0:00:04 > 0:00:07'I'm on a gastronomic journey that started with
0:00:07 > 0:00:10'the pleasingly simple food of Venice
0:00:10 > 0:00:14'and will end with the vibrant and spicy dishes of Istanbul.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20'In between the culinary melting pot of East meeting West - Croatia.'
0:00:20 > 0:00:22This is my lunch.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'Back to basics - Albania.'
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Ham, salt, beans, water.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Life.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34'And a place I know and love - Greece.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:39What would I do with them? Put them on the barbecue.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41What would you do with them?
0:00:41 > 0:00:44'Who could ask for anything more?'
0:01:40 > 0:01:44We're just entering the Dardanelles. The first time I've ever been here
0:01:44 > 0:01:47and the last leg of my journey to Istanbul.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Sort of thinking of the journey to Byzantium
0:01:51 > 0:01:54in Yates' famous poem.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58And thinking of Byzantium as being
0:01:58 > 0:02:02this wonderful, golden, splendid place
0:02:02 > 0:02:06with royal food and opulence everywhere.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11And here, I don't know why, but just remembering Yates' poem,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15the mackerel-crowded seas, I'm looking at that blue Dardanelles
0:02:15 > 0:02:17and thinking, full of mackerel,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and we're on our way to Byzantium.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Is there any mint sauce?
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I don't know that it goes with goat, does it?
0:02:26 > 0:02:30'It's lunchtime and this is a very special crew lunch
0:02:30 > 0:02:34'but, unlike normal people, we have to film everything
0:02:34 > 0:02:38'before we eat, which always makes us ever so hungry.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41'This cafe, which is very famous here,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45'specialises in tender, sweet, golden, crispy young goat.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48'The very sight of it makes the taste buds
0:02:48 > 0:02:50'explode with anticipation.'
0:02:53 > 0:02:57The smell of roast goat is so wonderful
0:02:57 > 0:03:01and I think the great thing about cooking on a spit like this
0:03:01 > 0:03:03is just the way the skin crisps up.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08I'm just itching to sneak a bit of that skin.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10I hope he doesn't mind if I do.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Best bit.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23There's something very lovely about spit roasted goat, don't you think?
0:03:25 > 0:03:29'What could be better, this lovely roasted goat and fresh salad
0:03:29 > 0:03:32'and sweet peppers straight from the garden?'
0:03:32 > 0:03:36It would be really nice to have some roast potatoes, do you not think?
0:03:36 > 0:03:38No, not really.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42I think it's just really nice. I love these pickles.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46You know, chilli, lovely salad and ayran.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48No, I'm as happy as Larry.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52This goat is so exquisite.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56- Mint sauce?- No, we don't need blinking mint sauce, Dave. God!
0:03:58 > 0:04:02'This is halva - probably the most famous dessert in Turkey
0:04:02 > 0:04:06'and, for that matter, all over the eastern Mediterranean.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11'It's hazelnuts fried in oil, then the main bit is semolina.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16'That makes a roux and when that's nice and stiff,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20'in goes the hot milk with lots of sugar and lemon zest.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23'And basically that's it.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30'In India, it's cooked in ghee and flavoured with saffron and cardamom.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34'I can't think of a more universally popular desert
0:04:34 > 0:04:38'from Greece and Turkey, Egypt to Israel, India and Pakistan,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40'Iraq to Iran.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43'This is more popular than apple crumble
0:04:43 > 0:04:45'and spotted dick put together!'
0:04:53 > 0:04:54Cok guzel.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01- What are you going on about?- You know that little way of remembering.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04There's a little chocolate gazelle on the mantelpiece,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06especially at Christmas time.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- I don't know what you're talking about.- Cok guzel means very good.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13I can't remember Turkish words so I have to think of a chocolate gazelle
0:05:13 > 0:05:16on the mantelpiece and then I can remember it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19So you're saying it's delicious?
0:05:20 > 0:05:23It is. It's cok guzel.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37This is the sort of thing I love doing,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39just walking through a tomato field,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42gosh, finding some lovely ripe tomatoes.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46I've borrowed a knife from one of these ladies.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Do you know, they also had some salt.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52I mean, what would a tomato be without salt?
0:05:52 > 0:05:54So now...
0:05:55 > 0:05:57..this...
0:05:58 > 0:05:59..is heaven.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05This small field produces 14 tonnes of tomatoes in a season.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08It just shows how... I'm going to use the word again,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10fecund this area is.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11It's so fertile.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15The reason, apart from the great soil, is the climate.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19It's a mixture of Mediterranean - hot, dry,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and Balkans - a little milder, a little wetter.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26When you look around you can see there's a lot more rainfall here
0:06:26 > 0:06:30than there was south, producing these most divine tomatoes.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37'One of the great revelations of this journey has been the tomato.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42'Every meal I've really enjoyed has been full of chopped, sweet,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44'juicy tomatoes
0:06:44 > 0:06:48'that's provided all the liquid needed for so many dishes.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54'The Turks go one better with salca -
0:06:54 > 0:06:57'a rich, fruity tomato paste.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02'Squeezed tomatoes minus the pips, plus salt and lots of sunshine -
0:07:02 > 0:07:06'about two weeks of sun until the liquid dries off.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13'Ishanou, a restaurateur, has been making it all her life.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17'She told me about her aunt, who came up with a very simple dish
0:07:17 > 0:07:19'using pumpkins and salca.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'Well, I've always said the simpler the better
0:07:22 > 0:07:26'but, personally, when I hear the word pumpkin I want to run a mile.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29'But, in fact, this has proved to be the most popular dish
0:07:29 > 0:07:31'in Ishanou's restaurant.'
0:07:31 > 0:07:36- So this is your aunt's dish?- Yeah, my aunt's dish, called sinkonta.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41But my aunt didn't cook a lot in the...
0:07:42 > 0:07:44- Family.- Family!
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- But...?- But her dish is the most popular one in my restaurant
0:07:49 > 0:07:52and everybody just comes and looks for sinkonta.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54So you line the bottom with a pumpkin.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Do you mind if I try a bit because I've got this theory...
0:07:59 > 0:08:02..about Turkish pumpkin.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06I'm quite right, it's quite the sweetest pumpkin in the world.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Lovely.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- Anyway, carry on.- OK, I'm going to just put some salt on my onions.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16- Why are you scrunching it all up? - Just to soften the onion.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- I put some salca...- In there.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20We used to just cook it and eat big trays of it.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24But it can be a starter also.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Then the salt and the onion and salca.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29They're just giving the taste.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32And some...flour.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37A pinch of pepper like this.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- So it's really easy.- It is.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44You know, nobody can understand how I cook this.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49- Really?!- It's so easy.- I love those. I love that sort of thing.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52There's this story about a woman in France who made an omelette,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56the best omelettes in France, and all these journalists are going,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58"What's so special about it?"
0:08:58 > 0:09:01She just said, "It's eggs and butter and salt."
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- That's it?- That's it.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11We're going to bake it for 40 minutes in the bread oven.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15If only all the dishes we filmed were like this.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19- So simple, you know it's going to taste nice.- Very delicious.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20Very delicious, yeah.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25'Ishanou pours on plenty of olive oil
0:09:25 > 0:09:28'and it goes into her bread oven for about 40 minutes.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32'I'm always on the lookout for really simple dishes
0:09:32 > 0:09:36'and this looks so appetising when it comes out of the oven.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39'The onions have a lovely burnt caramelised look,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42'the pumpkin soft and yielding
0:09:42 > 0:09:45'and it's all flavoured with that sweet tomato salca.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49'This is the sort of dish that would go down very well in Totnes,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51'if you catch my drift?
0:09:52 > 0:09:56'She puts on yoghurt and chilli oil - olive oil with a bit of a kick.'
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- Your aunt's one and only dish.- Yeah.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- That is lovely.- Oh.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- Really?- Mmm!- Thank you. - That's delicious.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13It's yummy. That's what we say.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17You can really taste the salca and of course the pumpkins.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20The pumpkin is so sweet.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26'All I can say, if that's the most popular dish in her restaurant,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29'she must be making a fortune.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33'So cheap to make, I wish I could come up with something like that.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39'You can see salca sold in jars by the side of the road.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43'But there's one spice that grows all over the place
0:10:43 > 0:10:45'in great abundance
0:10:45 > 0:10:49'and if anyone was to say what the quintessential taste of Turkey was
0:10:49 > 0:10:51'then it could be this.'
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I'm very pleased to have got hold of this.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56This is sumac. It comes from the Arab word "sumac",
0:10:56 > 0:10:58which means "red".
0:10:58 > 0:11:02I'm lucky because as soon as the rains start in the autumn,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05all the flavour which surrounds these little seeds go.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09It always ends up in the back of my larder, just dried out
0:11:09 > 0:11:13and forgotten, but now I'm into Turkish food, never again.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18It's really lemony. Unbelievably lemony.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Quite often it's used in place of lemon juice in soups and stews
0:11:22 > 0:11:24and sprinkled over meze.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28It's quite the most distinctive flavour in Turkey, I would say.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37'And so to cook in my fab kitchen on the island of Sinni.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40'I'll miss this a lot.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44'What could be better than having a kitchen overlooking the Aegean,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48'cooking dishes I've discovered on my journey like this one?'
0:11:49 > 0:11:52This is sumac chicken.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I'm just crushing my garlic under my knife like that.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Now, pul biber, which is this hot red pepper -
0:12:04 > 0:12:07chilli hot red pepper from Turkey.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Sometimes called Aleppo pepper as well.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12And now sumac. Lots of sumac.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15This is the main ingredient in the dish.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19It's got a fruity lemoniness which is very distinctive
0:12:19 > 0:12:21and goes very well with chicken.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24So, now, sun-dried tomato paste.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Salca.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Two good teaspoons of that.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32And another great Turkish produce, pomegranate molasses.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Slightly a stringent, almost vinegary flavour
0:12:35 > 0:12:37but sweet as well.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Fabulous in salads and fabulous with this chicken.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Now some salt. A fair bit as this is just a coating.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47And some olive oil.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52There we go.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56This is very simple, this dish, but I love it.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59I think the children will love it too.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Not too spicy but full of flavour.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06And now just add my chicken pieces.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Now just turn that all over and...
0:13:14 > 0:13:17work the marinade into the chicken.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Looking lovely, smelling great, I must say.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Now I'll leave that to sit and marinade for an hour or so...
0:13:26 > 0:13:28..while I wash my hands.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32'Yes, the marinating takes an hour at least -
0:13:32 > 0:13:36'enough time to watch life going by on this lovely island.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40'Notice I've never said, "Here's one I prepared earlier."'
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Olive oil.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50And some sesame seeds all over the top.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54So when I bake this I'm looking for it to come out
0:13:54 > 0:13:57a really deep golden brown and slightly charred
0:13:57 > 0:14:01because I suspect dishes like this would have originally been done
0:14:01 > 0:14:06in a Turkish tandoor, like the Indian tandoori ovens,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09where you get this lovely intense dry heat
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and you do want a bit of a charred look at the end.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17So that goes in a hot oven, about 200 degrees,
0:14:17 > 0:14:19for about 20 to 25 minutes.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27It's very handy having somewhere to cook like that.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29I mean, when I've put something in the oven,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I come out for a bit of fishing or go for a swim.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- Nice job if you've got one like that, eh?- Yeah, all right.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45'I was really surprised by this. It's good to discover new tastes.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47'We've all cooked roasted barbecue chicken
0:14:47 > 0:14:49'but this is really different.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54'It's got a fresh, clean, lemony, zesty taste,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57'and with a kick of chilli. I love it.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03'And I'm serving it with some pilaf rice. It goes very well.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'I'm travelling north towards Istanbul.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19'Later, I shall be crossing the Dardanelles by ferry.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25'But here, where Europe meets Asia, the fishing's good.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28'At the seaside village of Guzelyali,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32'where the population goes from 500 to 5,000 in the summer,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36'it helps to have an unlimited supply of these.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'The humble sardine.'
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I have to say this is a very no-nonsense macho way
0:15:43 > 0:15:45of dealing with sardines
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Pulling the head and getting the guts out at the same time.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51And this dish that Osman's going to cook for me today
0:15:51 > 0:15:54is very popular all along the Dardanelles.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Just a very simple way with sardines.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04'There's nothing more evocative than a beachside cafe
0:16:04 > 0:16:07'serving freshly grilled fish.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09'Osman is showing me the local way
0:16:09 > 0:16:12'and that's with olive oil, salt and pepper.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15'And make sure they've all had a good coating.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19'Now Osman wraps the sardines in vine leaves.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23'There's no shortage of these down the west Turkish coast.'
0:16:24 > 0:16:28I've never tried grilling sardines in vine leaves
0:16:28 > 0:16:31but I'm sure it's going to be really full of flavour.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34And of course there's no chance of them sticking to the grill bars
0:16:34 > 0:16:37because they've got this lovely covering on them.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40It seems like an obvious thing to do somehow
0:16:40 > 0:16:43but I've never come across it before.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45HE SPEAKS TURKISH
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Now I wish that I could understand Turkish
0:16:55 > 0:16:58but I do know what Osman's saying because I asked him earlier on
0:16:58 > 0:17:01what he thought was so special about sardines.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05He just said that they're really, really good in the Dardanelles.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Fantastic flavour, lovely firmness.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11And people everywhere cook them, not just in the restaurants
0:17:11 > 0:17:15but they cook them in their gardens and this way of doing sardines,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19cooking them on the mangal, the barbecue, is very, very popular.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36These are really exquisite.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38And such a good way of cooking them.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42It keeps all the moistness in them.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45It's actually a great way of eating them too
0:17:45 > 0:17:48because it stops you getting particularly greasy.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Obviously you're going to get a bit.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52But they're so sweet.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- MAN SPEAKS TURKISH - Cok guzel. Absolutely.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Lovely.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08'I suppose you can say this is the penultimate part of my journey,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11'where I cross the Dardanelles back to Europe.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'Although it's a really short hop,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23'it's across one of the most famous stretches of water in the world.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28'The Hellespont - the channel that separates Europe from Asia.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30'I have to cross it to go to Istanbul,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33'but when I knew I was coming here,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36'I thought instead of taking the ferry, I could swim it.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39'It seemed like a good idea at the time.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41'Well, Byron did it.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43'In fact, he swam the length of Venice too.'
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Byron swam from that town there on the European side
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and landed about here in Canakkale on the Asian side.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55A distance of about 1.5 kilometres.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58I think I could do that. I like a swim.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01But he wouldn't have had to content with
0:19:01 > 0:19:04these tankers, ferries and container ships.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Getting on a bit, I think perhaps I'd give it a miss.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11But after Byron did it, remembering that he was lame,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15he considered it as one of his greatest achievements.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17In fact, he actually wrote,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21"I plume myself on this achievement more than any other glory,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25"poetical, political or rhetorical."
0:19:28 > 0:19:31BOAT SOUNDS HORN
0:19:39 > 0:19:43'This is Gallipoli, scene of dreadful horrors
0:19:43 > 0:19:45'during the First World War.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48'And this is where the Australians and the New Zealanders came ashore,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51'under the withering fire from the Turks.'
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Making these programmes, everything has to have a food connection,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09but this time I just couldn't pass here because my wife's Australian
0:20:09 > 0:20:13and I'm so conscious of what happened here on this beach.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Looking at it, it's just appalling.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19It's such a lovely beach, I feel like going for a swim.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23And when you try and think of the carnage and the horror,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25it just makes it worse in some sort of way.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30If you look there, it was just bad luck that they landed on this beach.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32It was supposed to be down there
0:20:32 > 0:20:35where there was a much bigger hinterland.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37You land here, thousands of troops,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41you've got those hills behind which they called Razor Ridge.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46No opportunity here for getting out of the guns of the Turks.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Appalling, appalling carnage.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01'The trenches were so unbelievably close to each other,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04'the soldiers could smell their enemies cooking,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08'their tobacco smoke, hear their laughter and pain.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10'When there was a lull in fighting,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'they would sometimes throw gifts to each other.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17'Cigarettes, hazelnuts, almonds and cans of fruit and jam.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21'No-one ever followed a treat with a hand grenade.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23'These were expressions of genuine goodwill.'
0:21:32 > 0:21:36'My interpreter is passionate about kofte kebabs.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40'He calls them kuftehs and he says this place on the motorway
0:21:40 > 0:21:43'with an unpronounceable name is as good as it gets.'
0:21:49 > 0:21:50Wow. It's big.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56'I can fully understand why they're so popular, not just in Turkey.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59'I think every single country to the east of Istanbul
0:21:59 > 0:22:04'possibly excluding China, has its own version of kofte or kuftehs.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11'Here, it's traditionally eaten with a salad of white beans
0:22:11 > 0:22:13'sprinkled with lemon juice,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16'a glass of ayran - that's yoghurt, very creamy,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20'and a spicy dip with lots of chilli.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22'Very definitely yummo!'
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Thanks for bringing me here. I must say, this looks really good.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31This restaurant is very famous for the kofte
0:22:31 > 0:22:35and all people come here just for tasting
0:22:35 > 0:22:37this amazing taste.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40They are smooth, they are savoury.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41Yeah.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Delicious. The taste of Turkey to me.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47That is so good.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56'And so, in my backyard, overlooking the Aegean,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00'what better dish to cook than this?'
0:23:01 > 0:23:03These are koftes. Yummo!
0:23:09 > 0:23:13It is a very, very good addition to a kofte - pistachios.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It's nice if they're bit lumpy
0:23:15 > 0:23:18and you get almost half a pistachio in a bite
0:23:18 > 0:23:23and you taste that lovely green sweetness of the pistachio nut.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28Next, some Turkish red pepper. Pul biber it's called.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32And now I'm going to grind up three spices.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Coriander, fennel seeds and cumin seeds.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41I wish I'd brought a bigger mortar and pestle
0:23:41 > 0:23:45but I was sure they didn't have one in the house and they don't
0:23:45 > 0:23:47so I brought it over on the plane.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52It was one of those cheaper airlines that insist on your luggage
0:23:52 > 0:23:54not being too heavy.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57OK, that will do. Put those on top.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Now some dried mint.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Oddly enough, mint is one of those soft-leaved herbs
0:24:03 > 0:24:05which actually almost improves with drying.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I was given a bag in Greece when we were filming earlier
0:24:09 > 0:24:11and it is very, very strong.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13There we go. Now some garlic.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17I quite like bashing things.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21I'm just chopping those and adding a bit of salt
0:24:21 > 0:24:23just to aid traction
0:24:23 > 0:24:27because I'm going to smear them out on the board like that.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32There we go.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Now an egg.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Just to bind everything together.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38And parsley.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43And now a little bit of olive oil.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47And finally, quite a lot of salt.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Close your eyes if you're... you know, worried about salt.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54But it does need quite a lot.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57And plenty of black pepper.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01I normally write 20 turns of the black pepper mill.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Now, mix this up.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13The word kofte is Persian.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15It means ground or it means minced
0:25:15 > 0:25:19and they used to do it in big mortar and pestles.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I think the word kofte has travelled all over North Africa,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25all over the Middle East and Greece.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Keftedes is obviously a derivation of kofte.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The great thing about koftes is they're very easy to cook.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35In other words, they don't require a great deal of fuel
0:25:35 > 0:25:38in dry countries where you have only got a little bit of wood.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42OK, now we're ready to start moulding those up.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46This is quite clever, this skewer, because it's flat
0:25:46 > 0:25:49and it does conduct the heat right to the centre of the kofte
0:25:49 > 0:25:55but also it allows for something quite soft like this
0:25:55 > 0:25:58to be put on the barbecue and turn over easily.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Just dip my head in the... Head?
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Put your head in it?
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Just dip my hand in a bit of water to smooth them off a bit.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11There we go. That's one.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Now for the next.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18I've probably said this before but if as a child you were fond of
0:26:18 > 0:26:21making mud pies, you will love making koftes.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31'I sometimes wonder how well-known dishes came to be.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33'It's quite good fun actually.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'It's usually something simple and practical
0:26:36 > 0:26:40'like a sailor coming back home to the sea port of Hamburg.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44'He's tried the lovely koftes of Istanbul and thinks,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47'hang on, I know that people at home would love this
0:26:47 > 0:26:50'so he makes a flat version of it,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53'maybe because he didn't have any proper skewers.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55'I'm sure it's as simple as that.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57'And he called it...'
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Mm!
0:26:59 > 0:27:01'..the kofte burger.'
0:27:01 > 0:27:03LAUGHTER
0:27:09 > 0:27:11'This is journey's end.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15'Once called Byzantium, then Constantinople
0:27:15 > 0:27:17'and now Istanbul.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20'And it's the start of the bluefish season,
0:27:20 > 0:27:25'when this delicious fish begins its journey down the Bosphorus.'
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Have you got one, Rick?
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Two.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48'What better backdrop could there be than this?
0:27:48 > 0:27:51'The perfect symmetry of the Blue Mosque
0:27:51 > 0:27:55'and, next door, I think the most famous piece of architecture
0:27:55 > 0:27:57'in the world - the Hagia Sophia.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01'The central headquarters of the Byzantine Empire
0:28:01 > 0:28:04'and one of the reasons I made this journey.'
0:28:06 > 0:28:09That's the third bluefish we've caught this morning.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13I can't wait for my next bite. I've had two bites, two fish.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18I feel so privileged to be out here right in the middle of the Bosphorus
0:28:18 > 0:28:21between Europe and Asia.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25With all these blinking great boats passing, I feel a bit vulnerable,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27but it's the most sensational feeling.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32A beautiful morning, light coming up over Topkapi Palace over there,
0:28:32 > 0:28:34it's just great to be alive.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49I'm a very happy boy. Look at those lovely bluefish.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51We don't get them in Padstow but I wish we did.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55But Massoud, the captain, who steered me through all that
0:28:55 > 0:29:00really quite nerve-racking waves from the wash of those tankers
0:29:00 > 0:29:02and the tankers going past like this,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05he's going to cook a fish stew.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07I'm really looking forward to it.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12'I've noticed over the years that fishermen, probably,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15'because they usually cook when the boat is bobbing about,
0:29:15 > 0:29:20'put all the ingredients in the pan first before putting it on the heat.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23'It makes a lot of sense when you're at sea.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28'So what Massoud does, is to put onions in the bottom of the pan,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32'then he seasons the lovely bluefish just with salt
0:29:32 > 0:29:36'and he's put a slash in the side to help season it right through.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39'Now, fresh chillies.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43'It must be the right time of the year, because they're everywhere.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47'Then he puts in a whole bulb of garlic.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49We're surrounded by cats.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51They're all watching, waiting for a taste.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54I was just thinking, watching, "No, no, we don't like garlic.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56"Not too much garlic!"
0:29:58 > 0:30:02'He seasons with black pepper, torn parsley
0:30:02 > 0:30:06'and some lovely ripe tomatoes.'
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Just watching Massoud make this, is just the most relaxing thing.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17I mean, this is a proper fishermen making a proper fishermen's stew.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21The number of times I've done recipes for taking the skins
0:30:21 > 0:30:24off tomatoes and putting them in boiling water and all this stuff,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27he's just peeling them. It's easy.
0:30:27 > 0:30:28CAT MEOWS
0:30:28 > 0:30:32The cat is now saying, "Not tomatoes! We don't like tomatoes,
0:30:32 > 0:30:34"just stick to the fish!"
0:30:38 > 0:30:41'Finally, lemon slices and olive oil.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43'That's Massoud's fishermen stew.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47'That's how they do it here and this is how it's done,
0:30:47 > 0:30:51'cooked for 20 to 25 minutes, nice and gently.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54'You mustn't overcook the fish.'
0:30:54 > 0:30:56This is smelling so good.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00I think I've only had a fish stew cooked by a fisherman
0:31:00 > 0:31:05once before, in Spain, so it's a bit of a rare occasion, really.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08I'm very much looking forward to trying it.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11What I really like about this, is all that large quantity of green
0:31:11 > 0:31:13chillies in there.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16It's going to make it very hot on a slightly brisk morning.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32Oh! Wow! What a lovely fish.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37This bluefish is just perfect.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43It's got this delicious creaminess about it, because it's so fresh.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49Like a lot of oily fish, if it's dead fresh like this,
0:31:49 > 0:31:53it's just the best tasting fish in the world.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55When it's not so fresh, it doesn't taste quite so good.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58- CAMERAMAN:- Oh, no thank you, Massoud.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02But, gosh, this is good.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06If you could recreate this in a restaurant,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10you'd be worth squillions, but the trouble is,
0:32:10 > 0:32:15it never tastes quite as good as sitting here in this little fishing
0:32:15 > 0:32:19harbour, having had it freshly cooked by Massoud.
0:32:19 > 0:32:20That's my thought.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28'This place is all about trade.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32'In its heyday, it was silk, because it was the end of the route
0:32:32 > 0:32:37'from China and, obviously, spices from the western shores of India,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39'because they were so important,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42'not just for flavouring food, but medicine, too.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48'Constantinople, as it was known then, was the jewel in the crown.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51'Much envied by the world at large,
0:32:51 > 0:32:56'a bit like Venice where I started this journey months ago.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00'You get a feel for those heady days, especially in the spice market
0:33:00 > 0:33:05'when the air was full of sweet smelling dust from the sacks of
0:33:05 > 0:33:08'spice being offloaded from the ships that came
0:33:08 > 0:33:10'from the East and afar.'
0:33:10 > 0:33:14I think the reason that people love this spice market so much,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16is because it reminds them of Christmas, well,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18certainly it does for me.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Because when I was little, it was only at Christmas
0:33:21 > 0:33:26we got things like Turkish delight, flavoured with rose petals
0:33:26 > 0:33:32and dried fruit like apricots and figs and dates, particularly dates.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36And nuts, hazelnuts, whole hazelnuts, toasted hazelnuts.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39And only later in life did I start to get
0:33:39 > 0:33:43so interested in the spices, like over here, where we've
0:33:43 > 0:33:46got all these different types of chilli pepper,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50dried chilli pepper and saffron and turmeric
0:33:50 > 0:33:53and peppercorns and dried mint.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58The whole exotic-ness of this spice market now really,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01really overtakes me and the smell, you come in here
0:34:01 > 0:34:06and you smell all these spices and you just feel so excited.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10'My friends, all cooks, I have to say,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13'get very excited about this place and they tell me
0:34:13 > 0:34:20'to meet up with Bilga, a legend, a spice girl, a real spice girl.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Bilga, we're doing this journey,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24it's almost like a journey to Byzantium.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28We started in Venice and we've been coming all the way here
0:34:28 > 0:34:33to Istanbul and every day, spice is mentioned in some way.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36What does spice mean to you and to Turkey?
0:34:36 > 0:34:38So, for me, spice is everything.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42I'm fifth generation in this store and it's in my blood.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46It comes from my family, so it means a lot to me, but for the world, it
0:34:46 > 0:34:50means a lot as well because many people have been killed for spices.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52America was found because of spices.
0:34:52 > 0:34:58Capitalism, the most important word in the whole world started
0:34:58 > 0:35:01with spices and spice trading, so I think spices means a lot
0:35:01 > 0:35:02to everybody.
0:35:02 > 0:35:08Spices are always the top notch of all the food ingredients
0:35:08 > 0:35:09we own in the world.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12What are these, then? They look like some sort of currants.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16In Turkey, we call it zereshk.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20It comes from Iran, so when I make biryani rice...
0:35:20 > 0:35:24- I've had it, in Bombay. - That is exactly what they use.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26What are they called, then?
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Zereshk in Turkish and in Iran, they call it zereshk,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32but the Latin name for it is barberries,
0:35:32 > 0:35:34not Burberry. Barberries.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37I love the colour of this.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40OK, these are early house ground pistachios
0:35:40 > 0:35:43and we use it for vanilla ice cream and baklava,
0:35:43 > 0:35:49one of the most famous desserts on the Earth and most tasty.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51But if you want to get a lazy, quick dessert,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55I use these sun-dried natural apricots
0:35:55 > 0:36:00and I make a small Turkish sandwich and feed my loved ones.
0:36:00 > 0:36:01Oh, I love the look of that.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04Mmm! Perfect.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07This is what I call food porn.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Absolutely. Two of my favourite flavours in one.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14I love all these, sort of, perfumes. What...
0:36:14 > 0:36:16"Aphrodisiac for man." I would see that, wouldn't I?
0:36:16 > 0:36:20Something you don't need but I still want to show you.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23If you want to get Turkish girls, this is the way to do it.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26- You just put a little bit... - It's intense! It's lovely.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28This has all kinds of essential oils,
0:36:28 > 0:36:32pure essential oils to make women like you.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37"Poison," I like the look of that. Well, don't like the look of it.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Is it for killing people?
0:36:39 > 0:36:43- OK, this is for your mother-in-law, I would say.- Fine.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46- OK. First of all... - No comment.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49I'm not married, so I'm very comfortable talking about all this.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51- Oh, it's actually rather nice.- OK.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53So the thing is, it's nice at first, it says, "Come,"
0:36:53 > 0:36:59- but at the same time, it says, "Not that much."- That makes sense.
0:36:59 > 0:37:04- Sorry if my mother-in-law is watching.- You have, right? Sorry.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11'Spices, as I've said, remind me of Christmas treats
0:37:11 > 0:37:16'and I have to say, I couldn't come here to Istanbul without
0:37:16 > 0:37:21'seeing how they make one Christmas memory and that's Turkish delight.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25'Made in this shop for well over 100 years.
0:37:26 > 0:37:31'It's loads and loads of cornflour, water, of course, masses of sugar,
0:37:31 > 0:37:37heated up, and rose petals, and a tiny bit of red colouring.
0:37:37 > 0:37:42Roses can be traced back to Persia, Babylon, Egypt and China.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Look at that. It's like strawberry jam,
0:37:45 > 0:37:49hot out of the pot and it smells divine!
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Apparently, this came about because a sultan had
0:37:54 > 0:37:58some very grumpy concubines and he wanted to sweeten them up,
0:37:58 > 0:38:02so he called for his chief confectioner and told him
0:38:02 > 0:38:06to concoct something that would make them smile,
0:38:06 > 0:38:07and this is it.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17The smell in here is so wonderfully exotic, of rose petals.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- Oh.- This.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Tesekkur ederim.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29I am a serious fan of Turkish delight.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33I mean, nothing sums up the opulence of those sultans,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36the Ottoman sultans, than Turkish delight
0:38:36 > 0:38:38and when I think that it was a secret recipe
0:38:38 > 0:38:41for Suleyman the Magnificent and his family
0:38:41 > 0:38:45and his 700 women in his harem,
0:38:45 > 0:38:50it just adds to it, and I'm told that tasting it when it's still warm
0:38:50 > 0:38:53is an experience you're never going to forget.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Oh!
0:38:58 > 0:39:04Topkapi, the 700 women, the gold, the silver -
0:39:04 > 0:39:07this is Byzantium.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29'Call me old-fashioned, call me what you like,
0:39:29 > 0:39:34'but I associate Istanbul with pomegranate juice.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36'People say it keeps you young,
0:39:36 > 0:39:38'it's good for the heart, et cetera, et cetera.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40'Well, I don't know about that.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45'I just do know that in September and October, it's at its best.'
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Just love to see these fresh juices everywhere
0:39:49 > 0:39:52and they slice the tops of pomegranates, grapefruits,
0:39:52 > 0:39:57oranges, lemons - you get this lovely smell, it sells the drink.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04'It's not just a drink it's used for.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07'The seeds mixed with pearl barley, spring onions,
0:40:07 > 0:40:12'loads of parsley, fresh mint - they go really well together.'
0:40:15 > 0:40:18'It's a symbol of abundance, fertility and good luck.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21'I know that in parts of Greece, it's lucky to receive
0:40:21 > 0:40:26'a pomegranate as a first gift when you buy a new house.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32'Chopped pistachios, sweet pistachios, olive oil -
0:40:32 > 0:40:36'oh, and then, the most important thing, pomegranate molasses.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42'Mark my words, people will be asking for this in supermarkets.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44'A touch of seasoning and that's it.'
0:40:46 > 0:40:49I think, sometimes in Britain, we sort of think of salads
0:40:49 > 0:40:51as a bit of an afterthought.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53You know, we've got a steak, maybe some chops,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56and say, "Oh, let's do a salad," and you go into the fridge
0:40:56 > 0:41:00and you've got lettuce and tomato, but in Turkey, it's anything but.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Salads like this are really common. I think it's one of the real
0:41:03 > 0:41:07stars of Turkish cooking, these salads like this.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09They're so beautiful and they taste so good.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23'The most iconic culinary symbol of Istanbul can be seen
0:41:23 > 0:41:25'mostly at breakfast time.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27'It's the simit, a ring of dough
0:41:27 > 0:41:31'dipped in grape, or pomegranate molasses,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33'and sesame seeds and then baked.'
0:41:35 > 0:41:41'And the second most popular dish here, maybe for a lunchtime snack,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44'comes from these mackerel crowded seas.'
0:41:45 > 0:41:49Tesekkur. There you go. Thanks.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52For me, just as visiting the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia,
0:41:52 > 0:41:57having a fish sandwich on the banks of the Golden Horn
0:41:57 > 0:42:01is absolutely an essential thing to do in Istanbul.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06They are so tasty and what I love about Turkey is it's not just
0:42:06 > 0:42:09about the fish sandwich, which is salad and mackerel,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13but it's also about pickles.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17This is sour pickle juice, tursu suyu it's called.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22A drink of that...
0:42:22 > 0:42:25a bite of mackerel, I'm in heaven.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29'One of the things that interests me here
0:42:29 > 0:42:32'is restaurants serving home-cooked food.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36'We used to have lots of them in the UK, but we've fallen in love,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39'it seems, with more exotic dishes from other lands.'
0:42:40 > 0:42:42This is the place.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45'This type of cafe is called esnaf,
0:42:45 > 0:42:48'this means Artisan food for tradesmen.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52'It's my sort of place and I went there with Tuba,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54'a passionate food blogger
0:42:54 > 0:42:58'who has her finger on the culinary pulse here.'
0:42:58 > 0:43:00- We come through?- Yeah.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02- That's where the food is. - Oh, this looks great!- Yeah.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06- What, you choose whatever you want? - Look at that, beautiful.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10- I'll go with some kapuska. - Kapuska? What a nice name!
0:43:10 > 0:43:14- It's made with white cabbage and some minced meat and some pastes.- Paste?
0:43:14 > 0:43:17- Yes, paste.- Chilli paste? - Chilli paste.- Fab! Done!
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- Have some of that.- Yes. - What's this one here, then?
0:43:20 > 0:43:23This one is karniyarik, made with eggplant and some minced meat,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25- together cooked with some onions. - I've had ones like that,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28- but what's this white one at the top?- This is beautiful.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30- This is begendi.- Begendi.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- Oh, I've had that in Greece. It's aubergine puree.- Yes, it is.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37That's lovely. What, in that stew pot, looks very nice.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40SHE SPEAKS TURKISH
0:43:40 > 0:43:43It's a stew. They've put some chunks of veal inside
0:43:43 > 0:43:45and lots of different vegetables.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47Wow! I love the way how, in Turkey,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49- you have so many vegetables in stews.- Yeah.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52I think, other than that, I'd quite like some rice.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55- Is that bulgur at the back? - Yes, that's bulgur back there.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57- Fab!- Fabulous!- How was I?
0:43:57 > 0:44:01- It was good.- I chose quick. I'm quite impressed.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03- That's good.- I love this.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05It reminds me of going to Greece, years and years ago
0:44:05 > 0:44:07and they'd say, "Come into the kitchen,"
0:44:07 > 0:44:11- and I bet it's cheap too. - It is cheaper. I mean,
0:44:11 > 0:44:15it's not that cheap, but if you compare it with the quality,
0:44:15 > 0:44:18- it's very decent. - Compared with London.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22THEY CHUCKLE
0:44:22 > 0:44:24'This is home from home cooking.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27'I wish there were more of these around in the UK
0:44:27 > 0:44:31'selling home-made steak and kidney pie, stews with dumplings,
0:44:31 > 0:44:34'liver and bacon and cauliflower cheese.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36'Home cooking in the high street - yes!'
0:44:36 > 0:44:40- Oh, look at that.- That looks nice.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44- I wish I'd ordered that now. - We can share. We always share.
0:44:44 > 0:44:49- That's family style. - Well, I'm looking forward to this.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52How about that?
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Oh, that veal... I just love the way you have loads of vegetables.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58It's melt in the mouth, isn't it? Yummy.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01- That's really generous, honest cooking, to me.- Yeah.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05That's the first time I eat kapuska this season.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07- This is a home cooked meal. - That's it, I think.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10I write books that go with these TV series
0:45:10 > 0:45:13and just to make it easy for me, right?
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Tell me, so I can write in the book,
0:45:15 > 0:45:19what is so special about Turkish food.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21What is the essence, the heart of it?
0:45:21 > 0:45:24We have one of the most fertile,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27the greatest land in the world, if you ask me.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31We have the sea, we have the land, we have beautiful weather
0:45:31 > 0:45:35and we have been farming for ages and years and centuries now.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37You know, we have them...
0:45:37 > 0:45:39we have the Byzantines,
0:45:39 > 0:45:42we have Ottomans, we have palace cookings
0:45:42 > 0:45:45and we have the real heart cooking, home cooked meals.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50You see what you're eating and this is what you get.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53- And we like it, we like it very much.- Yes.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57And our grannies and our mothers are our best chefs ever
0:45:57 > 0:45:59so it's hard to top that.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03- I love a country that loves their food.- Exactly.
0:46:05 > 0:46:10This is kapuska, fab cabbage stew.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13It's Turkish but Russian, too.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24It's funny because when I first tasted this in Istanbul,
0:46:24 > 0:46:28it was just one of a load of dishes in a sort of hot buffet
0:46:28 > 0:46:30and I just thought, "Oh, well, that's really nice."
0:46:30 > 0:46:33And then I started looking up about it and, I mean,
0:46:33 > 0:46:39it's incredibly famous all over Asia and it's a really,
0:46:39 > 0:46:42really representative dish of the type of cooking
0:46:42 > 0:46:45on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47And it's absolutely wonderful.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53'This is minced lamb and I'm just browning it all.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57'Now, chopped red onion. I love red onion.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59'I can remember a time when all the onions in the country
0:46:59 > 0:47:02'were brown-skinned but now red!
0:47:02 > 0:47:06'Garlic - chopped and into the pan, then tomatoes.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09'What a joy to peel them with a knife.'
0:47:10 > 0:47:12This is red pepper paste,
0:47:12 > 0:47:16hot red pepper paste - biber salcasi.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19So, next we've got tomato paste or salca which is actually
0:47:19 > 0:47:23sun-dried tomato paste. Lovely flavour.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30'A drop of water to loosen it up
0:47:30 > 0:47:34'and then salt and some grinds of black pepper.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38'I love dishes like this, all in one pot, thank you very much!
0:47:38 > 0:47:42'Quite easy and very, very tasty.'
0:47:46 > 0:47:50Just thinking about cabbage, I don't think Britain's really
0:47:50 > 0:47:52well-endowed with good cabbage recipes.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55If we think about the Russians, the Turkish, the Chinese,
0:47:55 > 0:47:59even the Indians have fantastic cabbage recipes but maybe not us.
0:47:59 > 0:48:04But I do love buttered cabbage with my roast beef, I must say.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Anyway, pressing on, pressing on.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11Now, you might think this is too much to go in there
0:48:11 > 0:48:14but no, it will all cook down.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19I must say though I've never seen such a big cabbage.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21It could do as a rugby ball.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27It's important not to add too much liquid
0:48:27 > 0:48:29because there's a lot of water in the cabbage
0:48:29 > 0:48:33but I did have to add a bit just to help it steam down.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37But it's beginning to look done now.
0:48:37 > 0:48:38Can't wait to try it.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43'I think this is a great lunchtime dish,
0:48:43 > 0:48:44'it's really quick
0:48:44 > 0:48:48'and I like the idea of cabbage and mince coming together.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52'Mince and tatties and bashed neeps comes to mind,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55'really because neeps and cabbage are the same family.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58'Now, a sprinkling of aleppo pepper.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04'I've made this loads of times since Istanbul, it's so popular.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19'There's one simple rule when making these programmes and that is,
0:49:19 > 0:49:21'if if's raining first thing in the morning,
0:49:21 > 0:49:23'get to a fish market quick.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29'And this one on the banks of the Bosporus is called Uskudar.
0:49:30 > 0:49:35'Once upon a time, this would be packed with loads of camels.
0:49:35 > 0:49:40'There'd be people unloading silks, sandalwoods, spices,
0:49:40 > 0:49:41'which were worth a lot of money,
0:49:41 > 0:49:45'to put onboard ships heading for Genoa or Venice or Spain.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50'But I bet there were people selling fish to the traders just like now.'
0:49:52 > 0:49:57I suppose this is testimony to how much the Turkish love their fish.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59This is some of the freshest fish I've ever seen
0:49:59 > 0:50:03and the thing that really, really impresses me are these,
0:50:03 > 0:50:06these palamut, which are actually bonito,
0:50:06 > 0:50:09because I've never seen that before.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11The way they open up the gills
0:50:11 > 0:50:13so you can see exactly how fresh they are.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16I'm always going on about lifting up the gill cover
0:50:16 > 0:50:18and looking at the colour of the gills
0:50:18 > 0:50:21but I've never seen them being on display like that.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23So, we've got bonito,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25we've got lufer over there which are trevalla,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28we've got lovely anchovies there, look at those.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31You'd almost want to eat them raw they're so fresh
0:50:31 > 0:50:35and some lovely little red mullet up there, some bream over there...
0:50:35 > 0:50:38- Rick?- Well, I'm blowed!
0:50:38 > 0:50:40- How are you?- So good to see you here.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42Well, I knew I was going to see you sometime.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44Well, you're in my neighbourhood.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Sirhan. We filmed with him some time ago, I know him well.
0:50:46 > 0:50:52- Exactly seven years and 7kg ago. - Seven years ago.- 7kg ago!- I know!
0:50:52 > 0:50:53After all this food.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57- Well, let's go off and find somewhere to have some lunch.- OK.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04'Sirhan lives nearby and he took me to his favourite restaurant.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07'It's right on the water and it specialises in fish.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12'The Queen Victoria was setting off and the film crew wondered
0:51:12 > 0:51:16'if they were serving roast beef onboard with Yorkshire puddings
0:51:16 > 0:51:20'and horseradish sauce and maybe a pint of bitter.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22'That's all they talk about!
0:51:22 > 0:51:25'But fish is the order of the day here,
0:51:25 > 0:51:29'plus a rather surprising view of a seagull's undercarriage.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31'Reminds me a bit of Padstow.
0:51:33 > 0:51:38'This is a meze, it's from the Persian meaning "a taste".
0:51:38 > 0:51:39'A taste of lots of things.'
0:51:41 > 0:51:44Well, to me the mezes are the really special thing
0:51:44 > 0:51:47about Turkish cuisine and, as you've seen,
0:51:47 > 0:51:49there's a big tray, you just choose what you want.
0:51:49 > 0:51:53But here I've chosen some pickled bass with mustard sauce.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56Pickled sea bass with mustard sauce. Here I've got some green beans
0:51:56 > 0:51:58and tomato sauce which I always love.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00I love the way they cook them for a long time.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03- Here we've got lakerda?- Lakerda.
0:52:03 > 0:52:08Lakerda which is bonito and it's pickled and served with red onion.
0:52:08 > 0:52:13Here we've got aubergine puree and Sirhan says the quality
0:52:13 > 0:52:17of the aubergine puree really denotes how good the restaurant is.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20And finally, one I really wanted to try which is hamsi
0:52:20 > 0:52:24which is anchovies that are pickled with lots of dill.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27- And now we're ready to drink.- OK. - Remember the etiquette.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29- We say, "Serefe."- Serefe.
0:52:29 > 0:52:34Remember, it's always courtesy to hit lower than your counterpart's
0:52:34 > 0:52:37- because everybody tries to do it we lift the raki up...- High.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40- ..so that leaves some space so we can go down.- OK.
0:52:40 > 0:52:41BOTH: Serefe.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49- I'd forgotten how nice it was. - Ah, welcome to Istanbul.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51So, Sirhan, this is the end of what's turned out to be
0:52:51 > 0:52:56a long journey from Venice all the way to Istanbul.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00- I'm so pleased to be here, the food is really good.- Yes.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04Why do you think that is? Why is it so wonderful, the food, here?
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Rick, it's the melting pot.
0:53:06 > 0:53:11I mean, this city itself is one of the most diverse places on the planet
0:53:11 > 0:53:14and I'm talking about historically and even today,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16the diversity and cosmopolitanism.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20I mean, in the 15th century under the Ottomans,
0:53:20 > 0:53:24the Middle Eastern and the Central Asian influences came in.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29You know, the kebabs, the mezes and all the Middle East
0:53:29 > 0:53:32and Central influences blended with the local existing,
0:53:32 > 0:53:35let's say Byzantine Greek culture.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39Fish and the meze is maybe an outcome of that
0:53:39 > 0:53:43and then under the Ottoman Empire there was incredible diversity
0:53:43 > 0:53:45and cosmopolitanism.
0:53:45 > 0:53:50The Jews who escaped from the Spanish Inquisition in 1492
0:53:50 > 0:53:54were welcomed to Istanbul and they brought their own cultures.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58Some of the cooking, some of the bread names in the Turkish language
0:53:58 > 0:54:02still today carry the Jewish names which they came from Spain.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05Sirhan, the way you're speaking now, the way you've just said that,
0:54:05 > 0:54:08I can imagine people watching the programme thinking,
0:54:08 > 0:54:11"I've got to go there!" On the internet going...
0:54:11 > 0:54:16- "I've got to go and eat in Istanbul!"- I guarantee good food.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18- Certainly.- Cheers.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Sorry, should've been a bit lower.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29'It's my last day and I haven't been inside Hagia Sophia
0:54:29 > 0:54:32'or the Blue Mosque or the fabulous museum,
0:54:32 > 0:54:36'there's so much to see and I feel a bit guilty.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39'But mine's a food journey and a sultan's home,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42'the Topkapi Palace, housed his harem,
0:54:42 > 0:54:45'his family, his guards, tutors,
0:54:45 > 0:54:50'courtiers and cooks - 5,000 people in all.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53'So, the royal kitchens with their massive chimneys
0:54:53 > 0:54:57'interested me very much indeed.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00'And they're just recently open to the public.
0:55:00 > 0:55:05'My friend Sirhan, being a bit of a foodie, was the perfect guide.'
0:55:05 > 0:55:06Amazing all these people here.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10I remember when I was young we always went to the torture chamber,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13- now it's kitchens! - All about food.- It is.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18So, Rick, we're under those chimneys now in the kitchens of the palace.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21This is where they cooked basically, they had rooms,
0:55:21 > 0:55:26lots of rooms like this and these are the famous Ottoman cauldrons,
0:55:26 > 0:55:30famous because they had a big role in the Ottoman history
0:55:30 > 0:55:32because the main elite troops,
0:55:32 > 0:55:36military force of the Ottoman Army for centuries were the Janissaries.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40- Yeah.- These were mercenaries and once in every three months
0:55:40 > 0:55:44they had to get their salary from the sultan so the sultan gave them
0:55:44 > 0:55:48a big feast and if they're not happy with their payment
0:55:48 > 0:55:51they turn the cauldron over and they didn't eat the food
0:55:51 > 0:55:54and that's very big trouble for the sultan.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58So really, eating this, taking it, eating it,
0:55:58 > 0:56:00- it's signing the contract.- Exactly.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03So if the Janissaries were happy with the payment,
0:56:03 > 0:56:05here in this confectionary kitchen
0:56:05 > 0:56:08they cooked the candy called akide sekeri
0:56:08 > 0:56:11which literally means the contract can be.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15That means the contract is signed and sealed with a candy.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19I think we sort of tend to forget how important food is,
0:56:19 > 0:56:23not just for feeding yourself but in life and political life.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26I mean, the word "salary" comes from salt, payment in salt,
0:56:26 > 0:56:28and here we have the same thing.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32- A little candy for sealing the contract.- Exactly.- Fab.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53I suppose my main thoughts are,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56just at the moment on this last day of filming,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59a mixture of relief and sadness, really.
0:56:59 > 0:57:04I say relief because we started filming way back in May in Venice.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07It was cold, it was wet, it was windy
0:57:07 > 0:57:08and now here we are,
0:57:08 > 0:57:12overlooking Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque behind me
0:57:12 > 0:57:15and it's such a glorious day.
0:57:15 > 0:57:20And in a way it sort of sums up the way the journey has triumphed
0:57:20 > 0:57:23and to start with I was worried,
0:57:23 > 0:57:28how do you tie together in a culinary way such diverse places
0:57:28 > 0:57:31as Venice, Croatia?
0:57:31 > 0:57:34I mean, Venice was full of wonderful richness, food-wise.
0:57:34 > 0:57:39Croatia - full of wonderful raw materials, not so much richness.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42Albania - very thin in good food,
0:57:42 > 0:57:46very lovely in natural beauty.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48Greece - well, my happy hunting ground.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52I've been there so many times and to revisit, to me,
0:57:52 > 0:57:54was like going back to my youth
0:57:54 > 0:57:57and I felt those sort of pangs of emotion
0:57:57 > 0:58:01as I drank a glass of retsina or ate a Greek salad.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03And finally to Turkey,
0:58:03 > 0:58:07a place I've been twice before but never in such detail
0:58:07 > 0:58:11and never really getting to understand the food as I do now
0:58:11 > 0:58:14and I do believe it has the most sophisticated cuisine.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Now, I didn't realise that before
0:58:16 > 0:58:19so to finish in late-September
0:58:19 > 0:58:24on a sunny afternoon like this, to me, is a wonderful experience.