Osmanlı Mutfağında Yumurta

Eggs in Ottoman Cuisine

Geçmişte ve günümüzde yumurtanın mutfaklarımızdaki yeri hep çok önemli olmuştur. Both in the past and today, eggs have always had a special place in our cuisine.

Geçmişte ve günümüzde yumurtanın mutfaklarımızdaki yeri hep çok önemli olmuştur. Both in the past and today, eggs have always had a special place in our cuisine. Yazı Story - Yunus Emre Akkor

Fotoğraf Photography - Serkan Eldeleklioğlu Stil Editörü Styling - Tuğba Karatmanlı

İllüstrasyon Illustration - Ali Calkan Menekşe

Eggs have constituted the basis for many recipes both in the past and today, while egg dishes were even categorized under a separate heading in some Ottoman cookbooks.

Although historical sources record that duck eggs were cooked for Mehmed the Conqueror, chicken eggs were mainly used in our traditional cuisine. It is recorded that in the 15th century, eggs were used in many dishes including tarhana (dried yogurt and flour), lapa (mushy rice), patlıcan kavurması (fried eggplant), kuzu yemeği (lamb dish), lalanga (fried pastries), and kalye (zucchini dish). In later centuries, eggs were used to make sauces for soups, and in puddings, pastries, pastry fillings, cookies, and desserts.

In the Ottoman cuisine, omelets, which are made with whisked eggs and the current word for which derives from the French language, were made using a variety of ingredients ranging

from eggplant to jam, and were called kaygana. In the

15th century, kaygana was mentioned in Kaygusuz Abdal’s poems as ballı (honey) kaygana. The recipe for yufkalı (phyllo) kaygana is also included in records.

Although we generally consume eggs for breakfast today, the chickpea and egg recipe I chose for you this month is an extremely filling meal that you can serve for lunch or dinner.