Pacifica's Festival Dishes Up Best of Anatolian Cuisine

LOS ANGELES, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost a ton (metric) of homemade dumplings are ready to be served at the Second Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival, which celebrates the region's rich cuisine, along with its music and history.

The festival will run May 6 to May 9, 2010 at the OC Great Park in Irvine (www.anatolianfestival.org).

The dime-sized delicacies known as "manti," were prepared by an army of volunteer cooks in Southern California and will be offered with a large selection of other regional foods. The dumplings were a big hit at last year's event, which drew almost 30,000 visitors, and vendors sold out of them on the third day.

"This year we are expecting a lot more people and we are confident that we'll satisfy everybody's appetite for good food and for knowledge of an exciting culture," said Atilla Kahveci, Vice President of the Pacifica Institute, the Los Angeles-based non-profit organization hosting the festival. (www.pacificainstitute.org)

The wide array of foods will be available at an area styled after the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, with up to 100 food and craft stalls. Vendors will dish up favorites like kebabs, pilavs (rice) and baklava, and more unusual offerings like stuffed vegetables, flat breads made-to-order and soups like "tarhana," made from a sun-dried paste of cracked wheat and yoghurt.

Charles Perry, the renowned food writer and historian, will give a talk on Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9 explaining the history of these foods. He will also sign copies of his book "A Baghdad Cookery Book Newly Translated," a translation of a 13th century cookbook that influenced Anatolian cooking. Perry currently writes for Zester Daily (http://zesterdaily.com)

The festival will also feature street vendors selling simits (a type of sesame pretzel), corn and juices, while one of the most popular items is again expected to be the Maras ice-cream, a stretchy orchid-flavored frozen dessert from Eastern Turkey.

New this year is a traditional coffee house where festival-goers can enjoy the traditional thick, espresso-like drink. Professional chefs and home cooks from Turkey will also be on hand giving cooking classes.

Tickets and information are available at www.anatolianfestival.org, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 310-208-7290.

SOURCE Pacifica Institute

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