Stroll through Istanbul in Karachi this weekend
Three-day festival offers Turkish food, music and handicrafts
PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN
KARACHI:
The one-kilometre-long food street at Port Grand will transform into a classical Turkish alley, offering Turkish music, cuisine, and photo booths with cut-outs of traditional and historical landmarks.
The three-day Grand Turkish Festival will kick off at 5pm and end at midnight on all three days starting today. The entry ticket is for Rs500.
Global village: Take a bite of Turkish cuisine at grand festival
Over 100 food outlets will be offering signature dishes from Turkey. "There will be 60 performances in these three days," shared Shahid Feroz, one of the organisers. Other than the food and music, Turkish lamps, accessories, jewellery and calligraphy will also be up for sale. "The place will be dressed up in Turkish theme," he said.
Food for the soul
Fuzon the band will be jamming along with several Turkish artists, who will be performing on various genres from classical and folk to pop and contemporary, including dance performances. A band that calls itself 'Saltanat Muzik' will be performing with traditional instruments, such as oud, clarinet, piano, trumpets, etc. "The music and dance performances are being completely managed by the consulate and their [Turkish] government," said Hira Mohammed, another organiser.
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Food for the stomach
For those who have tasted Turkish kebabs, the festival is not going to disappoint. Owner of local Turkish restaurant in Karachi, Lala I Rumi, Rizwan Malik has prepared his savoury and sweet menu. Beyti kebab, Adana and skandar kebab are some of the specialities that his restaurant is offering. "The chilli used in Turkish food is very different from the one commonly used in local dishes," he explained. "It's very red but not as spicy as the one used here. Normally spices are marinated to give the rich Turkish flavour," he said.
Malik along with his Turkish chef partner have two stalls and one dine-in gazebo planned for the festival. The gazebo will offer complete but selective meals while the stalls will offer famous street food with the likes of hummus, kumpir (jacket potato) and doner kebab.
To indulge your sweet tooth, Turkish dessert will have the distinctive Mediterranean and Arab touch to it. Be sure to find kunafa (vermicelli with cheese stuffing) and revani (sponge cake dipped in syrup) on the sweet menu complemented by Turkish tea and coffee.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2016.
The one-kilometre-long food street at Port Grand will transform into a classical Turkish alley, offering Turkish music, cuisine, and photo booths with cut-outs of traditional and historical landmarks.
The three-day Grand Turkish Festival will kick off at 5pm and end at midnight on all three days starting today. The entry ticket is for Rs500.
Global village: Take a bite of Turkish cuisine at grand festival
Over 100 food outlets will be offering signature dishes from Turkey. "There will be 60 performances in these three days," shared Shahid Feroz, one of the organisers. Other than the food and music, Turkish lamps, accessories, jewellery and calligraphy will also be up for sale. "The place will be dressed up in Turkish theme," he said.
Food for the soul
Fuzon the band will be jamming along with several Turkish artists, who will be performing on various genres from classical and folk to pop and contemporary, including dance performances. A band that calls itself 'Saltanat Muzik' will be performing with traditional instruments, such as oud, clarinet, piano, trumpets, etc. "The music and dance performances are being completely managed by the consulate and their [Turkish] government," said Hira Mohammed, another organiser.
Pakistan Mountain Festival: Festival peaks on Int’l Mountains Day
Food for the stomach
For those who have tasted Turkish kebabs, the festival is not going to disappoint. Owner of local Turkish restaurant in Karachi, Lala I Rumi, Rizwan Malik has prepared his savoury and sweet menu. Beyti kebab, Adana and skandar kebab are some of the specialities that his restaurant is offering. "The chilli used in Turkish food is very different from the one commonly used in local dishes," he explained. "It's very red but not as spicy as the one used here. Normally spices are marinated to give the rich Turkish flavour," he said.
Malik along with his Turkish chef partner have two stalls and one dine-in gazebo planned for the festival. The gazebo will offer complete but selective meals while the stalls will offer famous street food with the likes of hummus, kumpir (jacket potato) and doner kebab.
To indulge your sweet tooth, Turkish dessert will have the distinctive Mediterranean and Arab touch to it. Be sure to find kunafa (vermicelli with cheese stuffing) and revani (sponge cake dipped in syrup) on the sweet menu complemented by Turkish tea and coffee.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2016.