Turkish Cuisine - A Legacy

Turkish Cuisine is said to be one of the best in the world, and it is actually a unique blend of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines because of the wide span of the Ottoman Empire in history. During the Ottoman period, Turkish cooking became increasingly sophisticated. In the kitchens of the palace and in the homes of nobles and officials, cooks developed high level of specialization, and so Istanbul cooking or palace cooking, which is regarded as the pinnacle of Turkish Cuisine, was created.

Turkish food has a simplicity and pureness that produces quality dishes in an astounding variety. These dishes utilize a lot of fresh produce; most commonly spinach, tomatoes, onion, garlic and especially eggplant, which holds a place of honor in Turkish cooking and can be seen everywhere from the familiar Moussaka to the more unusual Karniyarik, where it pairs up with a minced meat mixture. Eggplant can even be made into a jam in Turkish cooking. Meat in Turkish dishes is usually in the form of lamb or minced ground beef, and it is usually combined with vegetables to produce delicious results. Yoghurt is an especially important component of Turkish cuisine; in fact the English word Yoghurt is derived from a Turkish word. Yoghurt is essential as an accompaniment to meat and vegetable dishes, and it is also used in pastries, soups, and even Ayran, a Turkish drink featuring yoghurt in a starring role. All of these ingredients make up delicious dishes that are steadily gaining popularity throughout the world.

Turkish Cuisine owes its development and survival to the sophisticated and delicate culinary expertise which the Ottoman palace, the grand houses and the numerous associations of cooks and confectioners passed on from generation to generation. The Turkish saying "Never mind what you ate and drank, tell me where you have been and what you have seen", shows it was considered bad manners to talk about food and this is why there is little cullinary literature in Turkish.