The gourmet's guide to Europe

Turkish Cookery — Constantinople Restaurants — Therapia — Constantinople Clubs. The Turkish cookery is by no means to be despised. The Turk has been driven bag and baggage out of many European countries, but he has always left his cooking-pots behind him. In Greece and in the Balkan States the best dishes of the country are really Turkish ones. The Turks, like all Mohammedans, are great eaters of vegetables, and beans, small cucumbers, rice, and whatever fruits are in season form the principal food of all classes. The Turk is extremely particular concerning the water he drinks ; on the bills of fare of the restaurants the various drinking waters find a place, and a charge is made for them. The many-coloured sherbets which make the windows of the cafes in the poor portions of the towns look like those of chemists are as much a subject of taste to be discussed as wines are with us. The Turkish kabobs and the pilafs of chicken are good, but their appearance is not appetising and they are too satisfying. A little rice and beef, rather aromatic in taste, is wrapped round with a thin vine leaf, in balls the size of a walnut, and eaten either hot or cold. This is called Talandji Dolmas. Taourt or Lait Caille is a milk curd, rather like what is called Dicke Milche in Germany. Aubergines are eaten in Turkey 359 every form ; one method of cooking them, and that one not easily forgotten, is to smother a cold aubergine in onion, garlic, salt, and oil ; this is named Tmam Bayldi. Keinfte are small meat-balls tasting strongly of onions. Loufer fish, fried or grilled ; Plaki fish, eaten cold ; Picti fish in aspic ; small octopi stewed in oil ; the Espadon , or sword-fish, grilled ; Mousaka , vegetable marrows sliced, with chopped meat between the slices and baked ; Tachni , meat stewed with celery and other vegetables ; Kebap, kabobs with a bayleaf between each little bit of meat ; Kastanato , roasted chestnuts stewed in honey, and quinces treated in the same manner ; vermicelli stewed in honey ; and preserves of rose leaves, orange flowers, and jessamine — all are to be found in the Turkish cuisine. The Turk is the best sweetmeat maker in Europe, and a tin of rose-leaf jam, or a wooden box of Rahat Lakoum, freshly made, is always an acceptable gift to take home to England to any household. The Roti Kowzoum is lamb impaled whole on a spit like a sucking-pig, which it rather resembles in size, being very small. It is well over-roasted and sent up whole. I am informed on the best authority that when a host wishes to do you honour he tears pieces of it with his fingers and places them before you, and you have to devour them in the same manner. I herewith give a typical Turkish dinner : — Duzico. Hors d’ceuvre. Yalandji Dolmas. Potage. Creme d’Orgo. Poisson. Espadon. See. Anchois. 360 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe Entr£e. Boughou Kebabs. Carni Yanik. Roti. Kouzoum. Legumes. Bahmieh a l’Orientale. Ymam Bayldi. Entremets. Yaourt et Fruits. The wines of Turkey are mostly of a Sauterne character. Balkan is a strong rough wine. Douzico is a liqueur which somewhat resembles Kiimmel. It comes from Tchesme, and Omourdja, and Broussa, and the Greeks and Levantines, who are its principal consumers, are very particular as to the brand. Mastik, from Chio, is another liqueur largely consumed by the Christians in Turkey.