Why the Turkish Mediterranean diet?
When we organized Oldways more than thirty years ago, we adopted a mission that intends to influence the way people make their food choices – healthy for both people and for the earth. The Turkish Mediterranean diet – full of history, culture and great tastes – is a healthy and a sustainable diet for the future.
What is Turkish food like?
There are Turkish food varieties that have religious connotations for instance wheat, olives, dates, and squash. Meanwhile, roast lamb and yufka bread are usually termed as the foods of the prophet. Note: when we talk about religious influence on Turkish cuisine, we still go back to the Ottoman Empire that had Muslim Turks.
What is Mediterranean Food?
However, when someone says “Mediterranean food”, what they are most likely referring to is Greek food — the most well-known one of the whole Mediterranean catalog. Greece has a contrast of great flavors: it takes the typical Eastern flavors and mixes them with ingredients from the Mediterranean Sea.
What is the difference between Greek food and Turkish food?
Greek food is basically a “kind” of Mediterranean food, but not all Mediterranean food is Greek. Turkish cuisine is basically the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, and a fusion of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and Balkan cuisines.
Is Turkish food the same as Mediterranean?
Turkish cuisine (Turkish: Türk mutfağı) is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Eastern European, Armenian, and Georgian cuisines.
What cuisines are considered Mediterranean?
Mediterranean food is incredibly popular: pasta, pizza, sausage, wine, gyros, kebab, and falafel can be found just about everywhere.
What country food is Mediterranean?
Below is a list of countries that are considered Mediterranean: Italy, Greece, France, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco. Concerning the Mediterranean food itself, it mainly comprises of many fish dishes like the famous Turkish and Greek meze which consist of a multitude of different appetizers.
What ethnicity is Mediterranean food?
The Culinary Distinctions of the Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, which encompasses some Middle Eastern cuisine, describes the culinary traditions of Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Egypt.
What cultures are Mediterranean?
In terms of cultural history, the Mediterranean region is where the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome originated. It is difficult to overemphasize the importance of Greco-Roman classical civilization and its re-conceptualization in the Italian Renaissance.
What is traditional Turkish food?
They like it hot down south.Mercimek kofte. Mercimek kofte is a hugely popular Turkish appetizer or side dish. ... Yaprak dolma. This traditional dish is essentially vine leaves rolled and filled with either well-seasoned rice or mincemeat. ... Inegol kofte. ... Iskender kebab. ... Cag kebab. ... Perde pilav. ... Manti. ... Testi kebab.More items...•
What is the difference between Middle Eastern food and Mediterranean?
Mediterranean cuisine includes Italian Greek, Spanish, Provençal, Ottoman (Turkish), Maghrebi, Egyptian, and Levantine cuisines, whereas Middle Eastern cuisine includes Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Cypriot, Georgian, Israeli, Iranian, Turkish, and Kurdish cuisines.
What is the most popular Mediterranean food?
Our 10 Most Popular Mediterranean Recipes of 2019Mediterranean-Style Chopped Salad with Oregano Vinaigrette. ... Israeli Couscous Salad with Feta, Chickpeas, and Herbs. ... Baked Cod with Lemon, Garlic, and Herbs. ... Chicken Shawarma Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing. ... Mediterranean Hummus Bowl. ... Balsamic Berries with Honey Yogurt.More items...•
Is the Middle East considered Mediterranean?
Middle East, the lands around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing at least the Arabian Peninsula and, by some definitions, Iran, North Africa, and sometimes beyond.
Is Persian food considered Mediterranean?
Turkey, Portugal, France, Lebanon, Syria, Spain, and Tunisia all these countries are all considered to be homes to Mediterranean food. On the other hand, Persian or Iranian cuisine is an extension of the legacy of the Persian empire from back in the day and their culture.
What is typical Turkish Food?
The typical Turkish food that Turkish people eat contains cattle or lamb meat mixed with local vegetables. Vegetable or meat stew is a typical home food.
Three Meals of Turkish People
Turkish people eat three meals 3 times a day. Turkish people prefer a rich breakfast with many types of jams, bread, sausages, and fried or boiled eggs. Lunch is home food or snack food usually eaten in restaurants. Dinner is home food made with a healthy mix of vegetables and meat.
Turkish Breakfast
An average Turkish breakfast is exceptionally rich. In a typical Turkish breakfast, you can find a great variety of cheese, black and green olives, butter, ‘sucuk’ (spicy Turkish sausage), eggs (boiled or fried), tomatoes, cucumbers, bread, honey, jam, ‘kaymak’.
Turkish Lunch
There is a great variety in lunch because Turkish people may prefer foods similar to breakfast or dinner. This means that you can find many types of foods like vegetables and meat stews, pasta, pilav, or simply pastry. The lunch depends on the person, yet there are lots of food varieties to choose from.
Turkish Dinner
In Turkey, dinner is eaten mostly at home. The tradition is to eat dinner together as a whole family, but modern life and traffic is the biggest obstacle in big cities. In small cities, the tradition is still upheld.
Best Fruits in Turkey
Turkish Grapes (Sultanas), Turkish Apricots, and Turkish Figs are famous Turkish fruits. Turkey is the leading producer of apricots, figs, sultanas in the world.
What is the most famous Turkish food?
The most famous dish of Turkey is Doner. Doner or doner kebab (as it is known abroad) is a dish unique to Turkish cuisine, in which pieces of meat, well seasoned with tallow and local spices, are cooked on a skewer and hung upright in front of a wood fire.
Culinary customs
Simit, a circular bread with sesame seeds, is a common breakfast item in Turkey.
Dishes and foods
Yoğurt is an important element in Turkish cuisine. In fact, the English word yogurt or yoghurt derives from the Turkish word yoğurt.
Beverages
Although the majority of Turks profess the Islamic religion, alcoholic beverages are as widely available as anywhere. Rakı (pronounced [ɾaˈkɯ]) is the most popular alcoholic drink in Turkey.
The History of Turkish Food – Origins, Influences and Traditions
Turkey has a rich food scene. The country’s cuisine is one of the oldest in the world and it has been around for thousands of years. It’s geographical setting (weather), trade, religion, and external influence have all contributed to the formulation of the most prominent cuisine we have in this country today.
Northeastern Turkish Cuisine
The regional cuisine in this area is quite intriguing. What’s funny is that the locals tend to put anchovies (the small fish of hamsi) in almost every type of food. If it’s a dessert, it has some shades of anchovies, even rice comes with these small fish! Well, the northern coastline in hamsi is responsible for this supply.
Southeastern Turkish Cuisine
This is where you will find food with that Middle-East touch. There is plenty of meze with meat as well as kebabs that play an important role in all cuisines. Besides that, the baklava dish is also common here. If you are a fan of stuffed lamb ribs, the southeast region has Kaburga Dolmasi.
Central Anatolia
This is an inland region and it features many trading and business hubs. The most common regional dishes found here include pastirma, a type of air-dried, and cured beef. Its manti is popular among locals and tourists thanks to its amazing taste and melting feeling.
The Aegean and Mediterranean Regions
These places are close to the sea. Besides that, the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal resorts borrow a lot from Greece culture. So, most of the dishes prepared here have some aspects of exoticness. Fish and seafood are the most common and the locals usually make them using traditional recipes.
Regional Influences of Traditional Turkish Cuisine
Turkey has an area of 300,000 square miles sitting at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, down to the Mediterranean Coast. Most of the population lives in cities, so the country has always been self-sufficient food wise.
1. Muhammara (Walnut and Red Pepper Dip)
This hearty, smoky and spicy dip is popular all over the Mediterranean. It originated in the city of Aleppo, so the Turkish version must include Aleppo Red Pepper. The other ingredients include roasted red pepper, walnuts, bread crumbs, garlic, sumac, tomato paste and cayenne pepper. Extra virgin olive oil forms the base. Here’s a simple recipe.
