Interested in Turkish cooking equipment & utensils? Want to know the history behind Turkish cooking? Our guide to Turkish cooking tells you about the most famous Turkish recipes as well as other information you want to know.
Situated between Europe on one side and Asia on the other Turkey has a geographical location that has made it a region visited by many nations. All these nations have had their influences on the lives of the people in Turkey. The cuisine that we find in modern day turkey is the result of the different influences that were upon the society amongst which the Ottoman Empire was foremost. Although some of the things in the cuisine of the Turks can be dated back to the nomadic period, it is the Muslim Empire under which the cuisine was formalized and developed into much of what it is till today.
Turkish Cooking History
The Ottomans brought with them Arab and Middle Eastern traditions in cooking. Since the empire covered a huge part of the globe it brought in a lot of other influences from the Greek, Armenian and Persian cuisines. Variances could be found in the trends in cooking according to the geographical location and climatic conditions of the regions within Turkey. You will find specific dishes that belong to different places and flavors that the people of those regions are most accustomed to.
Regional Turkish Cooking
Marmara is the area around the Bosphorus, Dardanelles and the Sea and this region is densely populated with olive trees, as a result they have developed a sort of Mediterranean cooking style due to the influence of the coastline. The Black sea coastline area in Northern Turkey has a rich growth of anchovies and corn. Pastry dishes are very popular in Central Anatolia which has become famous for this reason only. If we look at the Southern part of Turkey then we find that area to be very fond of kebabs and desserts such as the kadayif an kunefe. Thus we can see how varied the cooking trends get from region to region and the influence that the climate of that region has on the eating habits of the people.
Typical Turkish Cooking Flavors
Turkish food has now become popular world wide with Turkish restaurants serving a good purpose of educating the masses with the cuisine of their country. The cooking of Turkey is definitely something to be proud of; if you are a Turk that is. Amongst the most popular Turkish dishes is the Tarhana which is a mixture of cracked wheat with yogurt and vegetables and eaten as a soup. The Turkish tomato soup is also known as Domates and is very popular as well. An edible substance that is extracted from the stomach of cattle is served with lemon juice and the dish is known as Iskembe corbasi. The Turkish adaptation of the Tzatziki features yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, mint and is served as a side dish to the main course. The famous Turkish dip known as Hummus is made from grounded chickpeas with grounded sesame seeds and garlic. The Turkish version of the pizza is Lahmacun which features minced meat or lamb on a flat piece of dough which is stuffed with vegetables rolled up and eaten. The exhaustive list of the amazing dishes in the Turkish cuisine is quite mouth watering but to truly appreciate it one must bight into it themselves.
