Thrace is a celebration

Imagine sunset over a vineyard stretching downhill towards the sea, tables spread on grass with light bulb chains hanging on top.

The music begins, clarinets, drums and dancing! This is a typical scene in the vineyards of Barbare just off Tekirdağ, in Thrace. We were among the lucky few to be there the other night and enjoy this wonderful atmosphere. But the real highlight of the night was the humble meatball, the ubiquitous "köfte" of Thrace, found in almost every corner of the region. When in Thrace there is no escape from köfte, people actually travel all the way from Istanbul to eat the little grilled morsels of mincemeat, in little shops serving only meatballs and nothing else. 

Thrace and meatballs are related in the minds of Turkish people. All the cities and villages in Thrace rival each other when it comes to meatballs. Tekirdağ takes the lead, closely followed by Kırklareli, which is my personal favorite. 

They are simply served with a few slices of tomatoes, the flesh and meaty type, perfectly ripened in the late summer sun, one or two grilled green peppers and "piyaz," boiled white bean salad with lots of finely sliced onions. Some regions have their fiery hot pepper sauces accompanying the meatballs, which are never spicy, and in most cases only seasoned with salt. This year, the central municipality of Tekirdağ, Süleymanpaşa, organized a very clever event. With the initiative of Mayor Ekrem Eşkinat, five meatball masters came to Tekirdağ, to demonstrate their skills, and serve their meatballs to a crowd of food writers, researchers, journalists and leading cooks from all over the country. They all set their grills in front of the vineyard view and despite the expected rivalry, they showed their mastery in great...