Traditional Tastes of Antalya Cuisine Akka Blog

KITCHEN OF ANTALYA FROM THE GASTRONOMIC POINT OF VIEW

When Antalya provinces and districts are examined in terms of culinary culture it seems that there are traces of different cultures. It was discovered in archaeological excavations that 40 thousand years ago there was life in Antalya region. Since 2000 BC from the administration of the Hittite, Pamphylia, Lycia, Cilicia city states till Republic times it has been under the auspices of many states.

This is one of the factors that affect the characteristics of Antalya Cuisine. “There are many vineyards and gardens in this place, local fruits are delicious. A kind of apricot, which the locals call 'kamaruddîn', is very delicious. It can be dried as it has an almond flavor, and can be sent to Egypt as it finds the reputation as one of the rare and expensive nuts in Cairo bazaars. ” 14th century traveler Ebû Abdullah Muhammed İbn Battûta Tancî (1304, Tanca-1368, Marrakech) known as İbn Battûta emphasized in his travel book that Antalya has a remarkable commercial relationship with Egypt. So much so that this relationship has been very effective in shaping Antalya cuisine. Culinary information of families who migrated from Egypt to Antalya hundreds of years ago and families who came from Crete and settled here, the addition of Yoruk kitchen with the kitchen information have resulted in a very transparent kitchen. Transparent because the ingredients in some dishes or even the cooking method provide an understanding of where the food is from. However, those who have been living in Antalya and its districts and cooked in their kitchens for seven or eight generations are not at all considerable. When you ask these people what are the first dishes that come to mind in your kitchen, most people say Cive. Not only in the center, but also in the districts of course with some ingredient and / or minor cooking differences.The Anatolian people describe the culinary cultures of Yörük, Egyptian and Cretan origin families as follows: ‘Creta people mostly eat herbs and vegetables. Those who come from Egypt use abundant onion and garlic, tomato and tomato paste; also such vegetables as okra, hibiscus, and seal came from them; Arabian Kadayif, a dumpling, the type of legume, which we eat as a snack, is one of the foods we know through the Egyptian origin. Yörüks consume meat and dairy products a lot; use bulgur instead of rice. Special meat dishes are available for serious guests. In addition, the Yörüks use sweet red pepper, not tomato paste.’

Cive (Yerel adı Cilve)

- First, saute onion in butter or olive oil.-Add tomatoes (a little red and a little green) and green pepper - Add a tablespoon of sweet red pepper and very little water and boil, adding a handful of bulgur or rice. ( Usually yörüks use bulgur). When it is cooked, cook it for a few more minutes with basil and crushed garlic and serve. The indispensable part of this dish is basil. Also Yörüks put long eggplant called "Bristle Eggplant" and tomatoes to this dish. Even without adding bulgur or rice.Piyaz is another local dish of Antalya, which is at the top of local food lists. More precisely Tahınlı Piyaz. “People from Antalya say tahın.” Chef from Crete was a person who introduced Tahınlı Piyaz as a bazaar dish in Antalya. And those who make this Greek dish in the old style choose their ingredients from the best ones. Sample tahini must be Manavgat Tahini. More than 1 kg of tahini is used.

Tahinli Piyaz

“1 kg of grain, 3 heads of garlic, 2 tablespoons of lemon salt, 1 glass of local lemon juice, 1 glass of water.- After mixing all of them, it is multiplied and it is provided to extract tahini oil. The oil is heavy, if it stays in it, the piyaz will be heavy, therefore it is whipped.- Add 1 glass of apple cider vinegar (apple cider vinegar due to its taste and color) and make the grain thinner. - On the other hand, dry beans are boiled in coal fire. In the past Çandır beans were used, they were small and round, but now it is hard to find them, that is why Konya beans are often used. This is a small grain, thin crust and sweet bean.- Eggs are boiled at slow-burning coal fire.- It is served as beans, quadrupled eggs, tomatoes, minced tomatoes and olive oil respectively. It is necessary to put the grain with a wooden spoon so that its adjustment is good.It is an ancient Antalya tradition that the beans are put on coal fire at six in the morning and cooked for six hours.Tahin has a privileged place in Antalya cuisine. It is used not only in making puddles, but also in desserts and appetizers. Hibeş is one of these tahini flavors. Hibeş, which can also be described as a raki snack, is basically an Arabic dish. However, in Antalya's wedding houses, it is indispensable for men's tables.

Hibeş

-It is made by adding 1 cup of tahini, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 3 cloves of garlic, 3 lemons juice and 1 tablespoon of red pepper if desired, mixed and crushed.- Tahini lemon becomes solid as you eat it. For this, water is added. It is okay when it comes to a consistency that will not flow through the fork. The important thing here is to use plenty of lemons. - Olive oil-red pepper powder is poured on it during service. ” Meanwhile, Yörükler uses citrus instead of lemon. One of Antalya pastries of Arab origin made with tahini is Babata. When making Babata, which is a delicious type of cake, it is recommended to use flower oil, not olive oil. Because the flavor gets heavier when olive oil is combined with tahini.

Babata

-3 eggs are mixed with 1.5 cups of granulated sugar. The dough made by adding 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flower oil, 1 cup of tahini, 2 cup of corn flour, 1 cup of wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 packet of baking powder are laid on the tray and sprinkled with sesame seeds.- Another Babata recipe does not include eggs and milk; There is yogurt, sesame and peanut for decoration. According to this; 5 tea glasses of corn flour, 1 packet of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon are blended and the middle is opened; 1.5 tea glasses of yogurt, 1 tea glass of olive oil and 2 tea glasses of whisked sugar are poured into the pools, all the ingredients are mixed and fed together. It spreads to the oiled baking dish with a height of 1.5 cm. After fixing the top and sprinkling 1 coffee cup with sesame seeds, rest for 30 minutes. The pods are peeled on top and 1 tea glass of raw peanut kernels divided into 2 are placed in a row with 2 finger gaps and baked in a preheated 180 ° C oven for 45-50 minutes. After it is browned like a pomegranate, it is taken out of the oven and served when it cools down.

Tahin Helvası

also has a privileged place in Antalya cuisine. This nutritious dessert, which was regarded as a priority treat at the end of the halva conversations in the past, is said to be a food that the workers give up “food” for the sake of today. The quality of Antalya sesame and tahini should have a great share in this. In almost every district of Antalya, sesame seeds are still grown, although not as much as before. However, the favorite is Manavgat Sesame. Also, in Antalya region, tahini is used a lot in pastries like Katmer. Çiğirdik is also a sesame dessert made in the center and districts of Antalya in winter. This dessert made from Antalya sesame is made with honey and sherbet in Alanya and molasses in Kemer region.

Çiğirdik

- 1 measure sesame and 1 measure molasses are cooked on the stove and poured into the tray. It is kept in the refrigerator and then it is cut and served.Still the most favorite dessert of Antalya, which is eaten by Egyptians, is Arabian Kadayifi, which is actually Aleppo dessert, prepared almost in the same way in Antakya. It should be made by frying in sesame oil, but due to the high price of sesame oil, it is often prepared in sunflower oil. It is told that a street vendor sold Arab kadayifi to the summer houses, which were established in Konyaaltı Beach in the 1960s, consisting of wooden huts called oba and straw houses called tents. People from Antalya say that ‘He was someone who opened and sold Arab kadayifi on the street for years. He would bring his barbecue and dough there. Ladies living in Oba and tents would also gain weight and do it at home.’ It is said that the chef, who sold Arab kadayifi in the streets of Konyaaltı, was nicknamed Hovarda and even sold it in the same way on the Shampol side. There is an interesting sharing between food and dessert in Antalya restaurants. This is the Arabian kadayifi on the tandoor, the garlic meatballs or pumpkin dessert served with tahini. In fish restaurants, tahini halva with lemon squeezed is served for dessert after the meal. Of course, we should not forget Shish Meatballs which is usually served with Tahinli Piyaz. In the next article about Restaurant Culture and Flavors of Antalya you will see Antalya Shish Meatballs, Antalya Tandırı, Antalya Bağaçası (Ramazan Bağaçası) and Sprinkling Pastry.