Çiya Sofrası is an Istanbul restaurant and simultaneously a culinary project focused on rescuing and serving forgotten recipes from all over Anatolia.
Upon entering the establishment, located in the lively Kadıköy district on the Asian side of the city, you won’t be dazzled by a luxurious interior, but rather by a long counter with stainless steel containers hiding dozens of types of stews and soups. Deep green herb sauces, dark red ragouts with pomegranate, and golden-roasted meats.
The food looks homely, honest, and hearty, exactly how a grandmother in the Turkish countryside would prepare it, if she had the best possible ingredients at her disposal.
Behind the project stands chef Musa Dağdeviren, whose approach to cooking could be described more as culinary anthropology. Musa hails from the town of Nizip in southeastern Turkey and, since childhood, perceived how traditional recipes were fading away with the passing of the older generation. Instead of adapting to modern trends, he began traveling to remote villages, speaking with the elders, and writing down procedures that had not been recorded anywhere.
His work gained worldwide attention thanks to an episode in the Chef’s Table series on Netflix, which showed viewers that Turkish cuisine is incredibly diverse.
The foundation of the cuisine at Çiya is absolute respect for seasonality and regional ingredients, which are often surprising to a Central European. Fruit plays a key role in meat dishes. It is not about sweet desserts, but about utilizing the acidity and tartness of unripe fruit. You will commonly encounter braised lamb with unripe almonds, plums, quinces, or medlars here. This acidity, often supported by sumac or thick pomegranate molasses, is essential for balancing the fattiness of the meat. Various wild herbs and grasses that the chefs gather in the mountains are also an important component.
At the time of my visit, the menu included, for example, lamb with onion, chestnuts, chickpeas, and turmeric, a hearty soup “analı kızlı” with bulgur, lamb, chickpeas, and onion, or stuffed dried vegetables. All the food was perfectly seasoned; some combinations were quite unconventional.
As a dessert, the restaurant offers, for example, candied fruit and vegetables – walnut, tomato, pumpkin, or eggplant. The restaurant staff is very pleasant, and you can communicate with them in English without any problems. If you want to go to the restaurant for dinner, I recommend a reservation.
Enjoy the interesting regional Turkish cuisine!
Restaurant website: ciya.com.tr
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2 Comments
It is; indeed, one of the best restaurants in the world. It was a taste empire of the senses. I cannot recommend it enough.
Also, simply put; the best desserts I’ve ever had in my life, coupled with ‘Oregano’ tea. Wow!
Nice!