Each gulet / yacht has a professional chef and exquisite cuisine is prepared to your tastes by your own personal chef.
Introduction
The food is all prepared on board to a high standard of hygiene and presentation, with lots of fresh vegetables, salads, fruits and meat as well as sea food.
Turkish cuisine represents the typical Mediterranean cooking, that is made with fresh ingredients and careful cooking. These ingredients are usually very simple but high quality. Turkish land and the seas are rich and the farmers and the fisherman make Turkey one of the seven countries in the world which produce the surplus of food.
Turkish cuisine is one of the most appetizing and rich cuisines of the world and Turkish people are known to be quite passionate about food. Diversity and the full flavor makes the Turkish cuisine worldwide famous which draws influences from its rich history and each region in the country today praises its own specialties.
Get an overview of the Turkish food varieties
Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Eastern European cuisines.
The Turkish art of cooking has a long and deep-rooted past and its cuisine varies across the country. The Aegean and Mediterranean cuisines are rich in fresh vegetables, herbs and fish. Olive oil is most widely used; because, in the western parts of Turkey, where olive trees grow abundantly, olive oil is the major type of oil used for cooking. Therefore, the cuisines of Aegean and Mediterranean are mostly olive oil based cold dishes as main course or starters. Especially dolma (stuffed bell peppers, zucchini etc.), barbunya pilaki (red bean salad with olive oil), deniz börülcesi (seasonal samphire salad) are the must taste specialties.
Key ingredients being primarily meat, vegetable and legumes, Turkish meals are generally soupy, consisting of some kind of stew or stock. Hence, bread consumption tends to be way too much among Turks. Turkish kebabs, döner kebab, Turkish ravioli and some eggplant dishes are the trademarks of Turkish cookery. For instance, there are over 200 dishes made from eggplant.
Turkish kebabs are the main meat dish with a great variety of cooking methods. Under the names of Döner Kebab, Adana Kebab, Bursa Kebab, Ali Nazik, İskender etc. Kebabs have various cooking methods depending on the ingredients and the way of cooking, generally served with rice, bulgur rice and greens.
Another meat specialty is köfte (meatballs). There are many versions of meatballs, the technique of cooking differ by the region. A large variety of meatballs, more than 200 kinds, are known in Turkey.
Breakfast is crucial part of meal for Turks. Although it varies regionally, Turkish breakfast is the healthiest, rich in nutrients and the most delicious. A lot of green, tomatoes (preferrably in summer), cucumber and pepper are eaten during breakfast along with feta cheese, egg, olives, honey and cream of milk. Multi-grain village bread, corn bread and simit, Turkish sesame donut or Turkish bagels are the preferred breakfast components. Especially Sunday breakfasts turn into a convivial social gatherings with added ingredients and last longer than week-in breakfast.
There are more than 300 kinds of soup in the Turkish cuisine. The basic ingredient of soup is yoghurt. A Turkish contribution to the world, sweet or sour yoghurt became prominent ingredient in soups. Seafood and entrails are often used in Turkish soups. Soups made with slender rockfish, haddock or any other fish are all categorized as “fish soup.”
Turkish pastries are mostly milk-based or dough-based desserts. Sweet pastries, mainly baklava, are soaked in syrup. Baklava is among the most popular dessert. Fırında sütlaç, keşkül and profiterole are the most favorite Turkish milk-based desserts. Künefe, made from shredded wheat with a layer of melted mozzarella-like cheese and syrup is a Southern specialty pastry.
Tea is a sine qua non drink for any Turk. Tea is served during breakfast and offered almost all day long. Especially, if you are invited to a store or an office, tea is ordered right away. Turkish coffee after meals is also part of a Turk’s daily habits.
Ayran is the most common cold beverage made from yoghurt mixed with water and salt. Sometimes a piece of fresh mint is added. It is an ideal drink during hot summer days, bottled, packed or home made from vendors.
In Turkey, people love eating and relishing food. Most meals at a typical Turkish home is like a feast. If you are a guest for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the variety of food and sincere hospitality of the people might seem quite surprising at first. Inviting guests for a meal is part of culture and tradition of a Turkish family and ‘taking good care’ of the guest is the crucial side of it.