A Culinary Trip Through Turkey

As long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being. This quote by Franz Kafka rings true to our client who recently traveled to Turkey. Turkish cuisine is tantalizing to the taste buds at the very least. Turkish food is about experimentation and technique. It is about enjoying the essential ingredient. You can have fresh fish cooked in a bit of olive oil and served with lemon, a salad with a little bit of olive oil, fresh cheese drizzled with honey or lamb cooked with spices in its own juice. Turkey is well known for meze, the small dishes that start your meal. The meze are based on the seasons and the locale. They usually include white cheese (beyaz peynir which is similar to feta but not as strong) served with fruit or vegetables and yogurt dishes. It is also served with meat dishes and vegetable side dishes. Near the sea there will be small fish dishes such as sardines, fried calamari, stuffed mussels, octopus and shrimp. Desserts are dough based or puddings with fruit or dried fruits and honey. The food is always fresh and fabulous. Kosebasi, Istanbul. Kosebasi is located in the Nisantasi area of Istanbul and is a high-end chain restaurant with locations throughout Turkey and the Middle East. It has a star-studded clientele and is said to have some of the best kebab in Turkey. The Turkish bread is hot, chewy and light. The lamb and chicken kabobs are marinated in delicious spices and are very tender. The meze are delicious and include pastrami hummus, bulgur salad, broiled eggplant with cheese and bbq eggplant. Nar Lokanta, Istanbul. Nar Lokanta is located on the top floor of the stylish gallery like store Armaggan. It is located in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul right near the Grand Bazaar and Starbucks. There is a beautiful vertical garden hanging down to the floor below. The menu changes daily and always features seasonal foods. They serve the traditional Turkish pide here. Pide restaurants have wood fire ovens similar to pizza ovens. Dough is rolled out and stretched into boat like shapes that form the pide. The outside is rolled to create a center for the filling. You can get them with vegetables, cheese, lamb and other savory goodies. Nar Lokanta uses their own olive oil which has a very low acidity and an almost sweet flavor. Salads and cold vegetable dishes are served buffet style and include stuffed pumpkin flowers, eggplant dishes, mung bean salad, artichokes with broad beans and seasonal wild herbs dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and sour pomegranate juice. There is also a large dessert buffet that includes pumpkin pudding, rice pudding, fig pudding and baklava. Ziggy, Cappadocia. Ziggy is an arty, contemporary Turkish restaurant in the ancient city of Urgup. The food is seasonal and they use the best quality ingredients so the menu changes daily. The chicken skewers always earn rave reviews. They consist of small pieces of garlic chicken cooked in a secret sauce and served on mini skewers. Some of the meze were vegetables mashed into yogurt, seasonal salads, vegetables cooked in olive oil and served cold with zeytinyagh (fava beans, eggplant, artichoke and zucchini). They also serve a dessert called borek, which is made with layers of phylo dough. Boreks can also be filled with meat, cheese, potato and spinach. Their most popular one is made with cinnamon and sugar served with thin slices of green apple. Orient, Cappadocia. Orient restaurant is located at the beginning of Goreme, a beautiful little village in Cappadocia. They serve a salad of fresh organic herbs and vegetables. Sealed clay pots are brought out to your table and then broken open. Inside is steaming tender lamb cooked with onion, garlic and spices. This is a version of the typical peasant dishes cooked in the underground cities in Cappadocia. It is served over rice pilaf for an incredibly delicious meal. Bizem Ev, Selcuk-izmir. Bizem Ev is a traditional Turkish restaurant with an organic garden. It is located close to Ephesus and has a pretty sitting area outside in the garden. They serve ayram, a traditional yogurt drink and is made with ice salt and yogurt. It is very refreshing and delicious. This is a family run business and the mother cooks everything every day. It includes a huge buffet of fresh vegetable dishes made with items from the garden as well as many other Turkish specialties. Anytime mother is cooking, you know it is going to be good! They also sell signed copies of her cookbook there, which are very popular souvenirs. It is clear that Turkey is a culinary experience. Contact our Experts today to put together a dream culinary trip through Turkey.

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