Nosh Out - Iftar

We are in the season of Ramadan, “the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.” Fasting is undertaken from sunrise to sunset, and ends with Iftar, the evening meal. Because the Islamic calendar is based on the moon, Ramadan moves around the seasons. Summer, having the longest days, means long periods of refraining from food and water. On Tuesday, that fast started at around 3am and ended at 8:37pm.

A nearby Turkish Cultural Center that often does community outreach programs. I have attended cooking classes and celebrations among other things. I recently received an email inviting me and a guest to break the fast with a local family, in their home. Needless to say, I excitedly accepted. We arrived about 30 minutes before sundown, and as the door opened, we were welcomed with smiles, open arms, and a perfume of Turkish spices. Our hostess had been cooking all afternoon, unable to consume any of the food she was preparing. We sat in the living room, making rounds of introductions and small talk. Our hosts were bright and talkative, more than I could say for myself if I hadn’t eaten since 3am the night before. As official sunset passed, we sat down to a feast. Regretfully, I didn’t write down the Turkish names of all the amazing food we had, but everything was homemade, from scratch, and delicious.

We started with a single date, a chewy and sweet way to begin the meal. A bowl of bright orange lentil soup was laid before us, earthy and mildly spiced, it was warm and pureed smooth. Upon mopping the bowl clean with bread, the array of main dishes was passed around. Green beans were sautéed with tomato, garlic, and onion, creating a rich sauce with aromatic spices, the beans soft and pliant. The chopped salad, composed of freshly cut romaine lettuce was adorned with tomato, cucumber, onion, and a bright lemon dressing, a refreshing counterpoint to the heady spices of the other dishes. My personal favorite sat prominently in the middle of the table. The clay crock contained cuts of beef, potatoes, tomato, onions, and what I think was sumac, allspice, and cumin. The meat perfectly browned and the vegetables created a broth as they cooked down. The stuffed pepper also featured meat mixed in with rice. I am used to green bell peppers, but the (what I believe to be) wax peppers were mild, not giving off the vegetative grassy notes that bell peppers can. Last, but not least, was the eggplant salad, with chunks of tomato and onion. The eggplant was roasted and the salad was served cold, all of the vegetables blending their flavors. It may have been a dressing, or a marinade, but the salad sat in a pool of slightly sour liquid, bright lemon and parsley flavors coming through.

After dinner, our gracious hostess served Turkish tea in fluted glassware. Round, thick, honey sweet cookies paired perfectly with the strong, and slightly bitter tea. The cookies, crunchy and crusty on the outside, were soft on the inside, with the bottoms slightly oozing the syrup that had topped them. In the center, a hazelnut, slightly toasted from the baking, gave the cookie a distinct crunch.

The feast was wonderful, and I cannot thank our hosts and the Turkish Cultural Center enough for opening up their homes and hearts and sharing a religious and gastronomic experience with us.