PILAFS
 Rice has spread out of China to other
cultures, and to the Turkish culture.
Custom was to eat pilaf just before
the dessert to clean the palate, accompanied by hosaf-compote of dried fruits,
by the Ottomans, whereas it turned out to be eaten as a side dish served with
meat or vegetable dishes or pulses nowadays.
Pilafs have possessed an essential
part in the kitchens of the Palace and the
populace, possible to be eaten both at lunch and at dinner. Rice pilaf with
chicken and chick pea is so common that it is sold by street vendors. Schools
present pilaf to graduates at commemoration days which are named "pilaf
days". Turkish cuisine gives the same importance to pilaf as Western
cuisines give to potatoes.
The basic ingredient in pilafs are
either rice, bulgur (boiled and cracked wheat) or vermicelli. There are
varieties of pilafs cooked by adding onion, tomato, vegetables, nuts, herbs,
poultry, or meat or combinations of these but generally cooked plain, namely
with butter, water and salt.
Rice pilaf is the most common variety.
Cooking this pilaf suitably (a good pilaf is white, unsticky, scenty and
odorful) is a measure of ability in cooking for the housewives. After pilaf is
simmered, it is covered with a cotton cloth to absorb excess humidity. Pilafs
are preferably made of long grain rice and shorter types reserved to be used in
soups, stuffings and meatballs. Rural areas and Southeastern Anatolia prefer
bulgur as it is easier to obtain and cheaper. Bulgur pilaf is cooked with
onions and tomatoes and is eaten with yoghurt.
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