Comments on: Worlds of Flavor Conference: Flavors of the Mediterranean

By: Wulfstan10

Wulfstan10 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:27:27 +0000

I could add “shish kebab” to the Trukish influences, since such food is quintessentially Turkish and, again, so is the term. Kebap (Turkish spelling) is a general word for a variety of cooked meat dishes. Sis (Turkish spelling, pronounced “shish”) is the Turkish word for “skewer.” Then there’s “Greek salad,” actually a standard dish in Palestine, Lebanon, Greece, Armenia, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, etc. In Turkey, it’s “coban salatasi” or “shepherd’s salad.”

By: Wulfstan10

Wulfstan10 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:16:37 +0000

That’s too bad about Persian cuisine, which is great. However, strictly speaking, it’s not really mediterranean or even middle eastern, although it has many elements that are similar to Arab/Turkish/Greek/Armenian cuisine, due to centuries, even millenia, of back-and-forth exchanges.
I am glad to hear that Turkey is included, as it is so often neglected over here yet the Turks have had a huge impact on the entire region from Italy to Iran in cuisine as in every other aspect. In addition to dolmas, the Turks are arguably the ones who brought yogurt to the region (the very word is Turkish, it’s very Central Asian, and tzatziki – or in Turkish cacik – is not really possible without yogurt), and introduced Turkish Delight, baklava, and even the “gyro” or doner kebap (supposedly invented in its modern, vertical-spit form by a 19th-century chef in the Turkish city of Bursa). Anyway, I guess I’m adding more than I need to but I’m a big fan of Turkish food and the cuisine of the whole eastern mediterranean/Balkan/Anatolian/middle eastern region in general.

By: BiteClub

BiteClub — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:03:46 +0000

Turkey was included, but “Persian” cooking didn’t get the same play as Italy and Spain.

By: Wulstan10

Wulstan10 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:25:03 +0000

Let’s hope they don’t forget Turkey, which I don’t see mentioned there (“middle east” does not, properly, include Turkey geographically, historically, or culturally). Turkish influence is seen across the eastern Mediterranean from the former Yugoslavia to Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. The Turks brought together traditions from central asia, the middle east, Greece, Albania, former Yugoslavia, the Caucasus, the Ukraine, and blended them into something rich and varied, which their influence then spread to their domains. It is such a shame the good Turkish traditional cooking, not to mention Ottoman high cuisine, are barely known over here, except via mostly Greek or Arab outlets. Example: “dolmas” are widely availbable here in Greek eateries, yet how many people know that the name comes from the Turkish verb dolmak, which means to stuff or fill? In Turkey, there are many different types of “dolma,” not just the stuffed grape leaves.

By: na

na — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:41:10 +0000

that’s a very deluxe photo. nice.

By: Wojamo

Wojamo — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:33:39 +0000

I just started focusing on more Mediterranean cooking at home- for the health of it and also to get to my “roots” (Sicilian.) It’s amazing how good the food is- and how good it is for you! Really looking forward to reading more of your blog posts on this subject.