Wednesday, August 29, 2012

How To Choose The Perfect Turkish Restaurant In NYC

When you are looking for a remarkable dining experience at a Turkish restaurant NYC has plenty to offer. But just like with any country, the Turkish cuisine varies depending upon the region it originates from. Turkish food is generally a blend of Balkan, Central Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines that have distinct regional influences.

If you are looking for a Turkish restaurant in NYC that has a wide variety of vegetarian dishes then the cuisine from the Mediterranean region, the Aegean region and Istanbul would be your preference. These regions tend to use fewer spices but every dish uses a wide variety of vegetables such as eggplant, cauliflower and spinach. The Aegean region is renowned for their “enginar dolması” (artichoke dolma) and these regions prefer dishes with rice instead of bulgur.

If you prefer fish, then look for a Turkish restaurant in NYC that features the cuisine of the Balkan, Slavic or Black Sea region. The most common way to serve fish from this region is fried with a very thick coating of corn flour but fish can also be served pickled, canned, dried or smoked. One of the most popular dishes is “midye dolma” which is rice stuffed mussels but many of the dishes include “ahtapot” which is octopus, “karides” which is shrimp or “kalamar” which is calamari.

Through all of the regions there are Turkish dishes that contain meat but unlike other cultures the meat is not a large portion of the meal. Almost all of the dishes consist of a ground meat and vegetable mixture such as “kıymalı fasulye” which is ground meat with beans or “kıymalı ıspanak” which is ground meat with spinach. The meats include lamb, beef and chicken but because Turkey is mainly Islamic it is very seldom that you will find a Turkish restaurant in NYC that serves pork.

If you are just looking to just have a wonderful cup of Turkish coffee and a dessert in a Turkish restaurant NYC is definitely the place to go. One of the most common pastries is Baklava. The early Central Asian Turks perfected the art of this layered dough and it is usually made with walnut or pistachio. “Gullac is another dessert that is made of flaky dough layers (known as phyllo) that have been put in rose water and milk. It is then served with pomegranate seeds and walnuts or almonds.

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