Turkish Flavours

Turkish coffee; Turkish Delight... I'm always fascinated by culinary word association and the type of things that come to mind when thinking about dishes or ingredients a country may be famous for.  Prior to my few days away in Istanbul my knowledge of Turkish cuisine was extremely limited.  Hardly needing an excuse to treat myself to yet another cookery book, my curiosity was broadened by the recently released and wonderful insight of Leanne Kitchen: "Turkey - Recipes and tales from the road."  Full of evocative photography, I couldn't resist writing a gourmet wish list of all the things I wanted to try during my short stay.  The reality was that I tasted so much more than anticipated and came home inspired to try lots of new recipes. Within Turkey there are seven diverse regions and the country shares its border with Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia,  Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria, so there is a huge range of influences at play.  Apart from enjoying eating at a wide range of restaurants from the simple but bountiful breakfast served at Sutis overlooking the Bosphorous, where my favourite dish was the delicious Menemem (variation on scrambled eggs with cheese and tomato); to the renowned Reina serving fabulous mezze; followed by grilled seabass at the club's waterside restaurant Blue Topaz; I also took a "Turkish Flavours" hands-on cookery course run by Selin Rozan at her art-deco apartment. This gave a unique introduction to the ingredients and methods used to create a range of typical dishes from the flaky pastry savoury borek (with either a meat or feta cheese filling), to stuffed aubergines, and poached apricots served with Halva floss - the best candy floss I've ever tasted.  Definitely the best way to learn a lot in a short space of time combined with the opportunity of being hosted in a personal home. 

Whilst in Istanbul I was also keen to try authentic Turkish Delight, which is called Lokum and not Delight as logic may suggest.  In my opinion the best is from Hayat in the Spice Market.  Incredibly moorish and the ideal energy boost, my vote goes to the cherry and pistachio version, although of course I needed to taste test several others to know for sure, including the close second pomegranate and pistachio.  Istanbul is a culinary delight and enriching gourmet experience.  As for Turkish Coffee, stronger than espresso and delivering that caffeine sensation hit between the eyes, it's not for me, but Turkish tea typically served in a tulip-shaped glass is a welcome refreshment any time...