Osmans Töchter prepares Izmir Köftesi
They are Oriental meatballs, but there are over 200 different ways to prepare them. Lale Yanik and Arzu Bulut, at their restaurant, Osmans Töchter, make them the way they're made in the provincial capital of Izmir.
A bridge between the Orient and the Occident
Lale Yanik and Arzu Bulut's restaurant concept consists of an open kitchen in which professional chefs cook alongside Turkish housewives. Turkish classics as well as sophisticated, modern dishes are served at Osmans Töchter. The traditional and the modern, Orient and Occicent - it's all about linking things together.
Sisters in spirit: Osmans Töchter in real life
Lale Yanik was born in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. She moved to Munich with her family when she was five. The trained actress has lived in Berlin since 2001. Arzu Bulut was born in Germany and studied business, but lived in Eastern Anatolia with her grandparents until she was five, when her parents brought her to Berlin. The two have run Osmans Töchter since 2012.
Refreshing energy
"Among the Turkish restaurants here, I felt they weren't any that reflected the zeitgeist. Everything was very conservative. You couldn't find a restaurant here in Berlin where you could go with friends and where it had a modern atmosphere. That really inspired me to go something about it." – Lale Yanik
Bosporus meatballs
You can fry, grill or even boil köftesi. They are a typical lunch dish in Turkey and are served at so-called lokantas - restaurants that serve lunch. They are also normally named after the town from which the recipe stems. In this case, it's the Turkish seaport, Izmir.
The tomato sauce is the key
"What's really important for this dish, or for most of the dishes, is tomato paste, or 'salça' in Turkish. You can get bell pepper paste or tomato paste. There's even a saying in Turkish that a dish without 'salça' is like a woman without curves. And with curves, the hips are meant!" - Arzu Bulut