Got a hankering for some kebabs?
You’re in luck because those are just one of the items that will be on the menu at the 2015 Turkish Food Festival on Saturday. This is the fifth year for the event, which is organized by and located at the Little Rock Raindrop Turkish House.
The Raindrop Turkish House states its mission is to promote diversity, dialogue and friendship among different cultures and people in Arkansas. The Raindrop House was founded in 2000 as a nonprofit and operates in eight states: Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee and Louisiana.
“We don’t have huge numbers in Arkansas,” says Rasid Avsar, director of the Little Rock Raindrop Turkish House. “We have 1,000 Turkish-Americans in central Arkansas, with 350 to 500 in Little Rock.”
The Turkish culture includes millions of people in homelands spanning from Europe to China, Avsar says. The diverse homelands are also reflected in the food. Avsar says Turkish food from the West, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, uses lots of olives and that food from the East uses lots of rice.
Staples most identified with Turkish food will be at the festival. Probably the most famous Turkish food, the doner kebab, will be available. The doner kebab is sliced meat that may be served wrapped in a cone of flatbread. It is a common fast food in Turkey.
One of the dishes that Avsar recommends is Sarma. Sarma is a dish of grape, cabbage, monk’s rhubarb or chard leaves rolled around a filling. The filling is usually a minced meat or phyllo dough wrapped around chopped nuts.
Avsar says the food is made with fresh products and that none of it will be processed. He says there will also be vegetarian options.
Baklava, of course, will be among the pastries. The layered phyllo pastry filled with chopped nuts and held together with honey is one of the most well-known deserts of the Turkish.
DJ Caner, of Little Rock, will be spinning music from noon to 2:20 p.m. at the event, which includes both American and Turkish songs with remixes. Caner is originally from Turkey.
There will also be traditional music played by a group of University of Central Arkansas students from Kazakhstan.
Admission to the Turkish Food Festival is free, but guests must purchase food tickets in order to eat. Each food ticket is $1, and the amount of tickets needed to eat depends on the dish. Tickets can be bought by check or credit card, Avsar says.
The Little Rock Raindrop Turkish House is located at 1501 Market St. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.