Do they eat turkey in Turkey (TĂĽrkiye)? It’s a famous follow-up question for Turks like me whenever we’re asked where we’re from. Even though we eat turkey occasionally, it’s not as common as you’d expect, especially during Thanksgiving. However, there are traditional holidays like Ramadan where every day for a month is celebrated like Thanksgiving. Gratitude, quality time, and faith are recognized and respected. Families gather to share meals on tables intricately designed with picture-perfect dishes. Hours or even days of cooking project onto long tables filled with multicolored plates to the brim from top to bottom.
If I were to throw a feast for my loved ones, I would select the greatest of the top dishes unique to Türkiye and its culture. Here’s a rundown of my menu and alternative options, considering the tough decision of choosing within the rich cuisine of Türkiye. Commonly, a plethora of meals regarding Turkish gastronomy is presented on the table. There was almost a surplus of food options to choose from for this menu. I guarantee even the picky eaters out there will find something pleasant for their critical taste buds on this table.
Appetizers
For Ramadan, people’s fasts are typically broken with a few dates and some water. This is a great way to restore energy levels and fulfill antioxidants in your body. Otherwise, a soup like red lentil (mercimek çorbası) with a touch of lemon would be perfect for a comforting opener.
A large variety of “mezes,” hot or cold, consists of small dishes like dips served with a side of bread. Bread (including pita and crackers) will be an ongoing ingredient alongside every dish, as Turks love dough and eat copious amounts of it. Hummus and tzatziki are universally known chickpea and yogurt-based dips we love too.
Eggplant salad (şakşuka) can be a salad with sauteed zucchini, eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes or mashed along with garlic and other seasonings. Stuffed grape leaves (zeytinyağlı yaprak sarma), a mixture of rice, pine nuts, and herbs with olive oil, is a staple everyone has heart eyes for. All these options can be substituted and will even be sufficient for the main meal of the dinner.
Main Course & Sides
Lamb, beef, or chicken simmered in butter with various spices, dried fruit, vegetables, and rice form an array of explosive flavors known as Uzbek Pilaf (Özbek Pilavı) and would be an excellent main course. Turkey stuffing, but make it Mediterranean.
As a side, lamb chops could be grilled and served as the primary source of protein. Continuing with the high carbohydrate theme, another side could be “börek” with layers of phyllo dough loaded with spinach and feta or seasoned potatoes. For a salad, a classic Turkish Shepherd’s Salad (Çoban Salatası), a refreshing mixture of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and feta cheese.
Desserts
Only when Turkish tea or coffee is served with a piece of Turkish delight (Lokum) will everyone get up from that table. Hours pass, and people will still be slowly savoring the taste of everything and getting lost in conversation. Countless desserts can be served for this celebration, but baklava would be the number one on the list, with honey-soaked layers of phyllo dough carefully constructed with chopped nuts. If you are craving a milk-based dessert, a creamy rice pudding flavored with a hint of cinnamon (SĂĽtlaç) is for you. Even if you’re full of all the delicious dishes and on the verge of exploding, there is always room for dessert.
Briefly raised on the antique carpets of the oriental city of Istanbul, the imagery of my culture and family feels like a warm hug around my heart. Sounds of crows and spoons hitting the edges of teacups became a component of a distant memory as we packed our suitcases to live on the opposite side of the world. Yet the scents of fresh bread, juicy kebabs, steamy sweet tea, and crispy baklava never fail to inspire my senses and will forever hold a special place in my soul.
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