The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-02-12
MENU OF THE TURKS.
DISHES THAT COULD BE ADOPTED.
BY AMERICAN HOUSEWIVES.

DISHES THAT COULD BE ADOPTED.
BY AMERICAN HOUSEWIVES.
V1ands That Are at Once Appetizing,
Nutritious and Inexpensive-Popu
larity of Vegetables and Sweets.
The National Dish,
Some Of the dishes found on Turkish
tables might well be adopted by the
American housewife, being appetizing
and inexpensive and easily prepared
from articles that are to be found here
in great abundance.
Turks do not care for salads, but pre-
fer meat, fish, vegetables and sweet
dishes. The Bosporus furnishes a great
variety Of excellent fish, among them
the red mullet, 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 unknown. Mutton, beef, a little
veal, fowls and game are eaten. Pork
is "the unutterable fesh.''
Breakfast with the Turks of all
classes consists Of a cup Of coffee and
bread. A piece Of cheese rolled into the
fat 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 unboiled rye flour
is sold everywhere and when fresh is
delicious. With a few grapes, a piece
Of the native cheese and a cup of coffee
the richest man is satisfied.
With all fish, Holsters and many
meats a sort Of salad dressing is served
made of garlic, oil, breadcrumbs and
vinegar, all bruised to a cream, with
caviare or cucumber. Mussels are much
larger than in this country. They are
steamed until they open, then
filled with rice, chopped onion and pep
per and butter, packed closely in yes
sci and baked an hour.
Turks make few soups, as they prefer
solid food, but sardines, anchovies and
salted olives or pistachio nuts are eaten
before meals as appetizers Of vegeta-
bles, Which enter largely into their
diet, the favorite is the tomato, and
scarcely any dish is considered COM
plete without it, though they never eat
this vegetable raw. To preserve toma-
toes for winter use they boil them IN
I'll the skins are loose, then pass them
through colanders, after which they
throw salt into the pulp. This causes it
to settle, and the water is poured off
While the residue is put into thin bags
and hung in the shade. The next day
1t is spread on fat surfaces to dry.
Later it is cut into squares and laid
In covered jars. This process retains
the taste and qualities of the tomato
better than canning, and little water
makes the pulp moist again.
Potatoes, q taste for which is an ac-
CURED one with the Turk. are. IA
boiled, mashed with eggs and little
flour, then made into cakes and fried.
Beans and lima beans are boiled will,
tomatoes and butter and sometimes on
ions. Squash is sliced and fried or
stuffed with mincemeat, 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 NUT
ton 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 de-
light at its excellence. To make it, cut
Sits in the sides of the eggplant and in
sert forcemeat of onion and minced
chicken in the cavities Tie strips of
cloth around and fry thoroughly in boil
ng fat. Another way is to substitute
eggplant for potato in stew. Toma-
:oes should also be added.
Moussaka, another and better form,
'alls for one large eggplant, sliced rath-
# thick, without peeling. Have
luart of tomatoes freshly peeled or
one pound of minced beef.
Fry the beef until it separates, set
side while the eggplant is being fried,
hen put alternate layers of meat. egg
liant and tomatoes in a deep dish;
eason and bake in a slow over one
lour. ~ ~. 55
Another delicious dish results from
'lacing sliced onions, tomatoes and
hips bread or soda biscuit III layers,
With generous piece Of butter, in a
overed dish. Bake slowly four hours.
Pilaf, the natfoual dish of Turkey, is
erved invariably at every dinner. Rice
lways forms the foundation, and the
most popular variety is that where
lothing but butter, tomatoes and rice
8 used. Take three-quarters Of a
|ound Of Carolina or Egyptian rice,
wash until perfectly clean and while
till wet place in a pan with one-quar-
er of a pound of butter Stir over the
ire until the rice has absorbed the but
er and become light golden color.