Top cuisines?
 

In preparing for a trip to Istanbul, I've encountered, upon several readings, the Turkish claim that their cuisine is among the world's three finest (alongside that of France and China). Any comments?

BB

Well, they would, wouldnt they?

There's a whole pile of complete fantasies that just self-reproduce. And most of them involve China somewhere.

Like you can see the Great Wall from the moon. We've been seeing pictures from space for almost 50 years, without so much as hint of anything but desert and mountain in that part of the world. But the myth goes on.

Like Marco Polo discovered pasta in China and introduced it to Italy. Polo actually SAYS in his book "they've got pasta in China, just like us". But the myth goes on

Then there's this myth about Turkish food being up there with Chinese. Millions of us visit Turkey every year. We find good food, and we find bad food. The good food is very, very good. But it's not as good as decent Shanghainese or Cantonese food, nowhere near what a good Bombay cook will produce, a couple of planets away from what the maestri of Emilia-Romagna or Lombardy turn out and in a completely different universe from the best of the French.

I'd put good Turkish food a rung or two below what you'll find in Saigon or Hanoi. Which still means it's pretty good. But it's no more a world leader than you can see Chinese pasta from the moon.

Hi BB,

I would argue that among all the ways of cooking, there are 3 Cuisines (note the capital C):

European, French (based on Italian)
Oriental, Chinese (with local variations)
Indian, vegetarian

The cooking of the Middle East, South America, Sub-Saharn Africa, etc is interesting, but doesn't rise to the level of art implied by Cuisine.

((I))

I would second the turkish claim on having an excellent cuisine and I think you'll find lots of non turkish people agreeing on that.

Be it French eating french cuisine, Italians eating italian cuisine, Turkish people eating turkish cuisine, I have always noted they take pleasure in eating and discussing; a meal as a social event. I have never seen Chinese taking time in the same state of mind for having a meal. They all shove everything down at supersonic speed. Amazing, no?

Hi Bald,

>I have never seen Chinese taking time in the same state of mind for having a meal. They all shove everything down at supersonic speed. <

Have you been for Dim Sum on a Sunday afternoon?

((I))

what is meant by "finest cuisine"? is it the quality of food that comes out of the finest kitchen's of china, france, or turkey or the contribution that the STYLE of cooking has made to cuisine as a whole? perhaps two very different measures.

also "chinese food" can hardly be considered as one style.

never liked Chinese - find it really bland in comparison to Thai and Vietnamese
Indian food - know there's a Cuisine - mmmm...feeling hungry now....

"art implied by Cuisine..." you want pictures of the foods, Ira?

there are no good or bad "cuisines"

only good or bad cooks

Having just returned from a glorious month in India,I have to agree about how great Indian food can be.

Hi
Just wanted to throw in my opinion. Turkish is one of the best cuisines I've eaten. Up there with good Vietnames, schizuan [sic], Cantonese and Italian in general. Nobody can make eggplant and some of the other dishes like the Turkish. It is some of the best food around.

Keep in mind that one's perception of flavors largely depends on the makeup of the flavor and scent receptors in each individual's mouth and nasal passages.

So some people find very hot cuisines to be just right--because they have fewer of the receptors that record the "heat" sensation from various foods; e.g., peppers. To other people who have a normal number (or too many) "heat" receptors, such foods are actually painful and unpleasant.

Same goes for salty, sweet, sour, tart, etc.

Many people don't find Chinese food at all bland, because they have enough of the right flavor receptors to appreciate the food. Many others just don't get why some people love Chinese food, because they lack those receptors.

What happened to the Irish? When I was there several years ago, there cooking was a culinary surprise and rivaled if not surpassed French cooking.

>...never liked Chinese - find it really bland in comparison to Thai and Vietnamese ...<

Szechuan is bland?

Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Japanese, etc are all variations on Chinese.

>..you want pictures of the foods, Ira?

Why not?

((I))

Why would "Cuisine" be capitalized?

BB

Hi Butterscotch,

I am not so sure that is just a Turkish claim but a culinary world claim. If you are not familiar with Turkey's culinary history you might not be aware of their contribution. Everything from Apple Strudel to bagels come from Turkey. You do have a sense of this when you sample huge variations for foods there.

If you are like me from the U.S and really don't have a familiarity with Turkey you don't know about this influence that Turkey has had on world cuisine. A lot of this came from ottoman empire period when Turkish influence creped all over Europe.

Absolutely mighty good eats in Turkey!

ps ira really? I don't find too much difference between Chinese and Vietnamese. Are you in NYC Ira. We just have so many Chinese restaurants and that is where you pop for a quick meal on many work nights.

Bald the Chinese have a huge culture reverence for food. A common greeting over the phone involves the question "have you eaten yet" even though dinner plans are not involved blah blah blah. There are recipes that involve a week of preparation and cooking that go back 300+ years. That is just what I know a real gourmand could tell you more. Well just mentioning to show the huge respect the Chinese have a for food. Rent the Joy Luck Club for a pop culture look at this. What you are seeing with people eating fast in fast food Chinese is really not reflective of the many holidays that a very food specific in ritual, or just the 1000 ways the Chinese revere eating.

BB I first learned about world wide influence of Turkish cuisine on Burt Wolf travel program on Vienna, if you can imagine!

So funny a tourist jumped in front of the camera and told him he was wrong about the bagels, they came from Israel. Very gingerly with an even toned voice he told he was mistaken that the origins were Turkish. It was funny.

>Why would "Cuisine" be capitalized?

For the same reason that there is art, and there is Art.

>Everything from Apple Strudel to bagels come from Turkey. <

Ummmmmmmmmmmm.

((I))

That is ture Ira, I am not making this up. If you do some research on who has influence food internationally you will see this.

Who cares if Cuisine is capitalized? LOL

a better focus Butter or this trip is going to be a bust. ....just kidding :)

here is a travelers article on Turkey's influence on world cuisine. Looks like an individual's travel website.

http://www.sallys-place.com/food/eth...ine/turkey.htm