​​​December 2020, Rotterdam, Netherlands…

Easy to write; but it is the last month of a very difficult year for all of us when you stop and think about it. Naturally, I ask myself… How long has it been since I moved to the Netherlands? not go to Turkey? Well, how long have I had a long rakı table conversation with friends against the Bosphorus? All almost over a year... This time, distant ones come to mind first.

While in Turkey, we were still having deep conversations, though there were times we missed each other; but we were meeting at rakı tables in a few weeks at most. Either a work-out meeting, a weekend evening or a Sunday afternoon rakı...

Naturally, situations have changed when we moved to the Netherlands and the pandemic was added. And as time passed, the longing increased dramatically. So what did we do then? Our Yeni Rakı table, which always makes us feel together and close, has been set. That smell of aniseed, the sound of water pouring into rakı, rakı glasses to the screens, in the background Müzeyyen Senar and the first sip... That's when, we saw that distant places could suddenly be close. Throughout the year, we met at rakı tables from Rotterdam to Istanbul, London, Barcelona, Ankara or Izmir while chatting for hours, without a distance and together.

Today, together with our esteemed chef, Fatma Yıldırım, we ignore the distance between Rotterdam and Aachen. Fatma moved to Germany just two months ago. Although her last arrival was only two months ago, Fatma's international background dates back to much earlier than that. Fatma, who completed her undergraduate & graduate education in the field of Economics in Germany, follows the gastronomy, which she has been passionate about since her student years, and takes professional cooking training at the Culinary Arts Academy. After working in various restaurants and catering companies such as Istanbul Food and Beverage and Mikla, has opened her own restaurant, which she calls "Mittag" in Istanbul. Now she lives in Germany, which she always dreamed of, with the experience of a professional chef :)

We haven't been able to meet for a long time, and we are together with Fatma at the "Özlenen Muhabbetler".

When you say longing and “muhabbet", you know, I immediately set up a rakı table. Welcome again. As someone who has lived abroad for about 15 years, what is your experience in this matter?

During my student years, especially as time passes, if one can continue their routines in their own country here, that longing can be alleviated. For example, sensitivity to Turkish music, rakı, mezzes and meals. Therefore, in those years, we used to gather with our friends and make rakı nights. As a person who is keen on cuisine, I used to prepare a variety of mezzes. On the one hand, we would listen Müzeyyen Senar. These gatherings would make us very happy and motivated. Because, in our culture, eating is not just feeding. The tables set up together, the conversation “muhabbet" there, the music that comes with the rakı and mezzes, the pleasant mood of the people… This is totally beautiful atmosphere and experience. We come from a culture based on unity rather than individuality. In Northern Europe, on the contrary, individuality is at the forefront. This situation surprised me a lot during my first student years. That's why we always gathered around rakı tables full of muhabbet.

As we say in Turkish: “every hero eats yoghurt differently". Well, what are your must-haves or unique routines on your rakı table?

First of all, cheese. I never drink rakı without cheese. A spicy mezze and something with yogurt. Let these three and Yeni Rakı be enough. I may continue my life very happy. I drink my rakı double; but I prefer it with a little water and plenty of ice. While drinking rakı, there is an atmosphere that everyone is used to, and there I always want a sea and a sunset. That's why I like to drink in the afternoon at sunset. At that moment, with the color changes in nature, everything seems to be more peaceful, calm, beautiful and more enjoyable.

Where is the place that is suitable for the atmosphere you are describing and brings the pleasure to the top?

Kalpazankaya in Burgaza is a place I only go to watch the sunset with rakı.

I wish it would be the same in Germany, but unfortunately it does not exist. Do you think there is a place in Germany that suits this atmosphere?

In Hamburg, the day sets over the river and offers wonderful views. While watching the sunset there, I thought that there would actually be a nice rakı table when the weather got warmer.

Since we are abroad, we have more chance to try different cuisines. Was there a product / food that you said “That suits well our rakı"?

There is a fish called matjes in German cuisine. They make a nice raw salad with dill and onions with this fish, like our sea bass marinade. And I liken the kabeljau to the minekop. I think it will be a nice match with rakı.

New year is coming and most of us will be setting up rakı tables. While I have found you, I want to get a chef tip from you. A few years ago, a very long rakı table was set up in the Historical Çiçek Pasajı, and you had prepared a liver that tasted vivacious in my palate / mind, "Lamb Liver with Blood Orange on Hummus, Onion Salad and Sumac Pastry Crisps". Even as I said it, my mouth flowed again. Can we prepare this in our kitchens with the ingredients here?

You can definitely. The most important ingredient, a good fresh lamb liver, is easily available in Turkish butchers. The tricks for a good liver are to take blood before cooking, the degree of cooking and the cooking time. My chef's secret, which I will explain here for the first time, is to get the liver a little bit bloody from the stove because it is cooked a little more while waiting. Thus, it remains soft. Right now I have revealed a big chef secret! Next to it, onion salad. I used Anatolian plum molasses for its sauce. Here, plum-based vinegar can be used as an alternative. For sumac crunch, apply a sumac oil on the dough, crunch it in the oven and serve it next to the liver. The best of blood oranges is already here, take it out in thin pieces and place it between the lungs so that they can be fully enjoyed. It will create a delightful balance.

Wow! A recipe from a Chef with professional secrets for offal and rakı lovers. Thank you very much. I'll try it for sure, I'm sure it will cheer up my rakı table :)

We sometimes dream unlimited at rakı tables. My question is who would you like to have at your dream rakı table regardless of time and space?

I would like to be around a rakı table with Sezen Aksu, Müzeyyen Senar, Şener Şen and Metin Akpınar. As far as I have heard, these people are people who love to drink rakı and are famous with their rakı tables. I would like to listen all stories they tell with their experiences in life at the rakı table. I think it would be a very enjoyable “muhabbet".

It is such a table that one wants to spend his entire life. This atmosphere, with its mezzes, music and muhabbet, is a culture where we feel safe and proudly tell foreigners. As a chef, I know that with your re-arrival in Germany, there is also a purpose to promote Turkish food and culture more. I was wondering, in your 15 years of experience in Germany, how do you think the perception of Turkish Cuisine here? Have there been any changes since then?

Although I love to try foreign cuisines and cook their meals, I do not think there is any other cuisine that is as rich and different as Turkish Cuisine. Therefore, as a chef, I want to convey our culinary culture and food accurately. When a German friend eats a meal I cook at home, there are storms in her eyes, they like it very much and they are very surprised. However, the food I cook is just green beans that we often cook in our homes. But it is not known. When unknown, they continue their own habits. There are still unknown dishes but it is changing slowly and I think it will change more in the future.

For example, the availability and accessibility of Turkish products in accordance with the original has increased a lot. The product range has expanded very much, there is almost no product that I could not find; roll-assorted leaves, pickles... Because of the past nothingness, some products especially the mezzes was taking place on the shelves in customized shapes and resemble the originals in Turkey. Now, with the increase in the quality and variety of the material, Turkish supermarkets with original products have reached the same level as German supermarkets. It has been highly professionalized. This, in turn, has positively changed the Germans' perspective on Turkish materials and broke prejudices. In recent years, those who are more open to and interested in Turkish Cuisine, it is known that we have a cuisine beyond döner and kebab; for example, mezzes and rakı. They know that rakı is not Ouzo but "Rakı"; it is something else and belongs to Turkish Cuisine.

I agree, we have many stories and values to proudly tell. Thank you very much for this pleasant muhabbet :)

Who is Damaktan Dimağa?

Özge, aka @damaktandimaga, has been sharing gastronomy tips that will make her dining experiences special over the @damaktandimaga account since 2012. While in Turkey, she has contributed to the promotion of local food culture by visiting the city's most Anatolia. In addition to her account, she shared his experiences at various university lectures and gastronomy conferences. After moving to the Netherlands at the end of 2019, she shares her recipes from the Mediterranean & Turkish Cuisine in English and Turkish on her page. At the same time, she promotes Turkish Cuisine by organizing "Online Turkish Cuisine" workshops. “Turkish Cuisine is thought to consist of kebab and döner; However, it is beyond that, reaching as many people as possible and making our other dishes known. At the same time, Özge, an Industrial Engineer, is currently working as a full-time digital marketing manager for an international firm.