Flavors of Spring

Seminar on Turkey’s Regional Culinary Cultures and Traditions was held at YESAM on April 18th, 2012

Yesam (Culinary Arts Center) hosted “Flavors of Spring,’ a presentation by Nedim Atilla featuring a tasting of spring dishes prepared by chefs of Nar Lokanta.

Bahcelere girdi bahar/ yesil hali serdi bahar/ gel dedim gelmedi yar

(Spring came into gardens and yards/ Spring unrolled carpets in green/ I called out to my lover but my lover didn’t come)

The Azeri song of the Kars region (see above) compiled by Ihsan Tafrali announces the coming of spring and the excitement it brings along. After all, if spring - which signals the end of winter’s blustering winds and announces the arrival of blooming trees and growing vines - isn’t happiness, then what is?  Many Turkish poets have celebrated spring with odes to nature’s awakening. Spring also marks the time when Anatolian flavors reach their peak.

In his opening verse, Turkish poet Can Yucel writes ‘a couple of leaves on a branch as soft as can be’ before he describes all shades of green inspired by spring. The great awakening begins when fertile lands turn seeds into luscious greens that arouse mountain goats’ taste buds. Their milk tastes better somehow. You can smell the spring in their cheese.  Spring seeps into meats, smells and flavors all around. While winter and summer have their own flavors, spring tastes belong in a league of their own.

Luscious vines cover Anatolia in a way that inspires different terms in local dialects. Sweeter vines preserve their ancient Cretan names izvinye or avronyes. The bitter ones are known by their distant cousins, kuskonmaz (asparagus).  Another name for the sweet vines is tilkisen (wild asparagus, literally meaning ‘happy fox’). Perhaps now is a good time to correct a common misunderstanding: the Aegean is not the only region where untamed vines and creepers often find their way to dinner tables. You can find women selling wild herbs of spring in any Anatolian market with an eagerness to give out recipes upon request.

Anatolian springs aren’t just about the greens, herbs and vines. Spring in Anatolia also means resilient flowers that appear out of nowhere, like daisies and poppies. For example, the poppy flower with its 16 species found in Turkey is indigenous to the Mediterranean. Moreover, the poppy seeds found in an Egyptian pyramid dating back to 2,500 BC confirm the notion that they have healing properties. The poppy flower is also the symbol of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest.

‘Poppy is the harbinger of spring. Is there anyone among us who as a kid in the country spent a single summer without making poppy juice? We used to stuff the poppy petals in an empty soda bottle, mix it with water and a touch of lemon rind. We would then leave it in the sun for a few days with a few shakes. Once the water turned pink, we’d add a pinch of sugar and drink it (one could easily replace poppy petals with roses to make rose juice).

Today, it’s often considered tradition to add poppies to French olive breads. Similarly, poppy flowers are lightly boiled in southern Italy before they are sautéed with olive oil, black pepper, garlic and pitted black olives, and served with a sharp cheese on top. One last flower-themed, intriguing dish that deserves recognition comes from Bodrum. Often known as daglama or alagomec (yellow crown daisy), this dish contains yellow daisy bulbs boiled and served with garlic yogurt. Traditional bulgur pilaf cooked with tomatoes becomes another staple. Spring, in short, pops up in kitchens all around.

Spring greens that feed animals and bring flavor to various dishes decorate meals and dinner tables throughout Anatolia.

Among the Spring dishes sampled were:

Acıot (Azbaraca) Kavurması - Sautéed Bitter Greens
Badem Çağlası Yemeği - Raw Almond Stew
Patatesli Tilkişen (İzvinye) Kavurması - Sautéed Wild asparagus with Potatoes
Hurma Zeytinli Papule - Olive Puffs with Dates
Isırgan ve Tulum Peynirli Mısır Ekmeği - Corn Bread with Aged Goat Cheese and Nettle
Aşotu Piyazı (Gelincik) - Poppy Flower Salad
Gelincik Şurubu - Poppy Flower Juice
Erikli Yaprak Sarma - Grape Leaves Stuffed with Plums

Lecture video is in Turkish.