# Turkish cuisine, where have you been all my life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759 "2009-01-04T00:23:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/1 "2009-01-04T00:23:09Z")
My sister and I went to lunch at a Turkish restaurant this afternoon. I have no idea how authentic it was. All I can say is dayum, that was good. We had the appetizer sampler: Hummus Patlican Salatasi (Babaganoush) Yaprak Domasi Ezme Kisir Pilaki Soslu patlican It was supposed to have Haydari on it, but didn’t. It had double hummus instead. Then we split an entree that included Chicken Adana, Döner, Shish, and Adana kebabs. After we boxed up over half of that, we had dessert of Künefe for her and Keşkül for me. The only thing we didn’t much care for was the Patlican Salatasi. The Kisir was the only other thing we didn’t think was outstanding. Our favorites were the Ezme and the Soslu Patlican. The hummus, which was the only thing we ate that I’ve ever had before, was delicious. (If anyone has recipes for any of these things, that would be awesome.) Anyway, no idea how what we ate compares with normal Turkish food, but it was so good. I’m eager to explore more in that cuisine. Here is the [restaurant’s menu](http://www.cafeshishkebab.com/?page=dinnermenu), if anyone’s curious. It’s in Columbus, Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/2 "2009-01-04T00:36:44Z")
I like Turkish food a lot. Bulgarian food is very similar and when I was in Turkey last year I was surprised to find that even the names of the dishes are often the same. (People are always surprised to hear that, I guess they think Eastern European food is all borscht and…I dunno, whatever they eat in Russia. Turkey is in Eastern Europe, too, you know!) I recommend gyuvetch, (I think in Turkish it would be minus the y and plus two dots on the u) it’s always good on cold days. Anyone know what that stuff they put in with the rice is? Those little light brown things? I love Turkish rice, but no one I asked knew what the English word for that stuff is. You may already know this, but in Turkish the c is pronounced like an English j, so patlican (eggplant) is pronounced as “patlijan”. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/3 "2009-01-04T00:49:30Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I like Turkish food a lot. Bulgarian food is very similar and when I was in Turkey last year I was surprised to find that even the names of the dishes are often the same. We were originally looking for a Greek restaurant, so it was funny to see a few dishes shared between the cuisines. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/4 "2009-01-04T01:21:28Z")
Well, Greece _is_ right next to Turkey, and it was part of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years. Plus, there were loads and loads of Turks in Greece (and vice versa) until the Population Exchange. So it’s not that odd. There is definitely a sort of pan-Balkan cuisine that involves a lot of peppers and tomatoes and cucumbers and feta and skewered meat, with something covered in honey at the end. In April I went to what might be the priciest restaurant in Tirana, Albania, which advertised itself as serving “Ottoman cuisine” and there was a lot of that kind of thing. (And it was SO GOOD, too. The chef came out and asked us all what sort of food we liked and then just made several dishes based on that. No menus involved. I’ve never been served like that before and the surprise made it really fun.) Another thing to look for: lokum, or Turkish Delight. It’s not very good out of a box, it’s true, but proper lokum in Turkey (or Bulgaria) is quite tasty. You might want to try raki, too, the Turkish national drink, which is anise-flavored. (Properly there shouldn’t be a dot on that i, but I don’t know how to make that character.) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/5 "2009-01-04T01:30:10Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Well, Greece _is_ right next to Turkey, and it was part of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years. Plus, there were loads and loads of Turks in Greece (and vice versa) until the Population Exchange. So it’s not that odd. There is definitely a sort of pan-Balkan cuisine that involves a lot of peppers and tomatoes and cucumbers and feta and skewered meat, with something covered in honey at the end. I don’t think anything we had involved feta, now that I think of it. But skewered meat and something covered in honey? That we had! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/6 "2009-01-04T02:05:12Z")
**jsgoddess** , have you eaten at Café Istanbul at Easton? If so, how does it compare to Café Shish Kabob? And speaking of the whole Ottoman Empire thing, if you’re ever in NE Ohio, the Taza Lebanese Grill in Woodmere is fabulous beyond belief. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/7 "2009-01-04T02:09:41Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > **jsgoddess** , have you eaten at Café Istanbul at Easton? If so, how does it compare to Café Shish Kabob? > > And speaking of the whole Ottoman Empire thing, if you’re ever in NE Ohio, the Taza Lebanese Grill in Woodmere is fabulous beyond belief. Lebanese! I’ve never had Lebanese. This was my first foray into Turkish cuisine, so I haven’t been to Cafe Istanbul, but in looking at their websites, I’d say they have to be owned by the same people. But it appears that Cafe Istanbul costs a little more, undoubtedly to pay for the location! ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/8 "2009-01-04T06:26:33Z")
I spent a year in Turkey ending last July and got quite familiar with the local cuisine - IMHO, you got a decently authentic experience. Pity they didn’t have çiğ köfte, though! **Kyla** , unless I’m greatly mistaken, you’re thinking of pine nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/9 "2009-01-04T06:51:45Z")
Rakı (pronounced “rah-koo”) could take the chrome off a bumper. Ask **Agent Foxtrot** about that sometime. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/10 "2009-01-04T17:11:05Z")
Rakı (that dotless ‘i’ is pronounced quite short, almost in the back of the throat, nowhere close to ‘oo’) will definitely take the chrome off a bumper if you drink it straight - which you’re not supposed to do. It gets cut with water and ice first and drunk slowly. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/11 "2009-01-04T17:19:02Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > I spent a year in Turkey ending last July and got quite familiar with the local cuisine - IMHO, you got a decently authentic experience. Pity they didn’t have çiğ köfte, though! **Kyla** , unless I’m greatly mistaken, you’re thinking of pine nuts. What is çiğ köfte? The server described köfte kebab as being somewhat burger like. ---
**Author:** ![Influential\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/12 "2009-01-04T17:32:29Z")
When I was in Western Europe, I would always stop off at the Turkish places for a quick snack. My favorite was a doner kabob wrapped in Turkish pizza (lahmacun). Mmmmmmmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/13 "2009-01-04T18:00:32Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > **Kyla** , unless I’m greatly mistaken, you’re thinking of pine nuts. I don’t think so…they’re like little bits of some kind of grain. Maybe? I’ve had similar rice at Armenian restaurants, too. ---
**Author:** ![Influential\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/14 "2009-01-04T18:03:51Z")
Quinoa? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/15 "2009-01-04T18:11:51Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > What is çiğ köfte? The server described köfte kebab as being somewhat burger like. I like to think of it as the Turkish version of steak tartare. It’s basically finely chopped raw meat with bulgur, onions, and spices. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/16 "2009-01-04T18:15:37Z")
There aren’t a whole lot of Turkish restaurants here at home, but The Boy and I happened to stumble into one when we were in NYC a couple of months ago… my reaction was somewhere along the lines of “why haven’t I eaten this before, and how can I arrange it so that I can eat it again very very soon?” I had a bowl of manti, which are little meat dumplings in a garlic and yogurt sauce. I’m drooling just remembering it. 🙂 In fact, I think I may have to look up a recipe to try making them at home. We also had baklava for dessert, which I found was very similar to the Lebanese style in that it was drier and not as sweet - as opposed to the Greek baklava I’ve had, which is usually swimming in syrup and cloyingly sweet. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/17 "2009-01-04T18:21:21Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I don’t think so…they’re like little bits of some kind of grain. Maybe? I’ve had similar rice at Armenian restaurants, too. If it’s not pine nuts, you might be thinking of that orzo-like pasta thing that’s in some Turkish pilavs. I’m looking online for the name, and I think _şehriye_ is it. [Prepared.](http://www.e-hadi.net/images/resim/1378262368_0a6e49d2fc.jpg) [In packaging.](http://www.eturkuaz.com/images/p.as.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/18 "2009-01-04T18:26:23Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I like to think of it as the Turkish version of steak tartare. It’s basically finely chopped raw meat with bulgur, onions, and spices. That sounds excellent, but it wasn’t on the menu. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/19 "2009-01-04T18:33:51Z")
I was in Turkey for vacation a few years ago, and I concur, Turkish food is the best anywhere! I have a cookbook “Classical Turkish Cooking” by Ayla Agar that’s good. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759/20 "2009-01-04T18:35:03Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > That sounds excellent, but it wasn’t on the menu. Yeah, and kofte kebab, just so you know, is basically a grilled version of the thing, cooked on a skewer, and it could come in various shapes from long and cigar-like to meatball-shaped. Kofte can also come cooked as meatballs served in a sauce, they can be steamed, fried, poached, etc. There’s a milliion variations out there, all basically revolving around the theme of meat mixed with binders/stretchers and spices. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-cuisine-where-have-you-been-all-my-life/479759.md?page=2)