The current situation, like the metaphorical stone in our shoe, has become a constant companion, but I have decided to not dwell on it.
Instead, I am reminiscing my last trip to Turkey, a planned gastronomic journey, to what used to be the centre of the world. Here are some food-notes from a time worth recalling.
Tarhana Soup: This is an easy, tasty and filling meal that preserves well, and is easy to prepare. The origin of this soup dish—the first instant soup of the world—goes back centuries when the nomadic tribes figured out a way to preserve this fermented and dehydrated mix of flour, yoghurt and vegetables.
The powder was easy to store and transport, easier to rekindle into a mealy bowl of soup and great for energy as also for digestion. Today, some people still make it the traditional laborious way even although you can find it in most shops.
Kebabs: Every country east of Turkey (and some to the west too) has a version, and many claim it to be their recipe.
Well, keeping the semantics of variations aside, kebabs are truly Turkish in origin. It started with soldiers out in the fields cooking small chunks of their hunted meats by holding them directly over flames, usually skewered with their swords.
Doesn’t sound appetising (or hygienic) but that’s where the dish originates. From there it evolved and migrated in all directions, thus giving us a nomenclature of dishes that are varied in style, taste and texture, from the döner to the galouti, the testi to the adana.
Intestine sandwich: It’s a street dish that comprises lamb offals wrapped up in intestine with spices on a skewer and cooked and served up in bread. All I can say is that the dish is tastier than it sounds. In olden days, dishes like these were common to ensure that no part of the carcass goes waste.
Aubergine: The one lovely thing about Turkish food is that it isn’t all about the meats, there’s ample vegetarian variety too. The things they do with the humble aubergine could keep a curious gastronome busy for days. The list is endless but if I had to pick one such dish, it would be imam Biyaldi, meaning the ‘imam fainted’, possibly an allusion to just how tasty the dish would have been to induce such a stupor in a man of God.
Dessert: No talk of Turkish food can be complete without a mention of Baklavas and Turkish Delight. I know, not for everyone, but do remember that back in the day even the French and Austrians looked up to them for all their achievements in the patisserie department.
My gastronomic journey last time took me to some of the top restaurants of Turkey and I now think it will be a long time before one can visit them again.
But, for posterity, I’d suggest you take these names down and plan a holiday just around them: Yeni Lokantesi, Lale Iskembecisi, Sampiyon Kokorec, and Deraliye in Istanbul, and Han Ciragan, Dibek and Kadineli in Cappadocia.
While in the region, a visit to the all-women's team at Old Greek House will be worth the detour.
A week-long sojourn all around food and I still felt I had barely scratched the surface; Turkey left me wishing I had two stomachs.