Taste of Turkey

With our travel plans on hold for a couple of hours,the meal was spent trying to figure out the unique aspects of Turkish cuisine. While secular,it has predominantly Muslim inhabitants and therefore “no one has pork”,informs Chef Zeki Kalayci of the Grand Hyatt,Istanbul. “Red meat is considered staple and consumed everyday. Beef and lamb are consumed the most,followed by chicken and seafood,” Kalayci continues. Turkey is a gateway country as it is both a Mediterranean and a Middle Eastern country in its culture and cuisine. It therefore has food reminiscent of other dishes in nearby countries,with only subtle differences.

There are several similarities with Lebanese and Arabic food. Döner kebab and the Lebanese Shawarma differ in the spices used and the fact that the Turks don’t use Tahina,the sesame sauce. Baklava is found in most countries in the region,and Singhal points out that the differences are subtle. “Some baklava are sweeter,crisper and use different fillings across different regions. In Turkey,walnuts are predominant while in Syria it would be cashew.” The predominance of olive oil makes Turkish food similar to Greek and Italian. Turkish meze is eaten with Raki,an aniseed-based aperitif that resembles Greek ouzo or Italian sambuca. Kalayci points out that spices now native to Turkey,such as oregano and parsley,were brought to the country from Italy.

The food we tried was different from native Turkish food in only two aspects. Singhal said that he had to reduce the number of beef dishes as it wasn’t part of India’s culinary culture. He also said that he had to tone down the sweetness of dessert. We enjoyed the salad featuring beyaz peynir,the Turkish equivalent of Feta cheese. The cerkez tavugu,cold creamy shredded chicken with walnuts,is delightful and Singhal plans to incorporate it in his regular buffet. The pick of the meal was the bulgur pilavi (bulgur wheat dish) eaten with the lamb and beef mince with fried eggplant,a separate dish. Dessert had several familiar things,but the nicest was the Turkish Delight,or lokum which is a sweet confection made of starch and sugar and is sticky.

Kalayci and Singhal have decided to rotate the menu everyday,with Döner kebabs available only at night. We therefore were unable to try the famous kebabs,but at least are now armed with a justification to fly off to Turkey.

Turkish Food Festival,till February 12,Glasshouse,Hyatt Regency,Sahar Airport Road,Andheri East. Cost: Rs 1,250 per person (excl. tax). Tel: 022 6696 1234

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