Thursday, November 18th, 2004

Well, I had a new experience today. I had been boasting to some of my co-workers at Ankara University that I loved trying new foods, any food. I’ll try anything once. And so Okan, my good friend, says, “Ok, I know something you should try. It’s made from lamb.” Great, I love lamb! “Alright, let’s go out for lunch.”

We headed out in his car, along with another guy, and ended up at a restaurant featuring kokoreç, the lamb dish of which Okan spoke. We ordered it. The food was served in toasted bread, like a sandwich, and seemed to be some sort of mixture, with lots of spices, maybe red pimento, thyme and cumin. This is lamb? “Yes, try it!” I ate the whole thing. It was really nice; spicy and a little chewy but very flavorful. So what is it?

“Well, it’s not really lamb meat. It’s their insides.” What? After a few more questions, I managed to deduct that kokoreç is nothing more than seasoned lamb intestines! Wow. This is a new level of food experimentation for me! Fortunately, the restaurant we dined at was very clean and trustworthy. So I’m not worried about mad sheep disease or anything like that. But wow… intestines!

I really like kokoreç. It’s tasty and different. If I had known I might not have eaten it, but I did, and I’m glad I did. I will never buy it off the street; only from very good restaurants. But I think I’ll try it again some day!

Here’s a nice little article about kokoreç to tell you a bit more:

Intestinal fortitude is pride of Turkey