Tasty Turkish Dishes (Part 2)

This post is a little late and is a continuation from my last one about my trip to Turkey.  I was there December 2-9th, then came back to Kuwait.  I left Kuwait December 12th to come back to the US.  So, now I actually have some time to put this together.  It was weird to leave Kuwait and come back to this side of the world again, but I am happy to be back home.  I hope to do more international traveling again soon ;-).

Here are a few pictures that show some of the traditional dishes:

These dishes are traditional dishes that were tasty, but quite heavy. The Turkish spices and unique way of cooking these meats can not be found any where else.  I honestly can't remember what they are called, but they are somewhere on the menu below :-). 

Another popular beef Turkish dish is their dumplings.  Topping the dumplings is yogurt (often served with many dishes) and a tomato paste.  Along side is a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

These dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice and seasonings) were the best ones I have ever tasted.  Sooooo good!

The next dish is a lentil soup that is popular in Turkey.  It can come with or without the buttery layer on top.  Sooo good :-)

Now let's talk breakfast.  Turkish breakfast typically includes pastries, toast, cheeses, olives and of course tea.  I was a little worried about trying these things for breakfast, especially olives.  I don't like olives.  I did try these ones though, and they were different than any olives I have tried.  I actually liked the green ones!  (The black were good too, but I liked the green ones better.)

This was the usual breakfast spread.  The pastry on the blue rimmed plate is a cheesy pastry, the ones on the white rectangle plate is a sweet pastry that was my favorite.

Let's move onto to dessert.  There are soooo many DELICIOUS Turkish desserts!  The picture below is a dish that is like pudding with a gum like flavor.  Sounds a bit strange, but it was very good.  It also went good with the pistachio dessert also pictured (forgot the exact name).

These are just a few to wet your appetite.  Turkish cuisine is definitely very diverse, delicious blend of flavors and spices and is very unique.  A must try for all!



  

A Few Tastes from the Streets of Istanbul

I got back yesterday to Kuwait from a 7 day trip to Istanbul.  It was such an awesome experience.  I had heard such great things about the city (especially the food) and it did not disappoint me.  Turkey has so much culture and history........ I saw a lot, and I would love to go back and see and taste things I missed.  One of my favorite things about Turkish cuisine is their love of tea because I also LOVE tea.  These people have tea all the time!  Their traditional foods range from savory meats you can not duplicate any where else to their decadent, unique desserts.  Here are a few examples of things you commonly see along the streets of Istanbul.

This video shows kokorech being roasted.  Kokorech is the intestines of a cow or sheep.  Yes, I actually tried it after some convincing.  I have to admit the spice flavorings were very tasty, but when I looked down at the meat, I kinda lost my appetite.  Only 2 small bites.  Most Turks love it though- even kids were lining up to eat this.
 

I couldn't get past the way it looked, but at least the spices and the bread was good!


OK, first attempt at Turkish cuisine not so good.  However, it dramatically improved after trying the roasted chestnuts!  There are little stands of roasted chestnuts on what seems like every street corner in Istanbul.  I had never tried roasted chestnuts before, and WOW they were so good.  Chestnuts are popular in Turkish cuisine, and they also do a lot of sweets with chestnuts.  After roasting, the chestnuts are "soaked" in a syrup like liquid so they become sweet.  Then, they can be made into a paste like consistency and used in various desserts.  I tried those as well, and they were also very delicious.

These stands are everywhere- fresh roasted chestnuts= amazing.  Notice the roasted corn on the right hand corner- this is also common item on the streets.  Bagel like pastry stands are also everywhere in Istanbul and can make for a cheap lunch or snack.  Another item commonly roasting on the streets is chick peas.  You can get a bag full of roasted chick peas for very cheap.  Roasted chick peas go great with a traditional Turkish drink called Boza (Specifically Vefa Boza).  Boza is a thick, fermented drink made from bulgur that is supposedly good for digestion and rich source of vitamins.  I visited the original Vefa Bozacisi shop that opened in 1876 making this drink in Istanbul that is still very popular today.  Across the street from Vefa Bozacisi is a roasted chick pea stand.  People usually buy the roasted chick peas then go across the street to enjoy this unique, tasty drink. 

There are many places you can get fresh squeezed juice.  Here I ordered some fresh pomegranate juice.  It was SO good and of course packed with antioxidants.  Mmmmmmm.

Traditional Turkish cuisine restaurant off the streets of Taksim Square.

This was a meat shop that offered fresh cow tongue (the long pale pieces in the middle) and other tasty cow organs, including the head (picture below) :).

There were also so many fresh fruit and vegetable stands everywhere.  So pretty to look at.

That's a glimpse in the Turkish cuisine and sights of some of the streets in Istanbul.  I will have another blog post soon showing more of the traditional Turkish foods soon! 

A Few Flavors From Lebanon

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Lebanon for 5 days for work.  It was such a change of scenery from Kuwait!  Lebanon has so much history and definitely has a strong French influence.  In fact, the neighborhood I was staying in mostly spoke French.  The scenery was beautiful with mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.  Lebanon still has some ancient Roman ruins, and there are still buildings that are bombed out from the after math of their civil war from 1975-1991.  Beautiful scenery, lovely people, delicious food and typical crazy Middle East driving at its finest. 

I spent a lot of time at the Maki Restaurant in Beirut.  It was fun meeting some people there and having a lot of business dinner meetings ;).

Outside of Maki Restaurant

Every morning I would have manoosha (?spelling) for breakfast.  Manoosha is very popular in Lebanon, and it was recommended to me to try.  I loved it!  It is a pita like bread drizzled with olive oil and topped with fresh zataar.  Zataar is a delicious herb with a basil-ish, thyme like taste.  It was very good!  Pairing it with some cut vegetables and tea, I was very happy. 

Breakfast! Manoosha

 Since there is such a strong French influence, French pastry shops were abundant every where.  There were 2 close to my accommodation that I tried.  I really don't have a strong sweet tooth, but OH. MY.  Once you walk in these places, the desserts are so beautiful, you just have to try some of their creations.  The French are of course known for being one of if not the top experts of desserts and pastries.  The flavors and textures were so much fun.  I forgot I was a dietitian...... just for a minute ;). 

The 2 French bakeries

Beautiful!

These may or may not have been the only desserts we got.......

I did enjoy some local healthy food too, like fruit.  The fresh grapes from the mountains of Lebanon were quite possibly the best grapes I've eaten!  So, all in all it was great trip and hopefully will be able to go back sometime.  Here are some more scenery pictures.....

Beautiful view by the sea

Sunset over the Mediterranean Sea

Fruit and Veggie Market

There is a small store right by my building that sells just fruits and vegetables.  I'm not sure of the name (see the picture with the name and you'll understand), and the cashier does not speak much English.  Regardless, it's one of my highlights during the week to go in and stimulate my visual and smelling senses to their fresh fruits and vegetables.  It reminds me of going to the farmer's markets back in the States.  Although most of the produce is not local, it is interesting to see where the produce is from ranging from parts of Asia to Australia, Europe and even the States (in  grocery stores).  Apparently, spinach, pomegranates and walnuts originated in Persia (Iran), and onions are also traced back to originating in the Middle East.  Now of course fruits and vegetables are grown almost all over the globe outside their original habitat. 

Lately I have been on a juicing spree, and so it is convenient to run down to the produce shop and grab some fruit and veggies.  My favorite combination as of late is carrots, apple, orange, ginger and mint leaves.  Yummmm.  This combination helped soothe my stomach when I was sick last week; ginger and mint are great for calming the stomach.

B + F Burgers and the Boardwalk

Wow, I have been in Kuwait for a month already!  For those who commented on my first post, I appreciate hearing from you.  A lot of people asked about running/exercising here.  I usually run at least once a day, sometimes twice.  There is a board walk on the Persian Gulf that is about 1 block away from my flat that is gorgeous during sunrise or sunset with a breeze coming off the water.  This picture is from the boardwalk I took one morning.  There is a great view of the skyline in Kuwait, and the architecture of the buildings is so unique and beautiful.  I also go to the gym at the Holiday Inn about 1 kilometer away.  They also have a nice outdoor pool area that has WIFI access, and I sometimes use for my "office" :-).

 Recently, I went to the restaurant Burger + Fries Open Flame Kitchen restaurant.  It is located in the 360 mall, which is hands down THE MOST GORGEOUS mall I have ever been to.  The architecture is unbelievable.  B + F is one of the "hip" places to eat, and it is always packed.  It has gotten good reviews, so again my expectations were high for the food quality.  The ambiance was groovy; it definitely is geared towards the younger crowd.  The menu had some good choices from grilled pizza, of course burgers, fries and other specialties.  I ended up ordering white fish with sweet potato (no surprise to those who know me- one of my favorites!).  Our table ordered a variety of food that we all sampled.  Over all, I was not at all impressed with the food.  The fries were unbelievably soggy with grease, hamburgers were just ok.  My fish was pretty good, but nothing creative about it.  The bruschetta appetizer was good, but again nothing special or unique about it.  The quail cigars appetizers were unique, but they tasted frozen and blah.  The wood fired pizza crust was paper thin and undesirable texture.

So, the hunt continues for some quality, not grease ladden healthy food in Kuwait.  It amazes me how many restaurants there are...... lots more to try.  Until next time......   



  

Initial Observations in Kuwait

Well, this is a little late as I have been in Kuwait 3 weeks already, but better late than never.  My desire for this blog is so family and friends around the world can see what's going on in "my world": the dining scene of Kuwait.  Also, I want to get feedback from locals on their thoughts/opinions about certain nutrition/food topics that come up.

So, doing my dietitian work over seas has its perks for sure....part of my job here is actually to taste the food and get familiar with the food preferences of people here (this includes trying new restaurants).  What I've first observed so far is the vast majority of people go out to eat here- A LOT.  There are SOOOOO many restaurants here (fast food, casual, fine dining) and many are chains from the states or Europe.  Also, mayo and sauces are very popular here and get loaded on.  Kuwait actually has the highest rate of obesity in the Arab countries, with an astounding 80% obesity rate according to an Arab Times article.     

My interest is with so many restaurants, which ones have healthy options, and are people eating them?  I know at least some people here are health conscious and probably wanting some healthy options while dining out. Yet, maybe it's like this Huff Post article's title says "Fast Food Health Improvements Don't Really Work Because People Keep Ordering Burgers".  Interesting read.

There are many food blogs in Kuwait rating the newest restaurants.  My take is going to be different in that I don't really care how tasty the greasy fries and saucy burgers are.  I am looking for the healthier/lighter options and seeing how they taste and what they are. 

Thanks for reading this first post....... until next time...... let me know if there's anywhere you think I should go!