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A NURTURING ENVIRONMENT
Early historical documents show that the basic structure of Turkish
cuisine was already established during the Nomadic Period and in the
first settled Turkish Stades of Asia.
Culinary attitudes towards meat, dairy products, vegetables and
grains that characterized this early period still make up the core
of Turkish thinking. Early Turks cultivated wheat and used it
liberally in several types of leavened and unleavened breads either
baked in clay ovens, fried on a griddle, or buried in embers.
“Mantý” (dumpling), and “buðra” (the ancestor of “börek”, or filled
pastries, named for Buðra Khan of Türkestan) were already among the
much-coveted dishes of this time. Stuffing not only the pastry, but
also all kinds of vegetables was common practice, and still is, as
evidenced by dozens of different types of “dolma”. Skewering meat as
well as other ways of grilling, later known to us as varieties of
“kebab”, and dairy products, such as cheeses and yogurt, were
convenient staples of the pastoral Turks. They introduced these
attitudes and practices to Anatolia in the 11th century. In return
they met rice, the fruits and vegetables native to the region, and
hundreds of varieties of fish in the three seas surrounding the
Anatolian Peninsula. These new and wonderful ingredients were
assimilated into the basic cuisine in the millennium that followed.
Anatolia is the region known as the “bread basket of the world”.
Turkey, even now, is one of the seven countries in the world which
produces enough food to feed its own populace and still has plenty
to export. The Turkish landscape encompassed such a wide variety of
geographic zones, that for every two to four hours of driving, you
will find yourself in a different zone amid all the acompanying
changes in scenery, temprature, altitude, humidity, vegetation and
weather. The Turkish landscape has the combined characteristics of
the three oldest continents of the world (Europe, Africa, Asia) and
an ecological diversity surpassing any other country along the 40th
latitude. Thus, the diversity of the cuisine has taken on that of
the landscape with its regional variations.
In the eastern region, you will encounter rugged, snow-capped
mountains where the winters are long and cold, along with the
highlands where the spring season with its rich wild flowers and
rushing creeks extends into the long and cool summer. Livestock
farming is prevalent. Butter, yogurt, cheese, honey, meat and
cereals are the local food. Long winters are best endured with the
help of yogurt soup and meatballs flavoured with aromatic herbs
found in the mountains, followed by endless serving of tea.
The heartland is dry steppe with rolling hills, and endless
stretches of wheat fields and barren bedrock that take on the most
incredible shades of gold, violet, and cool and warm greys, as the
sun travels the sky. Along the trade routes were ancient cities with
lush cultivated orchards and gardens. Among these, Konya, the
capital of the Selçuk Empire ( the first Turkish Stade in Anotolia),
distinguished itself as the center of culture that attracted
scholars, mystics, and poets from all over the world during the 13th
century. The lavish cuisine that is enjoyed in Konya today, with its
clay-oven (tandýr) kebabs, böreks, meat and vegetable dishes and
helva desserts, dates back to the feasts given by Sultan Alaaddin
Keykubad in 1237 A.D.
Towards the west, one eventually reaches warm, fertile valleys
between cultivated mountainsides, and the lece-like shores of the
Aegean where nature is friendly and life has always been easy-going.
Fruits and vegetables of all kinds are abundant, including, beat of
all, sea food! Here, olive oil becomes a staple and is used both in
hot and cold dishes.
The temperate zone of the Black Sea Cost, to the north, is potected
by the high Caucasian Mountains and abounds in hazelnuts, corn and
tea. The Black Sea people are fisherman and identify themselves with
their ecological companion, the shimmering “hamsi”, a small fish
similar to the anchovy. There are at least forty different dishes
made with hamsi, including desserts! Many poems, anectodes and folk
dances are inspired by this delicious fish.
The southeastern part of Turkey is hot and desertlike offering the
greatest variety of kebabs and sweet pastries. Dishes here are
spicier compared to all other regions, possible to retard spoilage
in hot weather, or as the natives say, to equalize the heat inside
the body to that outside!
The culinary center of the country is the Marmara Region, including
Thrace, with Istanbul as its Queen City. The temperate, fertile
region boasts a wide variety of furits and vegetables, as well as
the most delicately flovoured lamb. The variety of fish that travel
the Bosphorus surpassed that of other seas.
Bolu, a city on the mountains, supplied the greatest cooks for the
Sultan’s Palace, and even now, the best chefs in the country come
from Bolu. Since Istanbul is the heart of the cuisine, a survey of
the Sultan’s kitchen is required to understand it. |
