Revisiting the past

ISTANBUL

Is Ottomania over, or is it still holding strong? The widespread nostalgia, romanticization and fascination with the imperial past were initially ignited by the historical television show “Magnificent Century,” sparking a deep yearning for the days of the mighty Ottoman Empire. When it comes to food, interest in Ottoman-era cuisine dates back to the 1990s, when restaurants like Tuğra and Asitane started to recreate long-lost recipes from the archives. TV shows may have riveted crowds to the screen for a long time, but the craze seems to be pretty subdued now. Interest in all things Ottoman seems to reawaken only during Ramadan, but only in terms of food. Ottoman-tagged sherbets and dishes with strange Ottoman Turkish names parade on iftar tables, but that is it.

How to define Ottoman cuisine?
What was food like back in the Ottoman era? Was it very different from what we eat now? Recently I had to rethink of these issues because of a foreign friend visiting Türkiye who came to Istanbul to write an article on Ottoman cuisine. When we’re talking of a past era, we usually think of bygone times and, in the case of cooking, dishes that are long forgotten usually with intricate cooking techniques. However, there is always a certain continuity and most of the time, we find that history still lives with us. Today, when we talk about Ottoman cuisine, we tend to think of dishes with unusual taste combinations to today’s palate, such as savory meat stews with sweet, dried fruits, which usually have odd names in Ottoman Turkish. Nevertheless, Turkish culinary classics such as stews, stuffed dishes, pilafs, and böreks are all flavors that have maintained continuity from the Ottoman era to the present day. As we delved into the question of what we mean by “Ottoman cuisine,” I realized that all the dishes we define as classic Turkish cuisine today actually stem from a continuity dating back to the Ottoman period.

Where to start to explore?
To explore this continuity, we decided to start with the classics. When we speak of Turkish cuisine, the sheer diversity is so vast that we sometimes struggle to describe it. Explaining its various aspects to foreigners can be genuinely challenging. Moreover, the foundational dishes of Turkish cuisine — from “dolma” and “sarma” to “börek” and “pilaf” — which have been part of our culinary tradition since the Ottoman era, are preserved as Ottoman legacies in neighboring cuisines. Today’s traditional Turkish cuisine actually has roots extending from the Balkans to the Middle East and even to the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. The dishes we consider classics of our cuisine today are actually flavors that have been prepared since the Ottoman era and were once found throughout the Ottoman Empire. For this reason, we share many common dishes with our neighboring countries, which sometimes ends with disputes in claiming ownership of certain tastes.
Of course, cuisines change within the course of time. Contemporary chefs tend to play with classics and add their interpretations to their signature plates. It’s getting harder to get old-school restaurants that truly showcase the classic Turkish cuisine in all its facets. We began our exploration by visiting the Rüya and Tuğra restaurants at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel, which both feature different takes on Turkish cuisine.

Rüya: Continuity of a dream
The Rüya restaurant, which opened earlier this year within the Çırağan Palace Kempinski hotel, reflects the dream that second-generation restaurateur Umut Özkanca has envisioned for years. Rüya, which means “dream” in Turkish, came to life as a continuity of the Borsa restaurants, which were for years the bastion of classic Turkish cuisine. At this point, it is important to remember Umut Özkanca’s father, the late Rasim Özkanca. For years, Rasim Bey dedicated his life to promoting Turkish cuisine, striving to present it in its truest form and never compromising on quality. Carrying on this mission, Rüya first opened in Dubai, followed by various other locations and has now opened at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski.

Looking at the menu, you’ll find both modern interpretations of classic Turkish dishes and dishes served in their traditional form. The flavors of Turkish cuisine are presented in a younger, more playful way. Appetizers like Simit and Caviar and bite-sized “çiğ köfte” wrapped in tiny lettuce leaves, along with the duo of crispy eggplant fries and smoky eggplant puree, make for a striking start. Some dishes, like tandır, are served in their classic form. You can also spot regional influences from Anatolia. The Black Sea-style “pide” with two cheeses and a shiny egg on top was phenomenal. At Rüya, everything is served with subtle touches without straying from its authentic flavor. But the classic taste is fully preserved; for instance, the rice pudding was exactly as it should be.

The chef’s seal: Tuğra
Located in the Çırağan Palace, Tuğra Restaurant was the first in Türkiye to bring Ottoman cuisine to the forefront. The menu, originally created by Vedat Başaran, was served here for many years. Today, however, it offers a menu that stays true to the same tradition but with a different take, curated by Chef Onur Dönmez. “Tuğra” means the sultan’s signature, seal, or coat of arms. While Tuğra is rooted in Ottoman cuisine, the restaurant serves dishes bearing the chef’s signature. At Tuğra, the collaboration between the two chefs is paramount. Originally from Bolu, Sous Chef Durmuş Güneş not only masters classic Turkish cuisine but he also conducts archival research in Ottoman sources. For example, Hünkâr Beğendi is served in its classic, authentic form as well as in a completely different interpretation — Onur Dönmez’s take on it. This allows diners to experience both the authentic flavor and the chef’s signature interpretation simultaneously.

The Rüya and Tuğra restaurants are two significant heritage restaurants that reflect the continuity of Turkish cuisine from the Ottoman era to the present day — in a sense, holding up a mirror to the various facets of our gastronomic heritage. While Rüya carries on the legacy of the Özkanca family, who have long been standard-bearers of Turkish cuisine, Tuğra looks on to interpretations of Ottoman classics. Situated in a magnificent location along the Bosphorus, they both carry the flag of our culinary legacy and champion the continuity of our culinary tradition.