The Middle East comprises 17 countries: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The region is very diverse, and it has different religions, languages, and cultures.
Even though the middle east region is very diverse, it is often painted with the same brush by foreigners. The generalization takes away from the uniqueness of separate areas. It takes away the rich culture of those areas, and they’re suddenly the same, although that is not the case. Every country in the middle east has its own distinctive culture, including different arts, music, cuisine, and clothing. For today’s post, I will be focusing on food. Arabic food and Turkish food have been influencing one another for years, and the main reason is there has been an exchange in cuisine is because of the Ottoman Empire. For years many Arab countries were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. As a result, Arabic cuisine was introduced into Turkish cuisine and vice versa. This infusion in cuisines remains until today, to the point where it’s hard to tell the origin of a dish. Although various dishes are the same in the Arab world and Turkey, they taste very different. Today I will discuss the similarities between Turkish Yaprak Sarma and Arabic vine leaves (Warak Enab), Doner and Shawarma, Arabic and Turkish breakfast, and Okra, known as Bamya in both regions. VINE LEAVES
Stuffed vine leaves are a very famous Mediterranean dish. It is very famous in both the Arab world and Turkey. They look identical, but they taste different.
WARAK ENAB
You will never find an Arab that doesn't love Warak Enab. It is one of the most beloved Arabic foods in the Arab world. Warak Enab literally translates to grapes leaves, and the dish is basically stuffed grape leaves.
Warak Enab has many different varieties. It can be served either hot or cold as a meal or appetizer. It is either stuffed with meat or cooked over meat, or without meat at all, and sometimes it is sour. Generally, if it is a meal then it has to include meat, either minced beef in the stuffing, or lamb or chicken pieces at the end of the pot which is then topped off with the Warak Enab and they're all cooked together. Also, when it is served as a meal, it's always served hot. However, it usually has no meat and is served cold when it's an appetizer. In some countries, it is also topped off with pomegranate molasses, pomegranate pieces, and lemon to make it sour. The main common ingredients between those different varieties are short-grain rice, parsley, tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, mixed Arabic spices (cumin, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, coriander). These ingredients are mixed, and then the grape leaves are stuffed with them. Even though there are slightly different ways to serve it, it usually tastes very similar. YAPRAK SARMA
The word Sarma means "wrapped thing," It refers to different wrapped vegetables such as cabbage or chard, not just vine leaves. But for today, I will focus on vine leaves. Like the Arabic version, it can also be served hot as a meal or cold as an appetizer. It also uses lemon, olive oil, rice salt, and black pepper, and sometimes it is served with meat and sometimes without. However, the meat is always in the stuffing, unlike the Arabic version.
Also, many Turkish recipes use tomato and pepper paste and long grain rice instead of short. And they use fewer spices than the Arabic version. Yaprak Sarma is often topped with yogurt and sometimes is eaten with bread on the side. In the Arab world, Warak Enab is never paired with bread. It would be considered odd. It is either eaten as a meal with the meat pieces it was cooked with, or as an appetizer alone. If you're interested in making either, here are recipes for both: Click here for Arabic Warak Enab's Recipe. Click here for Turkish Yaprak Sarma's Recipe. STREET FOOD WRAP
Shawarma or Doner is a famous sandwich served in the Middle East. It is a popular street food that is usually paired with Ayran in Turkey or a soft drink in the Arab region.
SHAWARMA
The idea of Doner came to the Arab world in the 1930s. They used the same Turkish idea of stacking the meat and cooking it vertically. Also, there is both chicken and meat Shawarmas. However, the sandwich recipe is entirely different. Shawarma's bread is always a thin bread similar to Lavas, called shrak. However, it's even thinner than Lavas. One of the main ingredients in Shawarma is garlic sauce. Usually, the Shawarma is drenched in garlic sauce. The most basic Shawarma includes chicken, garlic sauce, and pickles. Sometimes, fries are also added. Even though the main difference between it and the Turkish Doner is only the sauce, the taste is entirely different.
DONER
The origin of the idea of Doner is Turkish. It began in the Ottoman Empire. It is basically meat that is seasoned then stacked, and it cooked vertically on a vertical rotisserie. There is both chicken and meat Doner. After the meat is cooked thin pieces are cut off and placed into bread. There are different types of bread. There is a typical sandwich bread and Lavas, which is a thin bread that's like a tortilla. After the meat is put in the bread, tomatoes, onions, and parsley are added. Sometimes, a sauce is also added.
If you’re interested in making either here are recipes for both: Click here for Shawerma's recipe. Click here for Doner's recipe. OKRA
Okra is a traditional dish in both the Arab world and Turkey, and it is called Bamya in both regions. In both regions' okra, tomatoes and lamb are the main ingredients. However, there are differences.
ARABIC BAMYA
Arabic okra is usually stirred with olive oil, salt, and black pepper while the meat cooks in a pot on the side with bay leaves, onions, garlic, and cloves. When the okra is cooked, it is then usually added to a sauce made of vegetable stock, tomatoes, and the 7 Arabic spices. Later, when the meat is cooked, it is added as well. This is usually eaten with bread or rice.
TURKISH BAMYA
In Turkish okra, the sauce is usually made alone, and then the okra is added. Onion, tomato paste, garlic, and tomatoes are stirred in olive oil in a pan. Then the okra is added with a bit of salt, sugar, and hot water. If meat is part of the recipe, it is added before the okra and once its cooked, the okra is added. Turkish okra has a lot less spice than Arabic okra and has a more tomato taste because of the paste. Also, the taste of the okra is stronger since the okra isn't cooked first alone.
If you’re interested in making either here are recipes for both: Clickhere for Arabic's Bamya recipe. Click here for Turkish's Bamya recipe. BREAKFAST
Breakfast is a massive part of both Arab and Turkish cultures. It is usually eaten as a family and consists of many different little things. It is both savory and sweet and is usually eaten with tea on the side. There are both similarities and differences.
ARABIC BREAKFAST
Arabic breakfast usually has different olives, and cut vegetables such as cucumber and tomatoes. It has a lot of pita bread, different types of cheese, labneh, and eggs. It also has the main dishes components: Hummus, Falafel, and foul. Sometimes, manakeesh are also added, a dough topped with different toppings (cheese, meat, or zaatar). It is sort of an Arabic pizza. In comparison to Turkish breakfast, it has more main dishes and fewer side dishes.
TURKISH BREAKFAST
Turkish breakfast is made up of many different tiny dishes. It has jams, honey, butter, cheeses, olives, vegetables. It has Tahin Pekmez, which is made of tahini and grape molasses. It has Bal Kaymak, which is clotted cheese with honey, Borek, a Turkish pie stuffed with different things (Cheese, potatoes, meat). Also, it has many kinds of bread. It also has eggs, sometimes more specifically, it has shakshouka. Turkish breakfast tends to have more variety than Arabic breakfast, and it usually has many sweet dishes. Whereas, in Arabic breakfast, food is generally savory. They also both include many different carbs.
If you’re interested in making some of the dishes here are recipes for both: Arabic:https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-falafel/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=9NrpAPqzl8r91oo_ONP0my4.7Y8vcQI2q_uUj.rTRVo-1640292421-0-gaNycGzNCNE https://cookieandkate.com/best-hummus-recipe/ Turkish: https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/recipes/turkish-eggs-13062 https://www.giverecipe.com/turkish-borek-cheese-herbs/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=OjPgP7dojqfQ5stBnmQW0um.GA_n7NKDmqgf2Z5XI8M-1640292379-0-gaNycGzNB70 SAME DISHES, DIFFERENT RECIPES
As you can see, the Arab world and Turkey have influenced one another immensely, and many dishes are made in both regions. Some are similar to the extent that they share the same name. However, the dishes taste very different. Overall, the main difference is that Arabic cuisine usually uses more spices than the Turkish cuisine. Both cuisines are popular and taste delicious. If you're interested in tasting the differences instead of just reading about them, use the recipes linked above!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|