Indulge in the delectable delicacies of the Ottoman empire

CHENNAI: Kunafa, Shawarma, and Baklava are a very few Turkish dishes, which most Chennaiites got a chance to experience in the city. But, if you are looking to explore the authentic flavours of Turkish cuisine, starting from soup, and salads to desserts, you now have the opportunity to indulge yourself in the Mediterranean flavours at the Turkish food festival organised by The Raintree, St. Mary’s Road.

The first impression of the ‘Turkish Delights- A Journey To The Ottoman Empire’ food festival gives us the vibrant vibe of Turkey. “Indians are the largest number of foreigners exploring Turkey, which inspired us to host a Turkish food festival. Apart from food, we have a Turkish ice cream counter, where kids and even adults can have fun as they try to grab their ice creams,” says Rajesh Elumalai, general manager at The Raintree.

There are separate counters for grills and Kebabs, Shawarma, Turkish ice cream and Kunafa. The staff can be spotted in Turkish-style attires with a fez (traditional Turkish hat) on their heads. The menu was curated and prepared under the guidance of executive chef Neeraj Balasubramanian. Though the festival focuses predominantly on Ottoman cuisine, there are many Indian delicacies to satisfy the taste buds and to show how rooted we are. One can see Naan, Paneer tikka, Beans pirattal, Gobi mutter and a few non-veg options as well along the counter. “There are a few similarities between Indian and Turkish cuisine. The palettes are similar to some extent, but the Turkish cuisine is not as spicy as Indian and we tried to keep up that,” says Neeraj.

Next comes the most interesting part of the food festival - Turkish delights. One thing that should not be missed out on is the Pilav ustu kuzu shish, an exquisite mix of grilled juicy lamb with vermicelli rice and iskender sauce. The Tavuk M’qualli is basically a chicken dish with rich flavours of Middle-east. Chicken, sauteed with onions, tomatoes and vibrant spices, adds more flavour to our taste buds if accompanied with the Pilav. There are a few healthy veg options such as Kizartma, Kuru fasilye etc. Talking about the non-veg options, there are a variety of dishes in chicken, lamb, beef and fish. The grill counter also attracts foodies for the Shish tavuk (chicken), a traditional Ottoman dish, tender Lamb chops and the delicious Prawn charmula for seafood lovers. Biber dolmas, stuffed green peppers with rice, is for anyone who wants that extra spicy punch.

Apart from the range of Indian desserts, there were a wide variety of authentic Turkish desserts, which would appeal to people from here and would find them to be unique. The most-used ingredients in Turkish desserts are dry fruits. Muhallabia, a pudding-textured dessert, has a subtle taste. Then comes the Baklava and Kunafa, which, as usual, is perfect enough to satiate your sweet cravings.

The ‘Turkish Delights- A Journey To The Ottoman Empire’ food festival will happen at The Raintree, St. Mary’s Road, Alwarpet, till July 23.