Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-09
WHAT THE TURK EATS
DISHES THAT COULD BE ADOPTED
BY AMERICAN HOUSEWIVES.
Viands That Are Appetiing, Nutritious
and Inexpensive-Popula Of
Vegetables and Sweets.


Some of the dishes found on Turkish
tables might well be adopted by the Ameri-
can housewife. being appetizing and mex
pensive, and easily prepared from articles
that are to be found here in great abun-
dance.
Turks do not care for salads, but prefer
meat, fish, vegetables and sweet dishes.
The Bosphorus furnishes a great variety
of excellent fish, among them the red null
let, oysters and mussels, but the Turks have
no idea of the choice of cuts, and simply
ask for SO many okas, caring nothing so
that they get meaty pieces, with few bones.
Corned beef roast beef, steak, these are un-
known. Mutton, beef. a little veal fowls
and game are eaten. Pork is 1.-The unutter-
able flesh
Breakfast with the Turks of all classes
consists of a cup of coffee and bread.
piece of cheese rolled into the fiat pancake
is eaten by the laborers This is sometimes
exchanged for cakes that are much like
pretzels, only larger, and not so hard. In
the fruit season different kinds of fruit are
added. Black bread made of unboled rye
-four is sold everywhere, and, when fresh.
is delicious. With few grapes, piece of
the native cheese and a cup of coffee the
richest man is satisfied
A Turkish Range.
The Turkish range is a queer contrivance.
better adapted for boiling and frying than
baking. 1t is breast high. and has shelf
with holes about six inches in diameter.
Under these holes, occasion requires.
tiny fires of charcoal are made. AS for the
oven, 1t is almost as primitive old
fashioned Dutch oven.
With all fish, Holsters and many meats
sort of salad dressing is served, made Of
garlic, oil, bread crumbs and vinegar, all
bruised to cream, with caviar or cucum-
har lie n n
country. They are washed, steamed until
they open, then filed with rice, chopped
onion and pepper and butter, packed closely
in a vessel and baked an hour.
Turks make few soups, as they prefer
solid food, but sardines, anchovies and salt
ed olives pistache nuts are eaten before
meals as appetizers. OF vegetables, which
enter largely into their diet, the favorlte Is
the tomato, and scarcely any dish Is con-
sdered complete without 1t; though they
never eat this vegetable raw. To preserve
tomatoes for winter they boil them
until the skins are loose, then pass them
through colanders, after which they throw
salt into the pulp. This causes 1t to settle,
and the water is poured off, while the
residue is put into thin bags and hung in
the shade. The next day it is spread on
fat surfaces to dry. Later it Is cut into
squares and laid in covered jars. This pro-
cess retains the taste and qualities of the
tomato better than canning, and a little
water makes the pulp moist again.
Stewed Meats.
Stewed meats are boiled until the meat
drops from the bones. This is necessary,
too, as Turks never carve, but pull off bits
by means of a piece of leathery pancake.
Forks are not yet even looked upon with
favor by any but the very new school
Turks
Potatoes, taste for which is an acquired
one with the Turk are first boiled. mashed
with eggs and little flour, then made into
cakes and fried. Beans and lima beans
are boiled with tomatoes and butter, and
sometimes onions. Squash is sliced and fried
or stuffed with mince meat, onions and
boiled rice, and then baked. Large GU
cumbers are also stuffed with minced meats
and baked or are eaten raw with salt One
good stew Is made of mutton and green
peas; another has all sorts of vegetables,
like an Irish stew.
Eggplant is cooked in many ways, some
of them palatable and good. One recipe is
called imambailde, which means that the
imam for whom the dish first was made
tainted with delight at its excellence. To
make it, cut Sits in the sides of the egg
plant and insert forcemeat of onion and
minced chicken in the cavities. Tie strips
of cloth around and fry thoroughly in boil
ing fat Another way is to substitute egg
plant for potato in a stew. Tomatoes
should also be added
Moussaka, another and better form, calls
for one large eggplant. sliced rather thick
without peeling. Have quart of tomatoes
freshly peeled, or canned, and one pound
of minced beef. Fry the beef until it sepa-
rates; set aside while the eggplant is being
fried, then put alternate layers of meat
eggplant and tomatoes in deep dish; sea
son and bake in a slow oven one hour
Another delicious dish results from plac-
ing sliced onions tomatoes and ships bread
or soda biscuit, in layers with generous
piece OF butter, in a covered dish Bake
slowly four hours.
The National Dish.
served invariably at every dinner. Rice
always forms the foundation, and the most
popular variety is that where nothing but
butter tomatoes and rice is used. Take
three-quarters Of a pound Of Carolina or
Egyptian rice wash until perfectly clean,
and while still wet place in a pan with one
quarter of pound of butter Stir over the
fire until the rice has absorbed the butter
and become a light golden color. Add the
rice to three pintS of strained tomato juice,
boil the whole up once. then draw aside to
cook, without stirring, for twenty-fi min
utes When done, melt another quarter of
pound of butter. and when the piaf is
dished up pour it over the top. Each kernel
should be separates The color will be rich
light brown.
eigners as we'll as Turks. Scald some fresh
green grape leaves. Take half pound Of
rice and fry in butter as for pilaff Mince
some onion and parsley very fine and add
them to the rice with salt and pepper. Stuff
each leaf with the mixture, fastening the
little bundles with cloves. Lay them in
kettle-the opening downward-packed
closely. with a plate on top to keep them in
place. and just enough water to keep them
frn I,rp MING m