1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (122 page)

The pizza of the Middle East—hold the cheese.

As snackable as the more familiar Italian pizza,
lahmajoun
begins with crisp, yeasty rounds or squares of what is essentially pita dough—
pide
in Turkish—topped with a richly thick sauce of ground meat, preferably lamb, that has been simmered with a rich blend of onions, parsley, crushed hot chiles, mint, garlic, green peppers, tomatoes, and perhaps a breath of cumin and allspice. Freshly baked and served hot, it is traditionally garnished with lemon wedges.

Just like pizza, cuts of lahmajoun range from slightly limp and tepid street-fair food to
gourmet treats, the entire round or square baked to order and the sauce carefully prepared. And much in the way New Yorkers take their slices—folded up into a sort of pizza sandwich—lahmajoun can be rolled up for snacking convenience. Cut into small squares or wedges, it works equally well as a refined cocktail canapé. As a quicker, crisper alternative to the freshly made dough, the sauce may be spread over the thin bread known as
lavash
and then glossed with melted butter and briefly heated in the oven.

Where:
In Los Angeles
, Lamajoon, tel 323-727-7102,
lamajoon.com
;
in Fresno, CA
, Lahmajoon Kitchen, tel 559-264-5454; Nina’s Bakery, tel 559-449-9999.
Further information and recipes:
The Cuisine of Armenia
by Sonia Uvezian (2004);
Spice
by Ana Sortun (2006);
saveur.com
(search lahmacun).

Luscious and petite dumplings filled with finely ground, seasoned lamb, hand-formed
manti
are a signature dish of Central Asian countries from Uzbekistan to Greece. Although particularly associated with Turkey, they are thought to have originated in Tibet, and from there to have been carried into Turkey (via China) by the Tartars. Since their migration, their time-consuming, laborious preparation has been adapted by generations of Turkish home cooks—though it’s no less work-intensive for their efforts.

Once the dumpling dough is made, it is pinched around a savory lamb filling that usually includes onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Often compared to ravioli because of their size and shape, the little dumplings are either boiled or steamed. Coated with chile-spiked butter, they are then topped with a traditional piquant Turkish sauce of garlic-enhanced goat’s or sheep’s milk yogurt. With their soft, velvety texture, they are some of the silkiest, most savory, and most marvelously salty dumplings on earth—understandably, the craving for manti is often described in the most intense of terms.

Where:
In Turkey at several locations
, Bodrum Manti & Café,
bodrummanti.com.tr
;
in San Francisco
, Tuba Restaurant, tel 415-826-8822,
tubarestaurant.com
;
in New York
, Turkish Kitchen, tel 212-679-6633,
turkishkitchen.com
;
in Brooklyn
, Deniz Restaurant & Bar, tel 718-852-6503,
deniznyc.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Classical Turkish Cooking
by Ayla Algar (1991);
The New Book of Middle Eastern Food
by Claudia Roden (2000);
Turkey: More than 100 Recipes, with Tales from the Road
by Leanne Kitchen (2012);
A Mediterranean Feast
by Clifford A. Wright (1999);
cookstr.com
(search manti in yogurt);
turkishfoodandrecipes.com
(search turkish dumpling manti).

A palate-cleansing, stomach-soothing herb.

Among gum chewers and mint lovers, the world is frequently divided along peppermint or spearmint lines. These two aren’t the only members of the cool green
Labiatae
or
Mentha
families, but they are by far the most deliciously visible and edible.
Mentha piperita
, or peppermint, is the stronger and punchiest of the two, and the more likely to be used for its oil, both as a flavoring and medicinally; it’s also often featured in liqueurs and cordials and in confections such as crystallized candies and chocolates.

Spearmint,
M. viridis
, is the more graceful and gentler tasting mint, its flavor and scent summoning up memories of the classic Wrigley chewing gum or the Moroccan tea brewed with its soft, pointed and engagingly sweet leaves (see
listing
); braised with new peas and shallots in springtime or added to boiled potatoes, spearmint is often used as a beloved garnish for lamb, though all too often in overly cloying jams rather than in more savory and pungent relishes or chutneys. It also adds zest to many Southeast Asian soups and salads.

Outside of the reigning duo, more romantic varieties include the slightly acidic Asian mint,
M. arvensis
, and red or applemint,
M. × gentilis
, the latter an Americana plant whose oils are present in many spearmint flavorings.

Named after the mythical nymph, Minthe, who was turned into a plant after vying with Proserpina (Persephone in the Greek version of the myth) for the affections of Pluto (god of the underworld), mint has been the focus of all sorts of myths and superstitions. A known stimulant, it is believed to invigorate the mind, ensure loyalty, keep milk from curdling, and settle the stomach—and even to banish stomach worms, among other talents.

Once picked, one quality it lacks is hardiness. Like its close cousin basil, mint is hard to keep in good condition. It does best wrapped in wet newspapers or paper towels and stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator; or, if it still has roots, plopped into a glass of cold water in a cool, sunless corner.

Mail order:
For fresh mint, Melissa’s Produce, tel 800-588-0151,
melissas.com
; for seeds and plants,
burpee.com
(search spearmint; peppermint).
Further information and recipes:
The Foods of the Greek Islands
by Aglaia Kremezi (2000);
Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini
by Elizabeth Schneider (2001);
Arabesque
by Claudia Roden (2005);
A Mediterranean Feast
by Clifford A. Wright (1999);
epicurious.com
(search mint soup; mint granita; mint raita; crabmeat risotto with peas and mint; savory mint lamb chops; thai ground pork salad with mint and cilantro).
Tip:
When buying mint, look for fresh leaves that don’t show spotting or limpness and look crisp and alive. Though mint is also sold dried, in that state it tends to take on an overpowering metallic edge.

While mussels are much appreciated wherever they are found, only the Turks have been passionate enough to turn them into a standard street food. Hawked by vendors mainly around the busy Galata Bridge that spans Istanbul’s Golden Horn, the bivalves offer delectable nourishment for visitors taking in the action.

Two mussel specialties are readily available in this quarter bustling with pedestrians, hawkers, and automobiles. One is made by stuffing the nicely salty, tender mussels with a rice pilaf studded with pine nuts and raisins. Called
midye dolmasi
, these may be served hot or at room temperature as part of the meze course throughout the Middle East, but on these street corners they are sold chilled.

The second dish,
midye tava
, is piping hot: mussels deep-fried until crispy in a light and bubbly golden batter right before your eyes. They are usually dipped into an aromatic
tarator
sauce, a blend of walnuts, garlic, milk-soaked bread, and olive oil, brightened with lemon juice.

Where:
In Istanbul
, from street vendors around the Galata Bridge.
Further information and recipes:
The Cuisine of Armenia
by Sonia Uvezian (2004);
A Mediterranean Feast
by Clifford A. Wright (1999);
Secrets of Cooking: Armenian, Lebanese, Persian
by Linda Chirinian (1986);
sbs.com.au
(search stuffed mussels istanbul street style);
turkishcookbook.com
(click Seafood, then Deep Fried Mussels; Stuffed Mussels).
See also:
Thai Mussels
;
Green-Lipped Mussels
;
Moules Frites
.

Vivid mounds of spices abound in a giant market spanning 384 blocks.

Of all the sights in Istanbul, none means more to food lovers than the romantic and opulent Spice Bazaar, or Mısır Çarşısı, as it is called in Turkish. The market is also referred to as the Egyptian Market, probably because in the earliest days of the spice trade, most merchandise passed through Egypt on its way from the Far East to Turkey.

These days the convivial market is alive with sights, sounds, aromas, and alluring tastes unmatched by even the lavish treasures of the Topkapı Palace or the delights of the seraglio. Lodged in the bustling Eminönü section of
Istanbul, it is attached to a mosque that lies close to the Galata Bridge and the ancient inlet called the Golden Horn.

Commissioned by Sultan Mehmed IV, the Ottoman-style building was completed between 1660 and 1664. Designed by the architect Kasım Ağa, it features soaring, vaulted arches that divide the space into eighty-eight stalls. These display not only food but also magical carpets, gleaming brass and copperware, richly decorated fabrics, leather, perfume essences, and jewelry.

Between the stalls, visitors stroll past pyramids of spices in rainbows of hotly burnished colors ranging from pale yellow (mustard) to hot orange (turmeric), glowing pink (paprika), and the mellow browns of cinnamon, cumin, and cloves. Then, on to garlands of sausages and slabs of cured meat, wreaths of fiery-red, dried chiles, and bins and burlap sacks of rice and other grains, seeds, and nuts. In dizzying view are seeded and braided flatbreads, cuts of snowy cheeses, jewel-like displays of oozingly sweet confections, and myriad variations on honeyed baklava-style pastries.