Turkish food is authentic and full of flavours

Turkish cuisine is also famous for its dishes cooked with olive oil.

Turkish cuisine offers diversity in terms of both ingredients and cooking styles. The dishes have elements of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Greek cuisines. The cuisine uses natural ingredients and offers an array of flavours and tastes.
One of the specialities is the Kebap, a lamb dish that is marinated in exotic spices and can be stewed or grilled. In Dubai, The Anatolia Turkish Grill (044356300), Ibn Battuta Mall, serves up a mouth-watering Adana Kebap, a skewer of minced lamb with a blend of spices, onions and tomatoes. The Black Sea region of Turkey is known for its delicious Pilav, a rice dish often served with fish. Another staple is Manti, a hot dish of dumplings filled with meat and served with different sauces. You can sample the Kaftan Manti at the Kaftan Turkish Cuisine & Fine Art (042753062), Umm Suqeim, that comes in a traditional filo pastry with minced meat and is accompanied by a tantalising yoghurt-garlic sauce.
Turkish cuisine is also famous for its dishes cooked with olive oil. They also have a wide variety of soups that range from light to rich and are mostly meat stock based. Mezzes or appetisers are a prominent fixture and can include fried aubergines with yoghurt, hummus, and fish croquettes, among others. A popular street food is the Turkish pizza or Pide, which is cooked until crispy. At Sultan Baba Iskander (042753591), Dubai Festival City, you can tuck into a number of varieties, but for a more spicy taste, opt for Kiymali Pide, which comes on a baked pita bread topped with meat, tomato, onion and capsicum.
The Turks do love their sweets and Lokum or Turkish delight is a popular dessert. These can be found in a number of supermarkets in Dubai, but for a more authentic taste head to the Spice Souk in Deira to indulge your sweet tooth. Don't forget to consume it with a hot cup of Turkish coffee.
- deepa@khaleejtimes.com

• Food and Dining