This is Hale, born in Istanbul and owner of the Turkish Tale catering company since 2019. She also wrote the cookbook: "The Bible of Turkish cuisine". Her goal? Sharing the true richness and variety of dishes that Turkish cuisine has to offer. We asked her if she could tell us a little more about her business.
Where she gives cooking lessons to others during her different types of workshops, Hale herself has learned to cook in a different way. After spending a lot of time in the kitchen closely observing her mother and grandmother, she soon proved to be a natural. At thirteen she made her first Turkish lentil soup from memory. She has been sharing this passion with others for four years now. With Turkish Tale she wants to show that Turkish cuisine has much more to offer than just doner and kebab. "For example, we also have so many vegetarian and plant-based dishes. I just do my best to show the real Turkish cuisine that I grew up with." Hale explains that many Turkish dishes consist of onions, garlic, tomato and pepper paste. In addition to meat, vegetables, especially eggplant and legumes, are important ingredients. According to Hale, Turkish cuisine is one of the world cuisines where you can make delicious dishes with very simple ingredients. “The fresh ingredients in mezze, the olive oil from the Aegean region, the freshly baked bread and Simit in every city, endless breakfast tables, and hearty meals are just a few examples of why I love Turkish cuisine so much,” Hale sighs.
Finally, we asked Hale if she had any cooking tips for our readers. She certainly had one: "If you love raw onions, but your stomach doesn't tolerate them very well, massage the sliced onions with some salt and then wash them under cold water. This softens the onions and reduces the sharpness. Try it and let yourself be surprised by the many flavors of Turkish cuisine!"
Take a look at Hale's website: https://turkishtale.nl. Order one of her delicious dishes or participate in a fun workshop!
Comments