Istanbul Rum Cuisine

This seminar was presented by Mrs. Sula Bozis, the author of the book of the same title, and Nedim Atilla, a journalist and food culture researcher. Nedim Atilla started his presentation with the definition of “Rum” by Herkül Millas, a famous historian from Istanbul. In Turkish the word “Rum” refers to someone who is Christian Orthodox and speaks modern day Greek. Derived from the word “Roman” (Romeos), the word “Rum” carries different meanings related to cultural, social, political, and ideological aspects within history. This word does not necessarily mean the same thing in Greek and Turkish. The most significant difference can be seen today; in Turkish “Rum” means someone who is not of Greek nationality, speaks Greek, and is Orthodox (from Istanbul, South Cyprus, or America), whereas in Greek, it means Greek, or as the Greeks call themselves, ‘Helen’. The “Rum” language is actually not different from  modern Greek, nor it is a dialect. The unpleasant patriotic events of the past have been forgotten and today there is a friendlier atmosphere in which the Rum taverns and music are more dominant in our lives. “Rums” are almost like a pleasant page from the history of Istanbul. This old “Rum” song is the best way to summarize this history that has been a part of Istanbul for hundreds of years:

Sto Galata tha pyo krasi, sto Pera tha methiso/ Ke mesa sto Yedikule, kopela thagapiso/ Ehe ya Panaya, ta milisame/ Oniro itane, ta lismonisame.
(I drank wine in Galata, and got drunk, /I feel in love with a girl from Yedikule. / Goodbye Virgin Mary, this was a chat/ It was a dream that we have forgotten.)

Author Sula Bozis, spoke about the story behind her book and the stories of the remaining Rums of Istanbul. “Cold and hot meze tradition has been a part of Istanbul’s history within the Rum houses and Rum taverns. Over the years this tradition has been adapted by all the rest of the population. The mezes served in Rum houses on holidays and name days were served before the main meal to accompany alcoholic drinks....For centuries, these mezes would accompany wine, raki and beer at meyhanes located in Galata, Pera, Halic, shores of Marmara, the Prince’s islands. The cold mezes consisted of stuffed vegetables cooked in olive oil, sea bass with mayonnaise, carp egg roe, white kidney bean salad, cranberry beans, bean stew, mussel salad, pastırma (salt cured beef), sucuk (spicy sausage), smoked tongue, hot dogs, white cheese, and kasar cheese. Hot appetizers consisted of fried potato croquets, fish cakes, savoury cheese pastries, fried liver, fried mussels with tartar sauce....”

Following the seminar, NAR Lokantası hosted the guests at a very special feast consisting of tastes of Istanbul Rum Cuisine. Orchestra Patriotes accompanied dinner with Rum folk songs.

15 May 2013

All lecture videos are in Turkish, unless otherwise stated.