Grand Millennium hosts a Turkish Cultural and Cuisine Week, with Ottoman themed food churned out by celebrity Turkish Chef Sinen Ozler and team, and culminating in a ‘Grand Ottoman and Oman Night’ on May 26

The tingling strains of the santoor played by popular Turkish musician Sedat Anar seem to usher in a mood that’s relaxed, yet mystifying…and the smoky aromas of grilled meats and tantalising mezzes that escort you to your table promise an evening of bliss.

When you enter Bahriyat restaurant at Grand Millennium where a Turkish Cultural and Cuisine Week is currently underway, you realise that food is just one element in relating to the vibrant cultural cauldron of Turkey. At the entrance, there are artists who display their prowess with porcelain as well as canvases with traditional designs and murals that convey, not just legendary Turkish arts and crafts, but also the pulse of a populace that’s hospitable and friendly to the core.

As Anar’s renditions set the tone for evening, you realise that his belief in music as a ‘divine calling’ stems from the fact that it appeals to the heart, sans language barriers. And as you take delight in the traditional music, you soon find your appetite building up, and the magnetic pull from the buffet table eventually gets you into its sway.

The food on display included a vibrant spread of cold mezzes that included colourful salads and labneh-based dips, sesame crusted breads, kebabs, popular baked eggplant dishes with couscous and tomato-based sauces, grilled lamb shanks, stuffed chicken breasts, beef stew, chicken rice, baked beans, lentils balls, and a variety of typical Turkish desserts, including the ever-popular baklava and milk and date-based puddings.

Chef Vito Fornelli, the resident Executive Chef, said, “The cuisine and menu has been decided by the visiting Chef Sinem Ozler. This includes Ankara Casserole (oven baked lamb shanks), chicken breast stuffed with chicken mince and spinach, Albanian liver, and chicken with rice.”

Asked what distinguishes Turkish cuisine from other cuisines in the Middle East and Europe, Chef Vito said, “Basically, Turkish cuisine is very simple and natural. The chefs want the ingredients themselves to speak – so there is not too much of marination or use of spices. It is simple food with its orginal taste. Ottoman cuisine is just like classic ‘mamma-made’ food without too much of mixing or blending with other cuisines. However, the final night will have a big spread and live stations of Turkish and Omani cuisines – both, recipes from the visiting chef as well as from the hotel.”

The Turkish Cultural and Cuisine Week, with allied events at Bait al Zubair Museum, has been organised in association with the Embassy of Turkey and Turkish Airlines which has flown in Turkish artists and celebrity chef Sinem Ozler who has taken great care to create a cuisine for this event that presents the best of traditional Ottoman Turkish cuisine.

And, as H E Ayse Sozen Usluer, Ambassdor of Turkey, puts it, “Turkey has a vibrant culture and we have organised this event to showcase the culture and cuisine of Turkey to people from different countries in Oman. It will create an interest for them to visit Turkey.”

The highlight of this week, however, is the ‘Grand Ottoman and Oman Night’ at Taybat restaurant on May 26 wherein guests will have an opportunity to savour delicious dishes from Turkey as well as Oman in a bid to celebrate the friendly cultural ties between both countries. There will be special musical renditions as well as displays by the attending Turkish artists to make this day a fitting finale of the Turkish Week.