Cogo the Turk

Even Turkey decided to enter the agon of globalised cuisine, in particular from the outpost of Alaçati, a touristic destination located in the Aegean region, near Izmir. And they did so a few days after the opening of Massimo Bottura’s restaurant at Eataly in Istanbul, with the aim of lighting up a new hotbed in the international gastronomic scene. Mediterranean scene, in fact, given the nationalities of the guests: Tunisian Rafik Tlatli, of hotel Les Jasmins di Nabeul, Lebanese Joe Barza, who from Beirut carries on his culinary consultant activity all around the world, and our own Lorenzo Cogo, straight from Marano Vicentino.

After this experimental edition, the intention of the organisers and the authorities is to create a yearly event, always following the theme of the “forgotten flavours” and their rediscovery, a task assigned to an army of Turkish housewives who spread some homely aromas in the streets. The programme also included the presentation of Annesininkizin’dan, a book dedicated to the codification of traditions, whose authors, mixed in couples of mothers and daughters, offered a hands-on demonstration of the recipes. The area has various very interesting productions, among which Arabic gum, or mastic, obtained thanks to an incision to lentiscus.

An ingredient commonly used in the food industry thanks to its texturizing propriety, of which the resin and balsamic aromas are given value to, and to its bitter finish, for the production of drinks, and especially in pastry making and ice-creams. It’s a true philosopher’s substance in this part of Turkey, and it’s been the subject of a workshop by Sema Temizkan and Maria Ekmekçioğlu, together with lavender halva and Turkish coffee. In general, the cuisine has strong Greek influences, given the geographical and cultural closeness (the place itself was largely built by Greek workers and recalls the architecture and colours of the neighbouring nation).

So there’s a large use of the endless range of aromatic herbs, with scents that sometimes recall anise, and sometimes are balsamic, in synergy with the freshness of yogurt and lemon, in contrast with the hot spices, by creating between pseudo-caloric sensations that seem like a gastronomic shadow play. The darling of the congress Lorenzo Cogo presented two dishes to the audience. To begin with, a Risotto with smoked provola and Champagne, with a provocative al dente cooking when compared to local tradition; then came the Simply red, a strawberry carpaccio whose synaesthesia is emphasized by fermented strawberry juice, sorbet-style frozen wild strawberries, heart of tomato, Sichuan pepper and a gelatine made with a reduction of smoked red pepper, giving and almost metal like note recalling blood.

«The forgotten flavours represent contemporaneity in the kitchen», he declared, echoing Salomon according to whom «novelty is oblivion». While Barza chose to re-interpret a Turkish stew with bread called taratoor; Tlatli a “coussiella”, a cross of couscous and paella marked by Mediterranean syncretism.