[Sca-cooks] Manti

[Christiane]

Last night, we went to the other Turkish restaurant for dinner. My husband stuck with doner kebab, but I tried manti, a Turkish meat-filled ravioli. I am now hooked.

The ravioli were small, triangular, and homemade, with a perfect pasta covering surrounding delicately spiced ground meat. They came bathed in a sauce of yogurt, garlic, and cayenne pepper with a little butter. Maybe a touch of sour cream. No tomato.

So, I went looking online today for manti references, and one I pulled up was a reference from "Serving the Guest: a Sufi Cookbook and Art Gallery." The reference said manti were one of the most ancient dishes in Turkic cuisine. How ancient, I don't know. Does "Medieval Arab Cookery" make mention of them? (by the end of July this book should be mine, mine, mine, I have a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com).

Gianotta