Turkish Cuisine and Eating Habits in Trkiye Prepared

Turkish Cuisine and Eating Habits in Türkiye Prepared by Nazilli Anadolu High School Students Mert Er & Çağlar Saygılı

Characteristics of the Turkish Cuisine Nomadism and the agricultural economic structure have affected Turkish food. Foods exhibit variety according to our country’s geographical regions. The variety of foods is indicative of reciprocal influence with other cultures. Our cuisine is influenced by our religious structure, norms and values. Eating habits display a certain degree of differentiation according to gender.

NOMADISM Our ancestors adopted nomadic life while they were living in Middle Asia. They were still nomadic when they came to Anatolia. There are still halfnomadic tribes in Southern Anatolia which are called “Yörük”.

AGRICULTURAL STRUCTURE Turks began farming when they passed into settled life. According to climate features, grains comprise the majority of Turkish foodstuffs.

INFLUENCED OTHER CULTURES Turkish food has both influenced and been influenced by other peoples; this is a reciprocal relationship. The Asian Turks’ culinary skills were so little that they could almost be called nonexistent. Several types of food, nuts and alcoholic beverages arrived via this neighborly relationship, and most were adopted by the peoples of Anatolia.

RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES The influence of religion is also evident in the existence of certain haram, or forbidden foods. For instance pork is forbidden for all Muslims.

Turkish cuisine inherited its Ottoman heritage which could be described as a fusion and refinement of Turkish, Arabic, Greek and Persian cuisines. Turkish cuisine also influenced these cuisines and other neighbouring cuisines, as well as west European cuisines. Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along with traditional Turkish elements from Central Asia such as yoghurt. The Ottoman Empire indeed created a vast array of technical specialities. It can be observed that various regions of the Ottoman Empire contain bits and pieces of the vast Ottoman dishes.

Taken as a whole, Turkish cuisine is not homogenous. Aside from common Turkish specialities which can be found throughout the country, there also regionspecific specialities. The Black Sea region's cuisine is based on corn and anchovies.

The cuisines of the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions display basic characteristics of Mediterranean cuisine as they are rich in vegetables, herbs and fish.

Especially in the western parts of Türkiye, where olive trees are grown abundantly, olive oil is the major type of oil used for cooking.

Central Anatolia is famous for its pastry specialities such as keşkek (kashkak), mantı (especially of Kayseri) and gözleme.

The southeast cuisine -Urfa, Gaziantep and Adana - is famous for its kebabs, starters and dough-based desserts such as baklava, kadayıf and künefe.

Although fast food is gaining popularity and many major fast food chains have opened all over Turkey, at home, households still rely primarily on the rich and extensive dishes of the Turkish cuisine. In addition, some traditional Turkish foods, especially köfte ( meatballs ), döner and gözleme are often served "fast food style". Eating out has always been common in large commercial cities.

Pistachios, pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts together with spices have a special place in Turkish cuisine. Preferred spices and herbs include parsley, cumin, pepper, paprika, mint, oregano, and thyme

In the Ottoman cuisine, the combination of fruit with meat was quite frequent. Plums, apricots, apples, grapes, and figs are mostly used fruits (either fresh or dried) in Turkish cuisine. For example, komposto (compote) or hoşaf are among the main side dishes to meat or pilav. Dolma (stuffed wine leaves) and pilaf (rice ) usually contain dried grapes. Etli yaprak sarma used to be cooked with sour plums in Ottoman cuisine.

Eggplant (aubergine) has a special place in the Turkish cuisine. It is combined with minced meat in karnıyarık. As a speciality of eastern Turkey, there are patlıcan kebabs, such as Tokat Kebab, a specialty of Tokat province or Antep's eggplant kebab. In a number of starters, sidedishes or main dishes, including shakshuka, eggplant salad (a starter prepared with garlic and/or yoghurt), patlıcan dolma, hünkar beğendi (eggplant mash/puree) and moussaka, eggplant appears to be the major element.

Bread may be prepared from wheat, barley or corn. Pide (a broad, round and flat bread made of wheat) lavaş and tandır ekmeği (baked on the inner walls of a round oven called tandır) are typical Turkish breads. Another type of bread commonly eaten in Turkey is the ring-shaped simit or gevrek, covered with sesame seeds. Simit is eaten plain or with cheese, butter or marmelade.

Milk-fed lambs, the most popular source of meat, have a very low yield today. For example Kuzu çevirme (meaning cooking the milk-fed lamb by turning it above fire) which was once upon a time an important ceremony. In some regions, meat which was mostly eaten only at the wedding ceremonies or during the Kurban Bayramı (Eid ul-Adha) as etli pilav (pilaf with meat) became a part of the daily diet after the introduction of industrial production.

Cracked rice is also widely eaten despite the most common accompaniment, rice pilaf, with many different foods. The dishes made with dry beans (chickpea, lentil, haricot bean, cowpea) or vegetables combined with onion, minced meat and tomato paste and rice have always been the most commonplace preference of Turkish people, due to being economical and nutritious.

A typical Turkish breakfast consists of cheese (white cheese"/feta, "kaşar" etc. ), butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, green peppers, jam and honey. Sucuk/sujuk (spicy Turkish sausage), pastırma, börek, simit, poğaça and even soups can be taken as a morning meal in Turkey. A common Turkish speciality for breakfast is called menemen which is prepared with roasted tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and eggs. Invariably, black tea is served at breakfast

Yoghurt is an important element in Turkish cuisine. It accompanies almost all meat (kebabs, köfte, eggplant dishes), vegetable dishes (especially fried eggplant, courgette, spinach with minced meat etc. ), starters and a speciality called mantı (dough balls containing minced meat). In villages, yoghurt can be eaten with rice or bread. One of the most common Turkish drinks, ayran, is made from yoghurt.

The best flavoured white cheeses and yoghurt are prepared from sheep milk. Turkish cheeses include; "beyaz peynir" meaning white cheese, tulum cheese (İzmir, Ödemiş, Erzincan etc. ), kaşar, lor, graviera, Mihaliç, Ezine, "otlu peynir" meaning cheese with herbs, hellim, örgü, çerkez, çökelek etc

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