United States

Usually accompanied by a glass of milk or a cup of hot tea or coffee, chocolate chip cookies are well balanced between salty and sweet in flavor, tenderly chewy in texture, and filled with small melting chocolate pyramids, bringing a generation of Americans back to their childhood. The origin story of these sweet treats is incredibly interesting, almost as the cookies themselves. The Toll House Inn was a popular bed-and-breakfast in Whitman, Massachusetts, bought by Ruth Graves Wakefield and her husband in 1930. Ruth's cooking was so good that the inn gained an excellent reputation in a short span of time. Enter Duncan Hines, a traveling salesman from Kentucky who began compiling a list of the best roadside eateries in 1935. First, he included the Toll House Inn's Indian pudding on the list, and a decade later, he also included the chocolate chip cookies that we all know and love today. Ruth was baking chocolate cookies when she found out that she didn't have any more baker's chocolate. Instead, she used a new, semisweet chocolate that she got from her friend Andrew Nestl&eacute;, broke it into small pieces, and places them in her batter for buttered sugar cookies. The chocolate didn't melt like she thought it would, and the result was a cookie that Ruth originally called the Toll House chocolate crunch cookie. The Boston press published her recipe, and the sales of both Nestl&eacute; chocolate and the cookies skyrocketed. Nestl&eacute; and Wakefield made a deal - he would print the recipe on the chocolate, and she would get a lifetime supply of chocolate. The recipe is printed on the chocolate package up to this day, giving everyone a chance to make their own chocolate chip cookies.

Chocolate chip cookie

Tahinli sütlaç

Kuzu İncik, or Lamb Shank, is a dish of pure comfort and slow-cooked perfection. It features the shank of the lamb, braised for hours with vegetables, herbs, and sometimes wine or tomato paste until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender. The collagen in the shank breaks down during the slow cooking, creating a gelatinous, rich sauce that coats the meat. Often served with mashed potatoes, vegetable puree, or rice pilaf, it is a centerpiece dish for Sunday dinners and special occasions.

Lamb Shank

Tas kebabi is a Turkish stew made with lamb, beef, or veal cubes simmered with onions, tomatoes, red wine, garlic, and spices such as cumin, bay leaves, and allspice. The stew is slowly cooked until all the ingredients are tender and succulent. Tas kebabi is typically served with rice, mashed potatoes, or fried potatoes on the side.

Tas kebabı

Trifle is a classic British dessert made by layering pieces of sponge cake, fruit jams or fruit pur&eacute;e, and egg custard. The sponge is usually soaked in fortified wine or brandy such as sherry, port, or Marsala, and the whole dessert is commonly topped with whipped cream. Trifle is traditionally prepared in glass bowls, and the classic version is often altered with various flavorings and additions such as chocolate, jelly, nuts, glac&eacute; cherries, as well as fruit juice or soft drinks in a non-alcoholic version. The familiar form of trifle was well-known by the Victorian era, but unlike today, it was primarily made to make use of leftover sponge cakes and custards. Similar desserts can be found in Scotland (tipsy laird) and the Southern United States (tipsy cake).

Trifle

Sırık Kebabı is a traditional whole-roasted lamb dish originating from the Çorum region of Turkey. The name 'sırık' refers to the long wooden pole or spit on which the entire lamb is skewered. The lamb is slowly rotated over a wood fire for several hours, allowing it to cook evenly and baste in its own juices. This slow-roasting method results in meat that is exceptionally tender and flavorful, with a crispy, golden skin. Unlike other kebabs, Sırık Kebabı is an event in itself, often prepared for special occasions, large gatherings, or festivals. Served with simple accompaniments like onions and bread, the focus remains entirely on the succulent meat.

Pole Kebab

Patates Kızartması

A specialty of the city of Bursa, İskender kebap is named after a butcher called İskender Efendi, who first prepared this flavorful dish. It consists of thinly sliced lamb that is grilled and combined with a spicy tomato sauce and pita bread, while melted sheep butter and yogurt are traditionally drizzled over the dish at the table. It is recommended to pair this kebap with şıra, a Turkish beverage that is known to aid digestion.

İskender kebap

A quintessential American food, burger evolved from the German Deutsches beefsteak, according to the New York Times food critic Mimi Sheraton. Its other name (hamburger) is a result of the fact that many German immigrants originally came from the port of Hamburg. Burger is a succulent dish consisting of, ideally, medium-rare seared beef patties tucked in fresh, lightly toasted buns, accompanied by onion slices and ketchup or Dijon mustard. Of course, there is a variety of other condiments and vegetables such as salad greens and tomatoes, but they tend to turn the meat cold, according to Mrs. Sheraton. If cheese is added, it should be mozzarella, Gruyere or Cheddar, slightly melting and mildly pungent. It is yet unclear who first thought to encase the beef patties with buns. Giovanni Ballarini, a food historian, says that the immigrants were given grilled meat between sliced of bread, so there would be no plates involved, and no water was wasted for washing the dishes. Hannah Glasse first mentioned a Hamburg "sausage" in her 1747 cookbook The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy, defining it as a chopped mixture of beef and spices that should be served with toast. Or maybe it was Charlie Nagreen, a meatball seller from Wisconsin, who, in 1885, decided to put meatballs between bread so the consumers could eat them while walking at a country fair where he worked. Today, toppings and accompaniments vary from region to region, but for an original version one should visit Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, serving the burgers since 1900, and claiming to be the oldest burger joint in the United States. Whatever the theories about the origin of burgers may be, and there are a lot of them, it is a convenient, simple and hearty meal that most meat lovers will gladly indulge in.

Burger

Kokoreç is one of the most iconic and beloved street foods in Turkey, a delicacy that is as famous for its unique preparation as it is for its bold, savory flavor. It consists of lamb or goat intestines wrapped tightly around seasoned offal—typically sweetbreads, hearts, kidneys, or lungs—to form a dense, horizontal spit. This spit is then slow-roasted over a charcoal fire, allowing the fat to render and baste the meat as it spins, creating a crispy, well-seasoned outer layer while keeping the inside tender and juicy. The aroma of roasting kokoreç is unmistakable and serves as a beacon for hungry passersby in cities like Istanbul and Izmir.

Historically, the consumption of offal has deep roots in Anatolian and Balkan cuisines, dating back to nomadic traditions where nose-to-tail eating was a necessity. Kokoreç as it is known today became particularly popularized in urban centers in the 20th century. There are regional variations in how it is served; the 'Istanbul style' typically involves chopping the roasted meat finely on a grill with tomatoes and green peppers before stuffing it into a toasted bread roll (yarım ekmek). In contrast, the 'Izmir style' is simpler, serving the sliced meat with just a sprinkling of cumin and oregano, allowing the pure flavor of the meat to shine.

Culturally, kokoreç is the quintessential late-night food, often consumed after a night out drinking or attending a concert. It occupies a special place in Turkish culinary culture, bridging the gap between humble ingredients and gourmet enjoyment. Despite occasional debates regarding EU regulations on offal, kokoreç remains a stubborn and proud symbol of local taste.

For the uninitiated, the texture can be surprising but delightful—a mix of crispy, chewy, and soft. It is heavily seasoned with salt, oregano, cumin, and red pepper flakes (pul biber), which cut through the richness of the fat. The perfect beverage pairing is undoubtedly a cold glass of salty yogurt drink called 'ayran', or 'şalgam' (fermented spicy turnip juice), which balances the grease and spice. Eating kokoreç is not just a meal; it is a rite of passage for anyone visiting Turkey who wants to experience the true soul of its street food scene.

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Huseyinakbiyik's Favorite Foods

Chocolate chip cookie

Tahinli sütlaç

Lamb Shank

Tas kebabı

Trifle

Pole Kebab

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