Tomato paste, or domates salcası is probably the most fundamental Turkish cooking condiment. Closely followed by red bell pepper paste (biber salcası). Both thick deep-red pastes enclose the essence of summer and its flavors - that of tomato and red bell pepper. You would add both to possibly every third Turkish dish: aromatic red lentil soup and bulgur pilaf, Turkish take on tabbouleh (kısır) and nearly any Turkish stew you can think of.
Essential Turkish pantry
Maraş, Urfa, Antep - these are the names you can find on the price tags of the piles of bright red pepper flakes at the spice stalls of Eminönü, bustling Istanbul food market. All three are somewhat known culinary destinations in Turkey. Maraş for its thick ice-cream made with salep, powered root of wild orchid, Urfa for its spicy kebabs, Antep for its knowledgeably grown pistachio and skillfully made baklava.
However it is Aleppo, a small village at the border with Syria which has received international fame for its peppers. It came as an absolute revelation to me that Aleppo pepper has become the next big thing in the US culinary world. Is Aleppo pepper really that hot?
Two hours and one tart crust down I concluded, “Who really needs this effort in Turkey where you can make almost any baked wonder with yufka dough, or Turkish phyllo!“ French have butter so they make tarts. Turks have wheat and water so they make yufka dough. Which is more egalitarian by nature. Butter-loving individuals can still brush their yufka dough with butter and savor that delicate flaky pastry. Less aristocratic folk will simply season their yufka with the mix of sunflower oil, yoghurt and egg to get a substantial meal.
Maybe you are settling in Istanbul, maybe you live abroad with a Turkish spouse and feel curious to learn Turkish cooking, or maybe you got captivated by the local cuisine while traveling in Turkey and would like to recreate its taste back home. Besides looking up Turkish cooking recipes you may be interested in learning to use Turkish cooking utensils. Here are seven great tools to make your Turkish cooking experience fun and its outcome - perfect.
