Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Food!
I have been here more than a month now and I figure since the sightseeing is going to become more sporadic, I'd give a couple of post on culture type things that I have experienced so far. It seems like food is a good place to start. Here is a run down of the good, the bad and the ugly of Turkish cuisine:
The Good:
Gözleme - This is the Turkish variation on the crepe/quesadilla staple in other western countries. It is a very thin pastry folded over and and typically stuffed with minced meat, feta cheese (peynir), kaşarlı cheese (white cheese), patatoes or spinach. It is almost exclusively made by older women on a hot stone. It is a delicious snack and can be found just about everywhere.
Döner - Essentially the Greek gyro only spiced differently and served without tsaziki sauce. It is usually served in a sandwich or in lavash wrap with tomatoes, lettuce and occaisional french fries. It is also found just about everywhere and is probably the cultural equivalent to the cheese steak.
Mantı - More substantial than the previous two items. It is a variation on ravioli, small pasta packets with lamb inside served in two sauces, one creamy and another tomatoe. Not quite as common, but not really a regional dish.
Borek - Pastry appetizer made from filodough and usually stuffed with feta cheese or meat. Comes in regular and sigara shapes.
Pide - Long loaf like pitas with any number of toppings including both cheeses, egg, lamb, minced meat and chicken. Delicious and everywhere
Çay - The ubiquitous national drink. The delicious tea is served everywhere (and I do mean everywhere, I got some when I bought my cell phone here), and usually on the house. It is more a customary greeting (would you like some çay?) than a
companion to a meal.
Türk Kahvesi - Otherwise known as turkish coffee, incredibly strong and served in little cups usually post-meal, a delicious treat, not really an everyday thing though.
The Bad
Pizza - They just haven't figured out how to do this right. The only place that has pizza that is anything close to America is Pizza Hut. Usually they serve it without much tomato sauce, really odd assortments of toppings (corn? hot dog?), and have no conception of pepperoni. This is depressing, it makes me miss home a lot.
Hot Dog - Again, the west introduced the Frankfurter to the Turks, but didn't tell them how to use it. It is a ubiquitos topping and subsitute for pepperoni. You almost never see it in a bun with ketchup and relish. Again, depressing...
The Ugly
Kumpir - The Turks have taken the idea of "loaded potato" and crossed the line. These baked potatoes are stuffed with everything imaginable from hot dog to olives to egg salad. It makes one very, very sick after demolishing one, trust me.
Nescafe - Aside from Türk Kahvesi the only coffee available (outside of Starbucks) is the instant Nestle brand which is a poor substitute for the ground we find in America, I'd take two cups of çay over this any day.
The Good:
Gözleme - This is the Turkish variation on the crepe/quesadilla staple in other western countries. It is a very thin pastry folded over and and typically stuffed with minced meat, feta cheese (peynir), kaşarlı cheese (white cheese), patatoes or spinach. It is almost exclusively made by older women on a hot stone. It is a delicious snack and can be found just about everywhere.
Döner - Essentially the Greek gyro only spiced differently and served without tsaziki sauce. It is usually served in a sandwich or in lavash wrap with tomatoes, lettuce and occaisional french fries. It is also found just about everywhere and is probably the cultural equivalent to the cheese steak.
Mantı - More substantial than the previous two items. It is a variation on ravioli, small pasta packets with lamb inside served in two sauces, one creamy and another tomatoe. Not quite as common, but not really a regional dish.
Borek - Pastry appetizer made from filodough and usually stuffed with feta cheese or meat. Comes in regular and sigara shapes.
Pide - Long loaf like pitas with any number of toppings including both cheeses, egg, lamb, minced meat and chicken. Delicious and everywhere
Çay - The ubiquitous national drink. The delicious tea is served everywhere (and I do mean everywhere, I got some when I bought my cell phone here), and usually on the house. It is more a customary greeting (would you like some çay?) than a
companion to a meal.
Türk Kahvesi - Otherwise known as turkish coffee, incredibly strong and served in little cups usually post-meal, a delicious treat, not really an everyday thing though.
The Bad
Pizza - They just haven't figured out how to do this right. The only place that has pizza that is anything close to America is Pizza Hut. Usually they serve it without much tomato sauce, really odd assortments of toppings (corn? hot dog?), and have no conception of pepperoni. This is depressing, it makes me miss home a lot.
Hot Dog - Again, the west introduced the Frankfurter to the Turks, but didn't tell them how to use it. It is a ubiquitos topping and subsitute for pepperoni. You almost never see it in a bun with ketchup and relish. Again, depressing...
The Ugly
Kumpir - The Turks have taken the idea of "loaded potato" and crossed the line. These baked potatoes are stuffed with everything imaginable from hot dog to olives to egg salad. It makes one very, very sick after demolishing one, trust me.
Nescafe - Aside from Türk Kahvesi the only coffee available (outside of Starbucks) is the instant Nestle brand which is a poor substitute for the ground we find in America, I'd take two cups of çay over this any day.
