Turkish Cuisine: When Mediterranean and Asian Food Collide

A nation's climate, agriculture and culture influence its cuisine. Thus Turkish food is influenced by Turkey's climate, what foods are grown in the country and the culture, history and religion of the Turkish people. Turkey is a land bathed in sunshine with black, loamy soil. So many different fruits and vegetables grow here that Turkey exports a considerable amount of its fruit to other countries. While I always was able to buy Turkish dried figs and dried apricots in New York City, they are more expensive here because they manage to export so much. There are so many other fruits to make up for it, however. Fresh figs abound, growing on trees in parks throughout Istanbul. Turkish pears are also available from street vendors that sell produce from little wooden carts. Much like elsewhere in Europe, "portukal suyu" or fresh-squeezed orange juice can be had for a lira per glass. When walking through the warren of shops and stalls in and around the Grand Baazar, a great refreshment is a container of watermelon slices, which can likewise be had for a lira. Turkish cherries are of the sour variety and are so astonishingly flavorful and sweet that you will not believe the two lira per kilo (2.2 lbs!) price charged by the vendors at the bazaars and fresh food markets.

For starches Turks really have only two sources-bread and rice pilaf. In Istanbul bread, or "ekmek" is subsidized by the government and thus can be had everywhere for incredibly cheap prices. In a local "lokantasi" or stew and soup shop, bread is available at every table in great heaping piles of fresh slices. I like to sop up juices, broths and soups with good bread and Turkish bread is fluffy, fresh and flavorful. Turkish bread is most similar to Portuguese and Spanish bread and is eaten when fresh rather than crusty like French bread. Pilaf, on the other hand, is also a staple at the with a few dishes of lamb or chicken lokanta. The only other starch to be had in Istanbul is a plate of French fries or the few cuts of french-fried potatoes that are stuffed on your standard "pide" sandwich.