When traveling to foreign lands, one of the things we look forward to most is experiencing new and different foods. The smells, the spices, the flavours, the atmosphere.
You can learn a lot about a country by how it eats.
But when it comes to the foodie circuit, Turkish food seems to get overlooked – at least it does in our hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. It seems that Greek food gets all the attention. I must confess that prior to visiting Turkey, I was guilty of not being able to properly define Turkish cuisine.
So, on my last trip to Turkey I made it my mission to rectify this lack of knowledge by stuffing my face with as much Turkish food as possible. A tough job, I know. But all in the name of research!
Turkish food is quite diverse. It’s a fusion of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Balkan cuisine that offers something for every palate. That said, vegetarians consider yourself forewarned - Turkish food is all about the meat!
To validate this statement, look no further than the above photo. Now that is one HUGE rotating chicken skewer! This local Dönerci (döner vendor) in downtown Ankara is serving its famousTavuk Döner (chicken).
Care to guess how many chickens were used to make this rotisserie? I’m guessing well over 100!
Most dine-in meals are served with a salad, typically with corn, tomatoes, radishes and pickles.
Without question, one of the most popular dishes in Turkey is the Döner Kebab. Although there are a number of ways to serve the Döner kebab, in our opinion the best way to eat the iconic Döner kebab is to have all of the fixings freshly prepared (as illustrated in the photo above) and then have the meat served separately with several pieces of Turkish flatbread.
The process: You take a piece of freshly baked Turkish flatbread, add your skewered meat of choice (typically lamb, chicken or beef) and then add a combination of vegetables, garlic yoghurts and sauces. This way, you mix all of the ingredients and get a different flavour with each bite!
No comments: