Serving the food of Istanbul to local explorers of cuisine

Savoury doner kebabs and potato-filled rotis served alongside sweet baklava and trilece introduced Polokwane to the tastes of Istanbul during this weekend’s Turkish Food Festival, when local food explorers were treated to Middle-Eastern delights.
The festival at the Sal Sabila Islamic Centre in Nirvana had been a collaboration by the education programme of Universal Islamic Cultural Trust (UICT), Enderun College with a branch in Polokwane, a food company and a travel agent, explained UICT North West Regional Director Hamza Hira. He elaborated saying charitable organisation UICT, a holistic eduction centre with 40 branches across South Africa, had commenced with its work in the country in 2000. It is aimed at, among others, rendering education, empowering communities, operating a feeding scheme and borehole project as well as steering outreach and fundraising action.
Joining him was UICT Limpopo Regional Director Fatih Dursun, who mentioned that the food festival that ran from Friday to Sunday was the second to be held in Polo­kwane this year after the first in mid-May. As Hira explained, they had brought Istanbul to Polokwane with the festival. Similar food festivals are being held across South Africa with events planned for Pretoria, Cape Town and a venue in KwaZulu-Natal in near future.
It was learnt that the Polokwane occasion granted Turkish citizens, of whom an estimated 200 persons reside in Limpopo, the opportunity to develop a relationship with the community and demonstrate student involvement in their activities. Volunteers from the community, who are based in Polokwane and elsewhere in the province and even as far as Harare in Zimbabwe, as well as students attached to the project offered their assistance at the stalls enclosing the makeshift courtyard.
Adjacent to the main seating area women from the community gathered in a tent to engage in the tradition of making pancake-shaped rotis, destined for being filled with either mince, cheese or potato. In their presence references to food, like iskender and nanti, took shape in the mind of the visitor who was introduced to the rolling of dough into paper thin rounds with wooden rolling pins before being baked over a low wood-burning stove, that was apparently brought out to Polokwane four years ago.
Lunch was a delicious ensemble of meat on the coals and a skewer with chicken, onion and tomato dished up with potato-filled roti on the side. Saturday’s simmering heat was instantly forgotten when Turkish tea was served and the scene set for discussion that adopted somewhat of an international flavour.

Story and photos: YOLANDE NEL
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