Cuisine & Traditions

by Newspot Aşure is a traditional dessert prepared during a certain time of the year. It is well-known that Turks love to share what they have with their neighbors and it is a custom to prepare aşure…

Turkish Delights An old Turkish saying advises one to "eat sweetly and speak sweetly". Sweets and desserts have always been an important and distinctive element of Turkish cuisine. That was true in…

The Real Story of Sweets : Beyond the Baklava The most well known sweets associated with the Turkish Cuisine are the Turkish Delight, and the "baklava", giving the impression that these may be the…

Beverages : Knowing beyond the Turkish Coffee and "Ayran" Volumes have been written about the Turkish coffee; its history, significance in social life, and the ambiance of the ubiquitous coffee…

Eating is taken very seriously in Turkey. It is inconceivable for the household members to eat alone, raid the refrigerator, or eat on the "go", while others are at home. It is custom to have three…

Food and dietary practices have always played an important part in all religions. Among them, Islam is perhaps known to impose the most elaborate and strict rules in this respect. In practice, these…

Contemporary Concerns : DIET AND HEALTH As modernity takes hold, traditions are falling on the side. Spirituality as a guide for conduct in everyday life is something of the past; now we turn to…

Early Historical documents show that the basic structure of Turkish cuisine was already established during the Nomadic Period and in the First settled Turkish States of Asia. Culinary attitudes…

The importance of culinary art to the Ottoman Sultans is evident to every visitor to Topkapı Palace. The huge kitchens were housed in several buildings under ten domes. By the 17th century some…

A survey of the types of dishes according to their ingredients may be helpful to explain the basic structure of Turkish Cuisine. Otherwise there may appear to be an overwhelming variety of dishes,…

Grains: Bread to Börek The foundation of Turkish food is, if anything, dough made of wheat flour. Besides "ekmek" (ordinary white bread), "pide" (flat bread), "simit" (sesame seed rings), and "manti"…

"Kebap" is another category of food, which, like the börek, is typically Turkish dating back to the time when the nomadic Turks learned to grill and roast meat over campfires. Given the numerous…

Along with grains, vegetables are also consumed in large quantities in the Turkish diet. The simplest and most basic type of vegetable dish is prepared by slicing a main vegetable such as zucchini or…

"Meze" Dishes to Accompany the Spirits In Turkey, despite the Islamic prohibition against wine and anything alcoholic, there is a rich tradition associated with liquor. Drinking alcoholic beverages…

Fish and other Sea-Food Four seas (the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean) surround the Turkish landscape. Residents of the coastal cities are experts in preparing their fish.…

"Do not dismiss the dish saying that it is just food. The blessed thing is an entire civilization itself!" Abdulhak Şinasi For those who travel to engage in culinary pursuits, the Turkish Cuisine is…