the landscape and its regional variations.
In the Eastern Region, you will encounter the rugged, snow-capped mountains where the winters are long and cold, and the highlands where the spring season with its rich wild flowers and rushing creeks extends into the long and cool summer. Livestock farming is prevalent. Butter, yogurt, cheeses, honey, meat and cereals are the local food. Long winters are best endured with the help of yogurt soup and meatballs flavoured with aromatic herbs found in the mountains, and endless servings of tea.

The heartland is dry steppes with rolling hills, endless stretches of wheat fields and barren bedrock that takes on the most incredible shades of gold, violet, cool and warm greys, as the sun travels the sky. Ancient cities were located on the trade routes with lush cultivated orchards and gardens. Among these, Konya, the capital of the Seljuk Empire (the first Turkish State in Anatolia), distinguished itself as the center of a culture that attracted scholars, mystics, and poets from throughout the world during the 13th century. The lavish Cuisine that is enjoyed in Konya today, with its clay-oven (tandir) kebabs, boreks, meat and vegetable dishes and helva desserts, dates back to the feasts given by Sultan Alaaddin Keykubad in 1237 A.D.

Towards the west, one eventually reaches warm, fertile valleys between cultivated mountainsides, and the lace-like shores of the Aegean where nature is friendly and life has always been easy. Fruits and vegetables of all kinds are abundant, including the best of all sea food! Here, olive oil becomes a staple and is used both in hot and cold dishes.

The temperate zone of the Black Sea Coast, well-protected by the high Caucasian Mountains, is abundant with hazelnuts, corn and tea. The Black Sea people are fishermen and identify themselves with their ecological companion, the shimmering "hamsi", a small fish similar to anchovy. There are at least forty different dishes made with hamsi! Many poems, anecdotes and folk dances are inspired by this delicious fish.

The south - eastern part of Turkey is hot and desert-like and offers the greatest variety of kebabs and sweet pastries. Dishes here are more spicy compared to all other regions, possiblly to retard spoilage in hot weather, or as the navites say, to equalize the heat inside the body to that of the outside!
The culinary centre of the country is the Marmara Region which includes Thrace, with Istanbul as its Queen City. This temperate, fertile Region boasts a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and the most delicately flavoured lamb. The variety of fish that travel the Bosphorus surpasses those in other seas. Bolu, a city on the mountains, supplied the greatest cooks for the Sultan's Palace, and even now, the best chefs in the country come from Bolu. Istanbul, of course, has been the epicenter of the Cuisine, and an understanding of Turkish Cuisine will never be complete without a survey of the Sultan's kitchen.

Basic

Turkish Breakfast
A typical Turkish breakfast consists of slices of beyaz peynir (white cheese), honey or jam, black olives, boiled eggs and piles of fresh Turkish bread which resemble crusty Italian loaves. More elaborate breakfasts include fresh fruit, vegetables, yogurt, accompanied by honey and jam, pastries called pogaca and various kinds of cheese borek (layered pastry leaves cooked in the oven).
Invariably, Turkish black tea, brewed until intensely strong and bitter and diluted with water, and drunk from small tulip-shaped glasses is served at breakfast and throughout the day.

Lunch
The most popular lunch time meal in Turkey is the doner kebab; layered lamb, ground beef and spices roasted on a vertical spit and served thinly-sliced over rice or in a roll with tomatoes, hot peppers and French fries. Pilic Sis, chicken cooked on skewer over a coal fire is especially tasty.
Generally, lunchtime restaurants in Turkey specialize in one kind of dish or cooking technique.

For example, kebab houses serve all sorts of grilled or baked meat dishes. The pideci, another specialty restaurant, serve freshly baked thick flat bread piled high with toppings such as cheese and eggs, sucuk (a spicy salami) or a mixture of the day's offerings. They also offer another favorite noontime snack, lahmacun (a type of Turkish pizza, topped with ground lamb, onions, spices) and served with ice cold frothy ayran, a drink of beaten yogurt, spring water and a pinch of salt.

Dinner
A traditional dinner begins with meze dishes (appetizers), a dazzling variety of cold and hot treasures, ranging from salads to savory melons.

Many Turks make a meal out of these appetizers. Vegetables cooked in olive oil and served cold, make up a large category of meze dishes, such as stuffed-green peppers, tomatoes, grape-vine leaves and mussels. The vegetables or shells come bursting with a mixture of rice, pine nuts, currants, and spices. Small lamb's brains served cold with lemon slices on lettuce are greatly sought after by Turks. There are also a variety of spreads for bread including ezme (a fiery hot tomato and onion paste), haydari (a thick garlicky yogurt dip), and cacik, a thinner version with slices of cucumber, olive oil, and parsley, often served like a soup.

Other salads are also available, such as: coban (shepherd's salad), piyaz (white beans) and karisik tursu (mixed pickles). Diners at traditional Turkish food restaurants should sample the more complicated imam bayildi (literally the priest fainted), a whole eggplant stuffed with onions, tomatoes and swimming in a sweetish olive oil dressing which is often eaten as a main dish.
The main meat dish can be a mixed grill combining bonfile (Turkish T-bone steak), pirzola (lamb chops), ciger (liver) and bobrek (kidneys), served with pilav or sis kebab, made from chunks of lamb.

In Adana, the fiery hot mixture of ground meat grilled on a skewer called, Adana kebab is a must. If a less spicy version is desired, Urfa kebab is also popular. Iskender kebab, named after its creator, the Iskenderoglu family in Bursa, is another Turkish specialty of layered pide bread, slices of doner, spicy tomato sauce, yogurt and burnt butter. Many kebab dishes are cooked in the oven (firin), such as kuzu tandir, leg of lamb cooked slowly until it falls apart and kagit kebab, a lamb stew cooked inside a paper package fragrant with thyme, onions and garlic.

Sweet pastries, such as baklava, bulbul yuvasi (nightingale's nest) and sutlac, a kind of rice pudding, make up the bulk of desserts. Some patrons prefer juicy fresh fruit like water melons, cantaloupes, oranges and tangerines to the fattening sweets.

Dinner is topped off by Turkish coffee, which surprisingly, comes from either the Yemen or Brazil, and not from Turkey. Coffee is served one of three ways: sade (unsweetened), orta (medium sugar) or sekerli (extra sweet).

International Cuisine
You can easily find all types of international cuisine in Istanbul. To decide which cuisine you prefer, you can use the quick search on the restaurant page. Prices, features, addresses, telephone numbers, and credit card usage opportunities of the restaurants are listed systematically.

Beverages

Alcoholic drinks
Raki is the most popular alcoholic drink of Turkey. Meze dishes are typically consumed with the milky-looking drink, the national alcoholic beverage, flavored with anise, and served with water and ice.

Turkey boasts three locally brewed beers as well; Efes, Tuborg and Tekel.
Turkish wines are also popular. Try the brands Kavaklidere, produced in the vineyards of Ankara, and Doluca, turned out in the town of Murefte, Turkey's leading wine producing center near Tekirdag along the Sea of Marmara.

Non-alcoholic drinks
Soft drinks include the usual range of Coca Cola, Pepsi, clear lemon-flavored soft drinks like Seven-Up, orange soda, and others. Shops and restaurants sign exclusive distribution contracts with one company or the other, so you will find either Coca Cola or Pepsi, but never both. Turks just order cola and take what comes.

If you want unflavored fizzy water, ask for soda. Fizzy mineral water is maden suyu (naturally carbonated) and maden sodasi (artificially carbonated).
Fruit juice is a favorite refreshment and can be excellent. These are usually available in paper containers. The best fruit juices tend to come in glass bottles and may be so thick that you will want to dilute them with spring water.
Other traditional drinks include ayran (yogurt and water mixed), which is refreshing and healthy and available in most restaurants and food and drink shops.

Please pay attention to the following
In Istanbul the tap water is not drinkable, You can buy water to drink from shops in plastic or glass bottles.

Tipping
At restaurants in cheaper places, tipping is not necessary, though some people do leave a few coins in the change plate. In more expensive restaurants, tipping is more usual. Some places will automatically add a service charge of 10-15 % to your bill. But traditionally, it will be better for you leave 5-10 % on the table for the waiter.