If you have bought a property in Turkey and are thinking of living in the country rather than renting out your new investment, then you’ll no doubt be interested in what makes up Turkish cuisine.
Like many Mediterranean countries, Turkish food focuses on fish, seafood, fruits, vegetables and olive oil. Eat like a native and you will be consuming an incredibly varied, delicious and healthy diet. The cuisine is a blend of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan influences and there are many regional variations.
Spices and meats in a genuine Turkish kebab
Of course, we can’t talk about Turkish cuisine without mentioning the kebab, but whereas this dish often has associations with a heavy night’s drinking in this country, a genuine kebab is an amazing and varied dish.
Key Turkish ingredients include lamb, chicken, fish, aubergines,. green peppers, onions, garlic, lentils, tomatoes, beans, pistachios, almonds, chestnuts and walnuts, as well as olive oil and butter. Turkish cuisine also uses a lot of herbs and spices, such as parsley, cumin, paprika, mint and oregano.
Typical Turkish meals
If you have ever holidayed in Turkey or you have purchased a holiday home through Oceanwide Properties, you will be familiar with its breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes. Whilst we tend to favour cereal and toast in the UK, in Turkey breakfast (kahvalti) options might be sausage and eggs, or a dish called menemen made from eggs, oil, peppers and tomato. Cheese, cucumber and olives might also feature.
Lunches and dinners often feature soup to start with and then a dish made from vegetables or beans with meat and rice or bulgur wheat, and some salad to accompany it. Yoghurt mixed with chopped cucumbers is a popular accompaniment.
Fruit is readily available and delicious in Turkey. You can easily find plums, apricots, figs, pears, grapes and pomegranates, and bulgar wheat and pilaf accompaniments often contain dried fruits such as currants and raisins.
Turkish food on the coast
In coastal areas, as you may have experienced if you have bought a Kalkan property, a lot of fish is eaten and sardines are very popular. Lamb and veal are consumed regularly by Turks and many meat options feature dishes which combine ground meat with vegetables such as kiymali ispanak, which is spinach with mince. Turkey is predominantly Muslim, so the traditional cuisine does not feature pork dishes.
Like many Mediterranean countries, yoghurt made from sheep’s or cow’s milk, is used extensively as an accompaniment to main dishes and it is often eaten with rice or bread. The Turkish drink avran is made from yoghurt. In the main, Turkish cheese are made from sheep’s milk and they are usually fairly soft cheeses because they are not matured for a long time. Turkish cheeses include bevaz pevnir, which is similar to feta, lor, kasar and tulum.
Of course the food of Turkey may not be your main reason for choosing to look at property for sale in Turkey, but there is no doubt that delicious, fresh food will feature in your life, should you choose to move to the country. Oceanwide Properties Turkey can help to make your dream of a home in Turkey a reality. Contact us for an update on recent properties to the market.
