Turkish Cuisine: Vegetables and Seafood

Common Regional Flavors and Ingredients of Turkey

Dec 12, 2008

As pasta is to Italy , so too are vegetables to Turkish cuisine. Vegetable dishes overwhelm the menu and are just as likely to be an entre as a side dish.

Turkish Cuisine is influenced by the Ottoman Empire and is a blended refinement of Arab, Balkan, Persian, and Central Asian cuisines. The Ottoman Empire, based in modern day Turkey, existed from 1299 to 1923 when it was divided up after World War I. At its greatest extent it contained twenty-nine provinces and numerous vassal states, and spanned three continents. Vegetables (along with spices, gold, and other valuables) were extracted from these conquered provinces and brought back to the mother country – Turkey. These included tomatoes, zucchinis, eggplants, garlic, peppers (both red and green, and radishes.

Today, these vegetables have grown to include spinach, romaine lettuce, asparagus, artichokes, beets, cabbage, leeks, cauliflower, carrots and dozens of different varieties of leafy greens found throughout the region. Salads are popular and complicated, sometimes including a dozen different types of greens. Dressings are simple and usually based on olive oil. Vegetables are typically cooked with onions and carrots in olive oil and tomato paste, and can be flavored with lemon juice, salt, or a small amount of meat. Dolmas are vegetables stuffed with rice, minced meat, or other cooked vegetables. There are hundreds of different types of dolmas ranging from stuffed green peppers to grape leaves to tomatoes. Artichoke dolmas are a specialty of Western Turkey.

Vegetable dishes are often accompanied by the fresh seafood that is reaped from the surrounding seas. Anchovies, sardines, bonito, bream, red mullet, sea bass, whiting, swordfish, turbot, and white grouper are all popular fish. These are often grilled or cooked in the bugulama style. In this style the fish is flavored lightly with lemon and parsley and slow cooked, covered, until tender. In northern Turkey, around the Black Sea, fish are usually coated with corn flour, fried, and served with a yogurt or tomato sauce. Fish is also salted, smoked, canned, pickled, or dried and served cold. Meat is used very sparingly as it is too expensive for the average family.

While a multitude of spices are available to the average Turkish cook, the traditional culinary philosophy states that the flavor the ingredients should harmonize and dominate the palate. Thus, the natural flavors of the fresh vegetables are allowed express their own flavors. Seasonings are light and the herbs used are delicate. Herbs include thyme, dill, sumac, and mint. Common spices are cinnamon, allspice, paprika, and cayenne.

Bound by simple ingredients and light seasoning, Turkish cuisine elevates the diverse flavors of the region.

The copyright of the article Turkish Cuisine: Vegetables and Seafood in Turkish Food is owned by Brian Smith. Permission to republish Turkish Cuisine: Vegetables and Seafood in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.