Arnavut ciğeri (literally "
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
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
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
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 (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and Vassal state, vassals in E ...
) 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 (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
imparted their influences on the area such as
Albanians
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
who became employed as mobile sellers of raw liver.
In the late 17th century, Albanians were noted by Ottoman traveler
Evliya Çelebi
Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
as being butchers in Istanbul originating from
Ohrid
Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...
,
Korçë
Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...
and Hurupişte (modern
Argos Orestiko
Argos Orestiko (, before 1926: Χρούπιστα – ''Chroupista''; ) is a town and a municipality in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The Kastoria National Airport (also known as Aristotelis Airport) is located in Argos Oresti ...
) 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
Turkish cuisine () is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, Ottoman cuisine (Osmanlı mutfağı), European influences, Seljuk Empire, Seljuk cuisine and the Turkish diaspora. Turkish cuisine with traditional Turkic peoples, Turkic elements s ...
during the Ottoman period, when Ottomans assimilated culinary traditions from peoples they encountered and merged them with their own cuisine, cooking practices and customs.
See also
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Kokoreç
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Ottoman cuisine
Ottoman cuisine is the cuisine of the Ottoman Empire and its continuation in the cuisines of Greece, Turkey, the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East and Northern Africa.
Sources
The Ottoman palace kitchen registers (''matbah-i amire defterleri'') ...
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Albanian cuisine
Albanian cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of the Mediterranean cuisine, 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 Al ...
*
Albanians in Turkey
Albanians in Turkey (; ) are ethnic Albanian citizens and denizens of Turkey. They consist of Albanians who arrived during the Ottoman period, Kosovar/ Macedonian and Tosk Cham Albanians fleeing from Serbian and Greek persecution after the begi ...
*
List of Turkish dishes
*
Tjvjik
*
Jerusalem mixed grill
Jerusalem mixed grill () 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 with onion, garlic, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, oli ...
References
{{Cuisine of Turkey, dish
Ottoman cuisine
Turkish cuisine
Albanian cuisine
Liver (food)
Fried foods