Turkish cuisine seeks place at the table

In a bid to banish stereotypes of late-night greasy fast food, Turkish chefs are trying to burnish their image by showcasing the culinary riches the country has to offer. 

A new breed of cooks has shaken up the Istanbul food scene with an innovative approach to Turkish cooking, while others are on a mission to show there is more to the nation's cuisine than the perhaps notorious döner kebab.

For many outside the country, Turkish food brings to mind images of pitta bread stuffed with shavings of meat roasted on a vertical spit, usually consumed after a heavy night of drinking.  

The döner was brought to western Europe by the Turkish diaspora, especially those in Germany where additions like salad and mayonnaise have made it a heavier meal than in Turkey. But did you ever try karnıyarık, a dish of split aubergines with a meat filling, or çılbır, poached eggs in garlic yoghurt? Ever heard of tulum, a traditional cheese ripened in a goat's skin, or a dessert called cezerye, caramelised carrot with coconut?  

"Turkish cuisine is largely known abroad through döner and kebab," said Defne Ertan Tüysüzoğlu, Turkey director of Le Cordon Bleu, an international culinary academy, which started in Paris and now has campuses all over the world.

"Turkish cuisine is not well known," agreed Aylin Yazıcıoğlu, executive chef at Istanbul's Nicole Restaurant. "The food that comes to mind when people talk about Turkey is, unfortunately, all bad examples."

"We see this changing slowly. We'll do our best to change it." 

At Nicole, diners are offered a multicourse tasting menu of local products aimed at showing off the best that Turkish cuisine has to offer.

 "I believe that in a world geared toward the 'local,' we've...