Arnavut ciğeri (literally "
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
n liver") is a Turkish dish made of oil fried lamb or veal liver cubes seasoned with hot pepper served traditionally with onion and parsley.
Etymology
The word ''
Arnavut'' (Albanian) is part of a dish in
İstanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
cuisine known as ''Arnavut ciğeri'' (Albanian liver).
History
The origins of ''Arnavut ciğeri'' lie in the fifteenth century and the aftermath of wars in what became the Ottoman Balkans (
Rumelia
Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Names of the Greeks#Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι), Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians f ...
) and the immigration of Albanians to the Istanbul region.
[ "Kültürümüzün temel taşlarından olan semtlere (Arnavutköy, Arnavutkaldırımı), yemeklerimize (Arnavut ciğeri), kişilik özelliklerine (Arnavut inadı) adını verdiğimiz Arnavutların, Anadolu’ya ilk göçleri, yaşadıkları Arnavutluk toprağının Osmanlı Devleti yönetimine geçmesiyle başlamıştır."] People traveling from the Balkans to Ottoman
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
imparted their influences on the area such as
Albanians
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...
who became employed as mobile sellers of raw liver.
In the late 17th century, Albanians were noted by Ottoman traveler
Evliya Çelebi
Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...
as being butchers in İstanbul originating from
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
,
Korçë
Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...
and Hurupişte (modern
Argos Orestiko
Argos Orestiko ( el, Άργος Ορεστικό, , Orestean Argos, before 1926: Χρούπιστα - ''Chroupista''; rup, Hrupishte) is a town and a former municipality in the Kastoria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government refo ...
) selling lamb meat cuts like liver, heart and kidneys.
[ "Ve bitmez tükenmez Balkan savaşları. İİnsan Rumeli türkülerindeki hüznün bu savaşlarda ölenlerden yansıdığını sanıyor... İlk anda Anadolu'dan Rumeli'ye daha çok gidilmiş, Anadolu Rumeli'yi daha çok etkilemiş gibi geliyor insana. Balkan ... Arnavut sözcüğü İstanbul mutfağının yemeklerinden birinin de adıdır: Arnavut ciğeri. Arnavutların Seyyar çiğ ciğer satıcısı olduğunu da biliyoruz. Evliya Çelebi, Seyahatnamesi'nde şu tespiti yapar: "Bu ciğercilerin hepsi Ohri, Görice, Horpuşta Arnavutlarıdır. Nice bin taze ciğeri kırkar ellişer tanesini, yüreği, böbreği, şirdeni bumbarıyla sırıklara dizip 'İyi koyun ciğeri' diye feryat ederler.""] The dish ''Arnavut ciğeri'' became part of Turkish cuisine during the Ottoman period, when Ottomans assimilated culinary traditions from peoples they encountered and merged them with their own cuisine, cooking practices and customs.
[ "As with their political and administrative practices, the Ottomans managed to assimilate the best of the culinary traditions they encountered and merge them with their own cooking customs and practices in such a way as to bring about the enrichment of their own cuisine. In this fashion, Albanian liver (Arnavut cigeri), Circassian chicken (Çerkes tavugu), Kurdish meatballs (Kürt köftesi), and Arab meatballs (Arap köftesi), were assimilated into the Ottoman Turkish cuisine, while kebabs, pilafs, böreks, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), yogurt meals, biscuits, meals with olive oil, and syrupy desserts were introduced by the Turks to the countries they conquered."]
See also
*
Kokoreç
*
Ottoman cuisine
Ottoman cuisine is the cuisine of the Ottoman Empire and its continuation in the cuisines of Turkey, the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East and Northern Africa.
Today, Turkish cuisine is a continuation of Ottoman cuisine.
Sources
The Ottoman pa ...
*
Turkish cuisine
Turkish cuisine () is the cuisine of Turkey and the Turkish diaspora. It is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Eastern Eur ...
*
Albanian cuisine
Albanian cuisine ( ) is a representative of the cuisine of the Mediterranean. It is also an example of the Mediterranean diet based on the importance of olive oil, fruits, vegetables and fish. The cooking traditions of the Albanian people are di ...
*
Albanians in Turkey
Albanians in Turkey ( sq, Shqiptarët në Turqi, tr, Türkiye'deki Arnavutlar) are ethnic Albanian citizens and denizens of Turkey. They consist of Albanians who arrived during the Ottoman period, Kosovar/ Macedonian and Tosk Cham Albanians fl ...
*
List of Turkish dishes
*
Tjvjik
*
Jerusalem mixed grill
Jerusalem mixed grill ( he, מעורב ירושלמי) (''me'orav Yerushalmi'') is a grilled meat dish considered a specialty of Jerusalem. It consists of chicken hearts, spleens and liver mixed with bits of lamb cooked on a flat grill, seasoned ...
References
{{Cuisine of Turkey, dish
Ottoman cuisine
Turkish cuisine
Albanian cuisine
Liver (food)
Fried foods