Turkish desserts – indulge your sweet tooth
One of the things we love about Türkiye is the amazing food; an endless supply of mouthwatering dishes. Desserts are also an important part of Turkish cuisine, a social ritual meant to be shared. There is a vast range to satisfy everyone, even those with the sweetest tooth. Baklava Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo […]
Recipe: Turkish (Plain) Rice – Sade Pilav
In Türkiye, the reputation of a housewife and the career of a chef can stand or fall on their pilav. The essential quality is fluffiness: each grain of rice should stand alone, proud and independent, moist and glistening without being wet or oily. Rice rises to its full potential in a good pilav, coaxed lovingly […]
Recipe: Roast aubergine with goat’s cheese & toasted flatbread
Punchy flavours and plenty of crunch – you won’t even notice you’re eating a superhealthy salad! Serves 2 Ingredients 2 aubergines, thinly sliced lengthways 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 Middle Eastern flatbread or pitta 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar Handful mint leaves 2 shallots, 1 finely chopped, the other thinly sliced 1 red chilli, finely chopped 50g goat’s cheese, crumbled Handful […]
Recipe: Stuffed Bread – Ekmek Dolması
This is a popular Ramazan dish from the Aegean regions of Aydın and Manisa. A special round loaf is baked during Ramazan and used for this dish. Yield: Serves 4 Time: 25 minutes prep, 1 hour 20 minutes cooking Ingredients For the stuffing: For the sauce: Directions Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. To make […]
Recipe: Lamb on Skewers (Şiş Kebap)
Next time you’re having a barbecue why not add Şiş Kebap to the menu? Şiş Kebap (Shish Kebab) 6 servings Ingredients 1 kg lean lamb 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion 2 teaspoons salt 3 tomatoes 3 peppers 1 tablespoon oregano Skewers Method Cut the meat into 2-3 cm cubes and set aside. Slice […]
Recipe: Smoked Aubergine Puree (Baba Ghanoush)
The ultimate aubergine recipe… This delicious smoky dip is the ultimate aubergine recipe and a classic part of any meze selection. The principal ingredients are aubergines, garlic, lemon juice, tahini and olive oil. Scooped up with warm flatbread, this is perfect outdoor or picnic food. Smoked Aubergine Puree (Baba Ghanoush) Ingredients 3 large aubergines 2 […]
Recipe: Yoghurt with Cucumber (Cacık)
A great dish for hot summer days… Cacık (‘JAH’- juck) is a refreshing dish that can be served with grilled meats or as a meze. It makes a perfect accompaniment to spicy dishes and BBQs. It can also be made with thicker yoghurt (Suzme or Greek) and used as a dip. Yoghurt with Cucumber (Cacık) Serves […]
Mantı – traditional tiny Turkish dumplings
The word mantı derives from mantu, meaning dumplings. The dumplings typically consist of a spiced meat mixture, usually lamb or ground beef, in a thin dough wrapper and either boiled or steamed. Mantı is traditionally served with a garlicky yoghurt sauce and a red pepper or tomato sauce. The origin is somewhat uncertain, it is thought that the dish may have […]
Celeriac – the knobbly root vegetable that won’t win any beauty contests
Nobbly on the outside but sensational on the inside… Celeriac, also called turnip-rooted celery, celery root, or knob celery is a variety of celery cultivated for its edible roots. Celeriac (or celery root) and celery are members of the same family of vegetables, but celeriac is not the root of the vegetable you buy called […]
Turkey’s colourful food – with colourful names
Turks love food. They write love songs, ballads and poems about it. Turkish cuisine produces a great variety of mouthwatering dishes, mostly of Ottoman heritage. In fact, Turkish food is some of the tastiest in the Mediterranean. Turks have fun with food too! Some of the names of the dishes are just as colourful and […]