Stews & stories

Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey was recently added to the UNESCO World Creative Cities Network in the category of gastronomy. This is a city with a deep history of cuisine with countless stories and legends attached to its numerous dishes. Here is one, and more:

The story is about a groom and a wedding which almost turned into a disaster. It is a story remembered and recited every time a dish of kabaklama appears on the table. Kabaklama, a humble stew of winter squash and lamb, is so well-liked that it has become a traditional wedding dish in Gaziantep. There is nothing elaborate about it; on the contrary, it is like any other tasty stew of the town, except for maybe the use of a pale, yellowish, white-fleshed winter squash that makes the whole difference. That particular wedding, there was a miscalculation and there was not enough kabaklama for everyone. It was gone before it was served to the groom, who was apparently very fond of the dish. Having left without tasting a single spoonful, the groom was very cross and stormed off, shouting, "Let whoever ate my kabaklama marry the bride and go to the nuptial chamber!"

Whether anyone really carried their love of kabaklama to such an extreme is unknown, but it is certainly one of the best-loved dishes in Gaziantep cuisine. Though when it comes to favorite dishes of Gaziantep citizens, the choices are numerous, along with the stories attached to them? The ubiquitous ezogelin soup served all over Turkey year-round is actually based on a Gaziantep recipe for lentil soup. The name derives from a story about a young girl name Ezo Gelin, the eponymous tragic bride of a traditional folktale who was sent across the border to marry a man from Syria and remained separated from her family and village for the rest...