Turkey and Turkish cuisinePlease email rkrane@yahoo.com with your choice to prepare. If there is a name by the food, call anyway as we accept more people and do double assignments. The mediterrainean food store in the center where The Station and the pool store are located has Tahini and most of the items you will need. They are open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dinner is on January 10, Saturday, at 6:30 at the Nexsen home, 173 Montair Drive, Danville.
Turkey has a long and important history. Besides Great Britain, it is the only country in the world that has never been dominated by another country. (Can you think of which country or countries dominated the United States in the past?) The Turkish people are very proud of their history and culture. Istanbul is Turkeys largest city and the center for industry, business and education. More than 10 million people live in Istanbul. Istanbul has a large port. It is a very old city. In fact, Istanbul is one of the oldest cities in the world. The majority of the people in Istanbul are Muslim, and there are many beautiful mosques around the city where the people can go worship. Other religions include christianity and jewdewism. Turkish food is considered some of the most delicious food in the world. It brings together many different ingredients and flavors that were influenced by other countries. The people of Turkey eat a lot of lamb and rice. They also eat a lot of yogurt and vegetables such as tomato and eggplant. Many of their dishes are cooked in olive oil because olives grow very well in Turkey. Many families make their own olive oil by using an olive press. One Turkish dish that you may have eaten before is shish kebob. These are pieces of meat and vegetables that are put on a stick then grilled. Yum! Like Americans, Turks usually eat three meals a day. Breakfast often consists of bread and honey, cheese, tomatoes, eggs, olives, and coffee or tea. Lunch used to be the main meal of the day, but since most Turkish adults work outside of the home now, dinner has become the main meal. Sometimes a dinner will start with, which is like an appetizer sampler plate! Then, there is usually a plate with meat, rice and vegetables. Dessert is usually fresh fruit such as cherries, strawberries or melons. Turkey has some amazing pastries, too, but those are mostly eaten in the afternoon with some coffee or tea. Have you ever tried (pronounced bah-klah-VAH)? It is full of honey and nuts and its delicious! Some bakeries in America sell baklava just like its made in Turkey Information below is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Spice Bazara in Istumbul
The name of specialities sometimes includes the name of a city or a region (either in Turkey or outside). This suggests that a dish is a speciality of that area, or may refer to the specific technique or ingredients used in that area. For example, the difference between Urfa kebab and Adana kebab is the use of garlic instead of onion and the larger amount of hot pepper that kebab contains. Grapes and cherries were first grown in Turkey. Hundreds of years ago, traders brought them to other countries and now they grow in many places around the world (including the United States!) Tulips originally came from Turkey. Before they were known to the world, Dutch explorers visited Turkey and brought tulip seeds back to their country. Now the Dutch are known for their beautiful tulips, but its all because of Turkey! Turkey Turkish Cuisine Meze In Turkey, despite the Islamic prohibition against wine and anything alcoholic, there is a rich tradition associated with liquor. Drinking alcoholic beverages in the company of family and friends, both at home as well as in taverns and restaurants, is a part of special occasions. Similar to the Spanish tapas, "meze" is the general category of dishes that are brought in small quantities to start the meal off. These are eaten, along with wine or more likely with "raki," the anise-flavoured national drink of Turks sometimes referred to as "lion's milk," until the main course is served. The bare minimum meze accompanying "raki", are slices of honeydew melon and creamy feta cheese with freshly baked bread. Beyond this, a typical meze menu includes dried and marinated mackerel, fresh salad greens in thick yogurt sauce and garlic, plates of cold vegetable dishes cooked or fried in olive oil, fried crispy savoury pastry, deep-fried mussels and squid served in a sauce, tomato and cucumber salad, and fish eggs in a sauce. The main course that follows such a meze spread will be fish or grilled meat. When the main course is kebab, then the meze spread is different. In this case, several plates of different types of minced salad greens and tomatoes in spicy olive oil, mixed with yogurt or cheese, "humus" (chick peas mashed in tahini), bulgur and red lentil balls, raw kofte, marinated stuffed eggplant, peppers with spices and nuts, and pickles are likely to be served. We are serving humus and spinach dip with pide as our appetizer along with raki.
Humus Recipe: Grind the beans with half the juice from the can, the chopped garlic gloves, salt, lemon juice from one lemon, and the tahini. When it resembles a fine paste it is ready to serve. After you place the humus in the bowl, pour a small teaspoon of olive oil in the center. Serve with triangle cuts of pide. Spinach Dip (Ispanak Ezme) Garnish: 1 medium sized onion, sliced, caramelized with 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with the spoon. Place in a service bowl. Sprinkle the caramelized onion over the top. Serve with toasted pide or bread slices. Turkish Wine is to be served with dinner. Although the majority of Turks profess the Islamic religion, alcoholic beverages are as widely available as in Europe. However, some Turks abstain from drinking alcohol during the holy month of Ramadan. There are a few local brands of lager such as Tekel Birasi, Marmara34 and Efes and a large variety of international beers that are produced in Turkey such as Skol, Beck's, Carlsberg and Tuborg. There are a variety of local wines produced by Turkish brands such as Kavaklidere, Doluca, Corvus, Kayra, Pamukkale and Diren which are getting more popular with the change of climatic conditions that affect the production of wine. A range of grape varieties are grown in Turkey. For the production of red wine, the following types of grapes are mainly used; in Marmara Region, Pinot Noir, Adakarasi, Papazkarasi, Semillion, Kuntra, Gamay, Cinsault; in Aegean Region, Carignane, Çalkarasi, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet; in Black Sea Region and eastern part of the country, Öküzgözü, Bogazkere; in Central Anatolia, Kalecik Karasi, Papazkarasi, Dimrit; in Mediterranean Region, Sergi Karasi, Dimrit. As for white wine, the grapes can be listed as follows; in Marmara Region, Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillion, Beylerce, Yapincak; in Aegean Region, muscat and semillion; in Black Sea Region, Narince; in Central Anatolia, Emir, Hasandede (for further info http://www.hayyam.com/uzumler/index.php). In addition to mass production, it is quite popular to produce wine in private farms and sell them in the locality. Visitors can find different "home made" wines in Central Anatolia (Kapadokya/Cappadocia region - Nevsehir), Aegean coast (Selçuk and Bozcaada (an island in the Aegean Sea)).
Raki, a tradiy of dishes that are brought in small quantities to start the meal off. These are eaten, along with wine or more likely with "raki," the anise-flavoured national drink of Turks sometimes referred to as "lion's milk," until the main course is served. The bare minimum meze accompanying "raki", are slices of honeydew melon and creamy feta cheese with freshly baked bread. Beyond this, a typical meze menu includes dried and marinated mackerel, fresh salad greens in thick yogurt sauce and garlic, plates of cold vegetable dishes cooked or fried in olive oil, fried crispy savoury pastry, deep-fried mussels and squid served in a sauce, tomato and cucumber salad, and fish eggs in a sauce. The main course that follows such a meze spread will be fish or grilled meat. We are serving humus and spinach dip with pide as our appetizer along with raki.
Humus Recipe: Grind the beans with half the juice from the can, the chopped garlic gloves, salt, lemon juice from one lemon, and the tahini. When it resembles a fine paste it is ready to serve. After you place the humus in the bowl, pour a small teaspoon of olive oil in the center. Serve with triangle cuts of pide. Spinach Dip (Ispanak Ezme) Garnish: 1 medium sized onion, sliced, caramelized with 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with the spoon. Place in a service bowl. Sprinkle the caramelized onion over the top. Serve with toasted pide or bread slices. Turkish Wine is to be served with dinner. Although the majority of Turks profess the Islamic religion, alcoholic beverages are as widely available as in Europe. However, some Turks abstain from drinking alcohol during the holy month of Ramadan. There are a few local brands of lager such as Tekel Birasi, Marmara34 and Efes and a large variety of international beers that are produced in Turkey such as Skol, Beck's, Carlsberg and Tuborg. tional alcoholic beverage flavoured with anise, is the usual drink with meze, fish or kebabs. As a matter of fact, the abolition of the monopoly of the state undertaking "TEKEL" on the production of alcoholic beverages spurred the production of Raki and wine in Turkey. Fish with Carrots Enveloped in Paper (Kagitta Havuclu Balik Dolmasi)
Tahini Sauce
Ingredients: Preparation: In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine garlic and tahini. Add kosher salt. Remove from food processor and add olive oil and lemon juice. If too thick, add a teaspoon of warm water until desired consistency. Mix in parsely and Serve immediately or refrigerate. Kirmizi Mercimek Corbasi Pirincli- RED LENTIL SOUP WITH RICE (PIRINÇLI KIRMIZI MERCIMEK ÇORBASI) Ingredients: (6 servings) · 1 c red lentils · 6 c chicken stock · 2 small onions · 2 small size tomatoes · 2 tablespoons rice . Salt and pepper Mix the lentils and rice in a pot. Add peeled and chopped onions and tomatoes, and the chicken stock. Cover and cook on low heat for 45 minutes. Seafood is one of the delights of Turkish cuisine, even though it is fairly expensive. Fish is one of the glories of dining in Istanbul and indeed anywhere along Turkey's thousands of kilometers of coastline, and fresh or frozen fish are shipped to inland cities as well. Alabalik (trout) are raised in fish farms for the table. Fish is usually served by itself, looking like a fish, rather than as an ingredient in stews, pastries, etc. Shellfish (shrimp, lobster, mussels, etc.) and other deniz mahsulleri (deh-NEEZ mahh-sool-leh-ree, "sea harvests") are on many seafood restaurant menus in Turkey, even though consumption of shellfish is prohibited by Islamic dietary law. Because of this prohibition, shellfish are unlikely to be included as unknown ingredients in many dishes. The chef may see it as his responsibility to let diners know if shellfish have been included in a meal so that diners who follow Islamic dietary customs may avoid them. Traditional Turkish dishes do not usually combine seafood and meat
ingredients. The cuisine of the Black Sea
region1 tsp Peppercorn
Tahini Sauce
Ingredients:
Preparation:
In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine garlic and tahini. Add kosher salt.
Remove from food processor and add olive oil and lemon juice. If too thick, add a teaspoon of warm water until desired consistency.
Mix in parsely and Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Seafood is one of the delights of Turkish cuisine, even though it is fairly expensive.
Fish is one of the glories of dining in Istanbul and indeed anywhere along
Turkey's thousands of kilometers of coastline, and fresh or frozen fish are
shipped to inland cities as well. Alabalik (trout) are raised in fish
farms for the table. Fish is usually served by itself, looking
like a fish, rather than as an ingredient in stews, pastries, etc. Shellfish (shrimp, lobster, mussels, etc.) and other
deniz mahsulleri (deh-NEEZ mahh-sool-leh-ree, "sea
harvests") are on many seafood restaurant menus in Turkey, even though
consumption of shellfish is prohibited by Islamic dietary
ng> is particularly rich in fresh sardine and
anchovy dishes. Many restaurants serve both meat and fish, but others specialize in one or
the other, so anyone subject to fish or seafood allergy may want to
avoid seafood restaurants and prefer those specializing in meat
or traditional Turkish ready-food dishes. Tahini Sauce
Ingredients:
Preparation:
In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine garlic and tahini. Add kosher salt.
Remove from food processor and add olive oil and lemon juice. If too thick, add a teaspoon of warm water until desired consistency.
Mix in parsely and Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Seafood is one of the delights of Turkish cuisine, even though it is fairly expensive.
Fish is one of the glories of dining in Istanbul and indeed anywhere along
Turkey's thousands of kilometers of coastline, and fresh or frozen fish are
shipped to inland cities as well. Alabalik (trout) are raised in fish
farms for the table. Fish is usually served by itself, looking
like a fish, rather than as an ingredient in stews, pastries, etc. Shellfish (shrimp, lobster, mussels, etc.) and other
deniz mahsulleri (deh-NEEZ mahh-sool-leh-ree, "sea
harvests") are on many seafood restaurant menus in Turkey, even though
consumption of shellfish is prohibited by Islamic dietary
In the words of the famous 20th century Turkish Poet Yahya Kemal, coffee has created its own culture in Turkey. A little bit more than a casual visit to Turkey would convince anyone that this is the case. Coffee for Turks is not simply a drink, but has its own history, its institutions (coffeehouses), its rituals, its own rules of when and how to drink it, and even a tradition of Serving a cup of Turkish Coffee is also a way of sealing a friendship. The
preparation and care taken by a host in serving Turkish Coffee to his guests is
an important aspect of hospitality. In Turkey, it is traditional for a
prospective bride to serve coffee to her suitor and his family when they come to
ask for her hand in marriage. Accepting a cup of coffee is a source of pride to
the person who offers it. This is illustrated in the Turkish expressions "his
coffee can be drunk" and "I would drink a cup of your coffee". Nothing compares
to long, friendly conversation over a cup of frothy Turkish Coffee, followed by
having your fortune told. Turkish coffee is served in small cups and when you
order it with sugar and usually drunk very sweet. You will need to learn the
three words which describe the levels of sweetness. 'Sade' is without sugar,
'orta' is with a medium amount of sugar and 'sekerli' is with a lot of sugar. It
is usually helpful to the coffee maker if you order the same level of sweetness
as your co-drinkers, as each level of is made (cooked) individually. You only
drink about three quarters of the liquid, leaving the thick sendiment. Be sure you serve with sugar and cream.
Turkish Baklava - Dessert Turkish Baklava is a very
popular Dessert Sweet pastry and Delight in Turkish, Albanian, Arab, Persian,
and Greek cuisines with a high sugar content, making it extremely rich.
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The country of Turkey is just a
little larger than the state of Texas, but it has many more people. Turkey is in
a very special location.
It is the only country that is on two
continents at the same time Asia and Europe!
It is known as the bridge between east and west because
Asia is considered east and Europe is considered west. Istanbul, is right at
the spot where the two continents meet.
Spinach Salad with Yogurt Sauce
(Soslu Ispanak Salatasi)
1/2 bunch spinach, washed and drained
The Turks and Turkish Coffee
