Turkey
The Turkish people originated in China and moved westward through Persia, borrowing dishes along the way. Turkish manti, meat-stuffed dumplings, are related to Chinese won ton, although the Turks eat them with a garlicky yogurt sauce (in fact, yogurt is a Turkish word, and the Turks get the credit for spreading awareness of this healthful food). From the Persians, they learned to dry fruit, to mix fruit and meat together in stews, and to appreciate rice.
Constantinople's legendary spice bazaar lives on in modern-day Istanbul. There, shoppers can find the dried red peppers, sumac, olives, honey, sesame seeds, and other ingredients that characterize Turkish cooking today.
A Turkish breakfast typically consists of bread, fresh cheese, honey or jam, hard-cooked eggs, olives, and tea. Lunch may be a quick meal at a kebab shop: grilled meat kebabs served on flatbread with yogurt sauce and roasted tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant. A home-cooked dinner is likely to begin with soup, followed by a hot dish and possibly a vegetable stewed in olive oil and served at room temperature, with fresh fruit for dessert. When Turks go out with friends, they are likely to begin the meal with raki (anise-flavored alcohol) and meze, an assortment of little dishes.
Signature ingredients
Yogurt, lamb, walnuts, pine nuts, eggplant, tomato, peppers, cucumbers, apricots, figs, grapes, bulgur, lentils, fava beans (fresh and dried), olives, olive oil, sesame seeds, pistachios, currants, mint, sweet and hot peppers, cumin, sumac, rose water, filo dough, honey.