Turkish Weddings. The Food.

I was away last week as we had to go to a wedding.  It was a family affair in another city.  Turkish weddings are very interesting with lots of people, music and food.  This was a traditional wedding so that means that the wedding was at home in their garden and on the street where everyone danced.  All the family rallies together to make it a memorable event.  My husbands cousins daughter got married, we are removed enough to not be included in the scores of helpers that are needed to pull off such a huge event.

The food is always good and this wedding was no exception.  

As you can see it was cooked outside in huge saucepans.  One of the Aunts was in control of the whole thing.

Then the other Aunts and cousins come to help feed the few hundred guests.

Eggplant stew, Pilav, Dövme, Yüksük çorba

Despite the lack of fancy cutlery the food was fantastic and everyone was satisfied.  These kind of weddings last for 3 days.  They cook one meal on the Friday for lunch, some just serve tea.  On the Saturday is the main event as that involves 2 meals plus tea and lasts until midnight. The Sunday doesn't start too early and ends at about noon.  The celebrations shown here are just for the brides family.  The grooms family comes on the Sunday do a couple of dances and takes the bride away along with all her furniture(wedding gifts and dowry)to join their growing clan.

What did you have for your wedding meal? Chicken? Fish? Beef?

Eggplant Kebab

I really like eggplant and am thinking about writing a book something along the lines of '101 things to do with an eggplant' or 'Have your way with me' from the eggplant diaries.  There are soooo many things you can make with this wonderful vegetable from a simple salad mixed in with garlic yogurt to making meatballs to wrapping delicate morsels up in grilled slices.  Eggplant sellers at the local bazaars are out in full force too, yelling and screaming out the benifits of thier wares.  Last time we went to the bazaar I bought a kilo and decided to make this very easy and very impressive looking dish.

250gr minced meat

1 cup dried breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
3 or 4 average long eggplants
3 or 4 sliced tomatoes
2 tbsp sweet chilli or tomato paste
1 cup of water
1tsp dried mint
chilli powder
oil


This dish has eggplant slices, tomato slices and meatballs lined up alternatively in your baking tray and for that reason looks great served up for a special dinner.


First make the meatballs by taking the minced meat, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and knead very well until it  has a nice paste consistency or you could do that in your food processor if preferred.   Roll the meat mixture into balls about the size of a walnut.  Keep to one side.


Take the eggplants and slice, I usually cut mine at about 2 fingers width, some do it a bit thicker I prefer mine a bit thinner.  Do the same with the tomatoes.  Now get a slice of eggplant and put into your baking tray vertically.   Then take a tomato slice and do the same, then add a meatball.  REPEAT until your tray if full.  Add the tomato paste, 1 cup of water, mint, chilli if desired and a splash of oil into a small bowl and mix well. Pour over the eggplants in the tray .  Bake in a hot oven until the eggplant and meat are cooked.


This is nice served with salad, bread and ayran.

You can also have this cooked on skewers and you will find this on most restaurant menus in Gaziantep.  İt is also nice like that.  So you would cut the eggplant slices a bit thicker and put eggplant on the skewer then a meatball and alternate.  Cook over coals.