Between Two Rivers

March 6, 2024 On the evening of March 6, the Friends of the Kitchen gathered for a “Friends’ Dinner” themed “Between Two Rivers,” bringing the flavors of the fertile lands between the Tigris and Euphrates to the table. The evening began with a glass of Ni&Ce rosé, made from grapes grown in the vineyards of Kilis—right in this region. Following a ceremonial opening of the evening by the 18th-term board of directors, the special menu prepared by Cenap Öztekin Varol, chef at Arça Restaurant & Grill, began to be served. The menu began with “terettür”—an old-fashioned recipe for lettuce tarator with walnuts and tahini—and continued with cumin-spiced fetteh with chickpeas, Antep-style dried eggplant dolma stuffed with walnuts, fellah meatballs, lolaz—broad beans—piyaz, Kilis-style mücver; öcce, and Gavurdağ salad with sürk cheese. All the yogurt-based meze were made using dorak yogurt, strained through dorak stone from the Ağırnas region of Kayseri. For the entrees, following Bitlis-style liver taplama, kibbeh, and Antakya-style walnut and meat-stuffed berek mantı, the main course—incasiye, which originates from Mardin and extends all the way to the palace, combining meat with fruits—was served with firik pilaf. At the end of the evening, Aleppo-style burma kadayif delighted the palates. Chef Varol, who had a brief conversation with association president Esin Sungur during the evening, expressed his delight that the lesser-known or forgotten culinary treasures of the Fertile Crescent region were once again finding their place on tables thanks to the Friends of the Kitchen dinner. The evening concluded with the presentation of certificates of appreciation to the kitchen and service staff.