The combination of spiced ground beef and lamb wrapped up in small packets of dough, boiled for a time then covered in lashings of yoghurt, red pepper sauce, sumac, garlic and dried mint make up a culinary delight of Anatolia known as Mantı This dish is aesthetically pleasing, its flavours complement one another beautifully and its heaviness makes for one of the most enjoyable authentic comfort foods found within the region. This dish has been widely consumed since the days of the Ottoman Empire and is even said to have been a personal favourite amongst sultans and their subjects alike. In more contemporary times the dish is used in a traditional pre-wedding ceremony in Turkey using a particular type of Mantı from the city of Kayseri known as ‘Kayseri Mantısı’. In this tradition the mother of the groom visits the bride before the wedding who prepares Mantı for her and attempts to make each piece as small as possible in a bid to fit 40 pieces on one spoon. A task said to be even trickier than it sounds. But there is more to Mantı than its taste, appearance and its place within contemporary Turkish culinary culture.
The origins of Mantı can be traced back as far as Northern China and Mongolia to the homelands of the Turkic Tribes which would come to inherit Anatolia in later years, with the word Mantı itself originating from the Chinese ‘mantou’ meaning dumpling. From there, Turkic tribes brought the dish with them as they made their great migration from the Central Asian Steppes to the Middle East and Anatolia. In each country that was traversed by these nomadic tribes a form of Mantı is found which makes this dish a symbol of Turkish cultural heritage and Anatolia’s continuous deep connection with Central Asian cultures whilst also representing a trail of breadcrumbs which depict the enormous distances that the original Turkic tribes had crossed before reaching Anatolia. Mantı is not just a dish that represents Turkish cultural heritage as it is also a staple of Armenian culinary culture. With Turks and Armenians living within Eastern Anatolia for centuries under Ottoman rule many cultural aspects from language to food have been shared and adopted. Today poor relations between Turkey and Armenia persist and with borders being closed since 1993 Mantı is regarded by many on both sides to be a part of their own cultural heritage and theirs alone. But, by both having this dish as an integral part of their identity it tells of a time when the cultural shape of Eastern Anatolia was very different to that of today with many Turks and Armenians living side by side for centuries despite their religious and cultural differences. Unfortunately, these days are lost to the pages of history but with such cultural ties found through food such as Mantı, the deep historical and cultural connection between these two ethnicities can never be forgotten.
Mantı is more than just a delicious dish which puts a smile on your face and leaves one full to the brim, but it is also a symbol of Turkish cultural heritage and represents the ethnic diversity of Anatolia and certain aspects of the region’s history.
For anyone interested in how to make Mantı, two videos have been attached below with step-by-step instructions. The top video is in English and the 2nd in Turkish.
Afiyet Olsun.
