Astonishing Antalya
More than a decade ago when I was involved as a curator in creating a gastronomy museum in Antalya, everybody was more than skeptical. Though being the hub of international tourism, the city was not renowned for its culinary merits. I remember people uttering sheer astonishment when I started talking about gastronomy in Antalya. The two words did not match in minds, people could only think about a few dishes, namely “şiş köfte” that is skewered meatballs, “tahinli piyaz” the famed accompanying bean salad with tahini sauce, and they would simply add, “They also put tahini on pumpkin desert, no?” That was all. And there were oranges of course, the symbol of the city.
To admit, I did not have a clue about the cuisine of Antalya, so it was a challenge for me to take that responsibility. Together with my colleague, Dr. Özge Samancı, we dug deep in history, read reports of archaeological sites, conducted oral history interviews, and with the help of the local volunteer team, we found an astonishing culinary culture, an amazing variety of products, and very interesting recipes with the influence of diverse cultures the city had encountered in its rich history. During our endless research our escape heaven was always 7 Mehmet restaurant, especially when they had the day’s specials during lunch hours. It was not only the food, but the long discussions we had with the late owner Hakkı Akdağ, and last but not least the amazing location that attracted us, the breathtaking view of the sea and mountains always amazed us, when we were there, how hard we worked did not matter, life felt good there. We eventually created a great content, a well-structured scenario for the museum, but unfortunate changes in local authorities doomed the project. The gastronomy museum never happened. To our sadness in not realizing the project, I feel great gratitude to have discovered about Antalya cuisine. Who would guess that I was about to learn more, when I was asked to translate the recent book of 7 Mehmet to English. It was another challenge to take.
The story and recipes of Antalya's long-established 7 Mehmet restaurant were recently published in a book titled "7 Mehmet - Stories, Products, Recipes" by the third generation chef Mehmet Akdağ and his close friend, Antalya-native Sinan Hamamsarılar. The book was selected as the Best Restaurant Book at this year's Gourmand book awards and the award ceremony will be held in Riyadh at the end of November. The English version of the book is available for international sale on Amazon. Thanks to the initiatives of Sinan Hamamsarılar, who makes Japan his next-door neighbor organizing gourmet tours several times a year, it can also be found in the Tokyo branch of Daikanyama Tsutaya bookstore, one of the leading bookstores in Japan. Meanwhile, the first international presentation of the book in English was held in London. Typical Antalya dishes of 7 Mehmet were tasted two nights in a row with a selection of the recipes in the book, London Turks who missed Türkiye made up for their homesickness, and a small group of British food writers who knew Türkiye pretty well but were not yet familiar with Antalya food were introduced to the flavors of 7 Mehmet.
Among the guests were writers who had travelled to Türkiye many times, and each of them were old friends who knew Turkish cuisine very well. The guests of honor were Claudia Roden and Jill Norman. Claudia Roden is a very important name for Türkiye, having travelled to various parts of the country several times, often including recipes from Turkish cuisine in her books. She had been the first person to draw attention to the cuisines of Middle Eastern countries. Born in Cairo, her mother's side from a Sephardic Jewish family from Istanbul, her father's side having roots in Antep and Aleppo, she is one of the most respected food writers in the U.K. Jill Norman is the legendary editor of pioneering authors Elisabeth David and Alan Davidson, and has written numerous books herself. Back in 1989, she edited and published “The Turkish Cookbook” by Nevin Halıcı in English. Both Claudia and Jill are the “Grande Dames” of food writing. Among the other guests was Fuchsia Dunlop, who will take her place among Grande dames, for her extensive writing on Chinese cuisine and food culture. Though she is known for her extensive knowledge on China, she has some history in Türkiye, and knows Turkish cuisine pretty well. Chinese cuisine knows Türkiye very well, interestingly when she was a teenager, she was a guest of the Güral family in Kütahya, taking notes of recipes constantly. Years later, she took part in a documentary re-enacting the funeral dinner of King Midas in the early 2000s, and it was on that that occasion we first met and cooked the funeral dinner together. Other guests included Susan Low, who wrote a very comprehensive article about Urla for the Delicious magazine last year, and Bill Knott, who wrote a thorough article covering the culinary scene of Istanbul for Departures magazine for the November issue. Last but not least, Samantha Clark, chef/owner of Moro was also present, one of the much-respected restaurants in London, which occasionally includes flavors from Turkish cuisine, and Moro's books have a unique place among restaurant books, especially Moro East includes so many Turkish recipes from their allotment neighbors.
With such distinguished guests who are deeply knowledgeable about Turkish cuisine to the extent to know about regional variations, it is not easy to satisfy their palate. However, 7 Mehmet dishes not only pleased but also astonished them greatly. Hibeş, the tahini-based appetizer red-tinted by powdered hot red pepper, a meze they had never tasted before, was highly appreciated. The lentil fava topped with a mound of fried onions was a crowd pleaser, and the stuffed pumpkin with minced lamb served on a bed of garlicky yogurt was a surprise. The smoky slow-cooked and grilled lamb tandır accompanied with buttery rice pilaf studded with candied fig slivers stirred food history conversations at our table. But I think the most astonishing dish was the white grape leaves braised in olive oil with roasted pumpkin seeds. The color and aroma of the cooking juices of this dish is more than enough to seduce a true food-lover. The grape leaves release a wonderful emerald-like deep green color combined with the deep green of the extra virgin olive oil. The unique scent of the white grape leaves imparts an exceptional refreshing aroma, together with the slightly salty briny taste, it is a dish to savor. This dish alone was enough to put Antalya on the next visit-list, to find out about the astonishing Antalya, the hidden culinary gem tucked between the mighty Taurus mountains and the mighty Mediterranean Sea.
