A Turkish Feast for Christmas eve? Confused? At my Hungry Traveler, every Christmas eve we get together with old friends to celebrate the holidays. This non-denominational holiday meal, made by mostly Jewish folk, is planned by none other than MHT himself, Peter Banhazl, and focuses on a specific country or region’s celebratory dishes to create a feast. Past feasts have included Scandinavia, Emilia Romagna, Italy, and many other delicious cuisines from regions and countries from all over the world.

Sandwiched between the endless salads, dips, and hand-foods of Turkish meze, and the ending of mythical sweets with names like Turkish Delight, sat a main course of red lentil soup followed by heaping platters of lamb and chicken with perfectly matched side dishes of rice pilaf and soft flatbread. All this amazing food was complemented from start to finish by Turkish beer and wine. Here’s the menu from the event, and the recipes to share the incredible foods and drinks of Turkey.

“Afiyet Olsun (May you be Happy and Healthy Eating this Food)”.
A Turkish Saying

Host a Turkish Feast: The Menu

Meze

Baba Ganoush – Eggplant Dip
Middle Eastern Humus – Chickpea-Tahini Dip
Turkish Piyaz -White Bean Salad
Kayseri Manti -Turkish Tiny Dumplings in Garlic-yogurt and Caramelized Tomato sauces
Turkish Gozleme – Spinach and Feta Filled Flatbread
Damascus-Style Cheese Borek in a Tray

Drinks – Turkish Raki (anise-flavored aperitif), Narince (white wine), Efes Pilsen (beef), Turkish reds (wine) and frothy yogurt drink (ayran)

Main Course