Hello foodies and friends!
We like food and we like to vary and learn new things, although it seems more and more that we eat the same everywhere, gastronomy is food culture and it continues to exist, that part of the real and local culture of each place, because eating is also a cultura experience.
And we can travel and discover interesting and tasty dishes, recipes around the world. There is international gastronomy, some more well-known and popular and others less, but many of us want to try what we see when we are in different places and I must say that Turkish food is so good... really good.
After all it has some Mediterranean food with different influences, not only Arabic but also from Central Asia, as well as from the Astro-Hungarian Empire. Local and global Turkish gastronomy. Global because we all know the word "kebab", right? But there is more. Enjoy the menu.
Let's start with the starter, something rare by the way. What is that we see in those famous boats in the most touristic area of Istanbul? They are really fermented pickles, gherkin and onion in vinegar that simple, and they eat it there because they comment that it is good for health, they drink it together with a super authentic sandwich, the fish sandwich (Balık Etmek, literally "fish bread"). A light, basic, quick and cheap lunch on the shores of the Bosphorus like one more local inhabitant.
But let's get to the important thing, yes, the kebab, but we all have the usual ones in our heads, but in Turkey they are obviously different, not only because they know how to make them and in some places they are more traditional, even a simple sandwich looks tasty.
But in addition to large rotating kebabs, there are many different types of kebab, the meat presented in a different way or with another accompaniment, because the real kebab is eaten on a plate. And many of us have enjoyed many!
They also eat a lot of soup, almost always as a first course, like the delicious lentil soup (of those lentils that are orange, "mercimek çorba"). Although while we drink "ayran" (salty yogurt drink that I adore) then the most spectacular dish appears, the "Iskender", because that good meat with bread, tomato and yogurt, a lot of yogurt, is flambéed, but when the flames came out I was surprised, then it goes out and it's great.
And the most endearing dish is the Manisa Kebab, I always remember the city of Manisa, I imagine they would invent it there even though you can eat it anywhere, but eating it there seems something special and since I worked in Manisa while I lived in Izmir (the big close city), it makes me weird memories. But this kebab with meat sausages and more tomato is as well very good, one more!
Something bad? No, I do not think so. Of course the desserts, that would be another post, but being great producers of quality pistachios, we have the famous Baklava and we love also the cakes in those cafeterias inspired by the imperial Vienna that they almost invaded, we can order and eat delicious pistachio and chocolate cakes and many others .
But if there is something that I miss, it is breakfasts. Going for breakfast in Turkey is quite an experience, and no continental breakfast or stuff, the best breakfast is the Turkish breakfast ("Serpme kahvaltı"). They always have breakfast in addition to their ubiquitous tea (throughout the day too) they have some tomato, cucumber, olives, cheese, sometimes some kind of sausage slices and scrambled eggs. All this accompanied by butter, more various cheeses, honey or rose jam, with sesame bread, sometimes orange juice and a kind of fritters. And always the presentation is so exquisite. Although this breakfast is to be enjoyed without haste during the weekend, as if it were a brunch but more peculiar, and my favorite moment of the week.
Enjoying food is easy, but if the dishes and gastronomy are also varied, tasty, healthy, rich and spectacular, it is a pleasure that will always remain in our memories. And that I remember, that real Turkish food is so good.
A toast! (with Efes beer, a Turkish beer).
Thanks for reading! Have a delicious and good day.
