Turkey Day
Aylin Öney Tan - aylinoneytan@yahoo.com
AP photo
The doomsday for the turkeys of North America must be Thanksgiving Day!It is pretty much like the “Kurban Bayramı,” or “Feast of Sacrifice,” for all Anatolian sheep, when huge numbers of lambs are sacrificed to celebrate the day. In the Ottoman period, herds from all over the lands of Anatolia would be moved towards Istanbul, the imperial capital, so that they could rest a couple of weeks before the holiday (for them, the massacre) started.
Sacrificing an animal to call for the bounty of nature is a primal human instinct. The roast turkey on the Thanksgiving table is no different from the traditional Anatolian bayram dish “kuzu kavurma,” a sort of lamb confit, cubed chunks of mutton cooked in its own fat. The only difference might be that few people in United States chase their turkey to behead and pluck the bird, whereas cutting throat of a lamb in public is still a common scene on the urban landscapes of Turkey.
In terms of comparisons, both celebrations have the true motive of bringing family together around a table. Thanksgiving is also like the official opening for the festive season, to be continued by Christmas and Hanukkah, and eventually by the celebration of the New Year.
Apart from the primeval sacrificial aspect of Thanksgiving and the ever-lasting familial get-together idea, one very important point is usually less recognized. A true Thanksgiving table is like a manifestation of locavorism. Every single ingredient has to be from the New World, native to the Americas. Turkey is the only true, edible American fowl. So are the staple foods of Thanksgiving, like, corn, potato and yam. Pumpkin originates from North America, and cranberries also only thrive in plains in between forests of North America. Well, the apple is from the Old World, but apple pie is as American as a dish can be. The list can be extended, but if you’re going to celebrate Thanksgiving in Turkey, at least try to have your recipes with a Turkish twist. Here are some suggestions for a Turkish style Thanksgiving table. Enjoy!
Recipes & Forks of the Week:
Sütlü Mısır Çorbası (Corn Soup with Milk): Corn is the foremost New World staple, so it deserves an honorary place on the Thanksgiving table. This little known milky delight comes from the Black Sea region where corn is the staple produce. Though you can fake it with canned sweet corn, I suggest try finding the dried white pearl “süt mısır” (milk corn) for an authentic taste. Soak a cup of white pearl corn overnight, cook until very tender in two cups water (better to do in a pressure cooker); sauté ½ cup of corn meal in 2 tablespoons butter; add the cooked corn with its cooking juices; add 2 cups of water and 4 cups of milk; salt and pepper to taste. Cook until slightly thickened. Finely chopped fresh coriander can add a fresh note, or a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg can give it a festive twist. For a golden touch, you can also add a few threads of real saffron. By the way, the Turkish name for corn, “mısır,” comes from the Turkish name for Egypt, but that is a long story, worthy of another article.
Hindi Tandır (Turkey Tandoori): In Turkey, of course, turkey is not named as such, but as “hindi,” meaning “from India,” where, funnily, turkeys do not exist. But it is in a way “correct” because the India meant is “West India,” or the Americas. The Turkish word “tandır” refers both to a pit oven and anything cooked in such an oven, be it bread, a whole lamb or goat. The word actually comes from the Indian word “tandoori” or vice versa. Nowadays, the word is also used for a very slow-cooked dish. This slow-cooked turkey, not the whole bird, but in big pieces, might be the answer for a fair at the table. Just buy large, whole chunks of Turkey breast or thigh; rub the pieces with salt and a good spice mix and coat with a generous layer of softened butter; place pieces in a heavy roasting pan. Peel, core and quarter 2-3 quinces, rub with salt and stick in between the pieces of turkey together with a large handful of prunes and 3 to 4 quartered onions; cover with foil and bake for 2 hours at 180˚C. For a caramelized top, remove the foil during the last 30 minutes. For the spice mix, I suggest the traditional dolma mix of Turkish cuisine that you can find in any supermarket under the name “dolma baharatı.” After all, it is based on yenibahar, meaning “new spice” and allspice is native to the New World.
Kızılcık Marmelatı: No cranberries in this part of the world, but a good substitute would be the cornelian cherry. You can find good ones in a specialty store or make your own, if you can still find some “kızılcık” in the market.
Kumpir: The Turkish equivalent of baked potatoes is actually a new feature on the street food scene in Turkey. Why not serve it along with your turkey with a generous helping of butter and “dil peyniri” a kind of local string cheese that is milkier and less salty than American string cheese. Just split baked potatoes in half, fluff the center with a fork, add globs of butter and a heap of dil peyniri, further bake briefly on a grill or high heat to melt the cheese.
Aşure: Produce from the previous year’s harvest is joined together in a joyful pudding made primarily from wheat berries cooked with beans and chickpeas in the addition of raisins, sultanas and dried fruit like apricots, figs, etc. Nicknamed as “Şükran Çorbası” in some regions (translating to “Thanksgiving Soup”) the consistency can be a cross between a thick soup and a grain jelly, served chilled or at room temperature. A former recipe of mine is in the link.
Kabak Tatlısı (Pumpkin Dessert): The ubiquitous pumpkin dessert in Turkish eateries is to die for if properly made. If you spot a good one, buy it ready made. Remember! The traditional garnish is either crushed walnuts or clotted buffalo cream or both. A less common garnish is a drizzling of tahini paste, but never pistachios. Hello to my new chef friends out there who miss the whole point when they pair pumpkin with pistachios. For a quick reference to an easy recipe of mine, go the last year’s Thanksgiving article.
Cork of the Week: Season for the Beaujolais Nouveau has just started. The only wine company that does the tradition in Turkey is the Kavaklıdere winery, which just launched new wines last Thursday (Nov. 19). Look for Kavaklıdere Primeur 2015, but make sure that it is really 2015; in some markets they still keep the previous year’s bottles that are not so “nouveau!”
Sütlü Mısır Çorbası (Corn Soup with Milk): Corn is the foremost New World staple, so it deserves an honorary place on the Thanksgiving table. This little known milky delight comes from the Black Sea region where corn is the staple produce. Though you can fake it with canned sweet corn, I suggest try finding the dried white pearl “süt mısır” (milk corn) for an authentic taste. Soak a cup of white pearl corn overnight, cook until very tender in two cups water (better to do in a pressure cooker); sauté ½ cup of corn meal in 2 tablespoons butter; add the cooked corn with its cooking juices; add 2 cups of water and 4 cups of milk; salt and pepper to taste. Cook until slightly thickened. Finely chopped fresh coriander can add a fresh note, or a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg can give it a festive twist. For a golden touch, you can also add a few threads of real saffron. By the way, the Turkish name for corn, “mısır,” comes from the Turkish name for Egypt, but that is a long story, worthy of another article.
Hindi Tandır (Turkey Tandoori): In Turkey, of course, turkey is not named as such, but as “hindi,” meaning “from India,” where, funnily, turkeys do not exist. But it is in a way “correct” because the India meant is “West India,” or the Americas. The Turkish word “tandır” refers both to a pit oven and anything cooked in such an oven, be it bread, a whole lamb or goat. The word actually comes from the Indian word “tandoori” or vice versa. Nowadays, the word is also used for a very slow-cooked dish. This slow-cooked turkey, not the whole bird, but in big pieces, might be the answer for a fair at the table. Just buy large, whole chunks of Turkey breast or thigh; rub the pieces with salt and a good spice mix and coat with a generous layer of softened butter; place pieces in a heavy roasting pan. Peel, core and quarter 2-3 quinces, rub with salt and stick in between the pieces of turkey together with a large handful of prunes and 3 to 4 quartered onions; cover with foil and bake for 2 hours at 180˚C. For a caramelized top, remove the foil during the last 30 minutes. For the spice mix, I suggest the traditional dolma mix of Turkish cuisine that you can find in any supermarket under the name “dolma baharatı.” After all, it is based on yenibahar, meaning “new spice” and allspice is native to the New World.
Kızılcık Marmelatı: No cranberries in this part of the world, but a good substitute would be the cornelian cherry. You can find good ones in a specialty store or make your own, if you can still find some “kızılcık” in the market.
Kumpir: The Turkish equivalent of baked potatoes is actually a new feature on the street food scene in Turkey. Why not serve it along with your turkey with a generous helping of butter and “dil peyniri” a kind of local string cheese that is milkier and less salty than American string cheese. Just split baked potatoes in half, fluff the center with a fork, add globs of butter and a heap of dil peyniri, further bake briefly on a grill or high heat to melt the cheese.
Aşure: Produce from the previous year’s harvest is joined together in a joyful pudding made primarily from wheat berries cooked with beans and chickpeas in the addition of raisins, sultanas and dried fruit like apricots, figs, etc. Nicknamed as “Şükran Çorbası” in some regions (translating to “Thanksgiving Soup”) the consistency can be a cross between a thick soup and a grain jelly, served chilled or at room temperature. A former recipe of mine is in the link: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/twelve-nights-and-one-sunny-morning.aspx?pageID=238&nID=76469&NewsCatID=473
Kabak Tatlısı (Pumpkin Dessert): The ubiquitous pumpkin dessert in Turkish eateries is to die for if properly made. If you spot a good one, buy it ready made. Remember! The traditional garnish is either crushed walnuts or clotted buffalo cream or both. A less common garnish is a drizzling of tahini paste, but never pistachios. Hello to my new chef friends out there who miss the whole point when they pair pumpkin with pistachios. For a quick reference to an easy recipe of mine, go the last year’s Thanksgiving article: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/peace-pipe-or-candy.aspx?pageID=238&nID=74695&NewsCatID=473
Cork of the Week: Season for the Beaujolais Nouveau has just started. The only wine company that does the tradition in Turkey is the Kavaklıdere winery, which just launched new wines last Thursday (Nov. 19). Look for Kavaklıdere Primeur 2015, but make sure that it is really 2015; in some markets they still keep the previous year’s bottles that are not so “nouveau!”