Name:
Nursen
Surname:
Dogan
Country:
Turkey
Region:
Istanbul
Biography:
Nursen Doğan, was born in Adana and has lived in Istanbul for 15 years. She has had an interest in cooking since her childhood. She especially cooks regional dishes from her native city. Karakush, is a very old dessert that her grandmother used to make. Nowadays it is a dessert that is still widely made in Adana. According to her, the name “Karakush” derives from the Arabic word “krekush”, which means crispy dough and it has established itself as Karakush (Karakuş) among the people there. In the past, this dessert was fried in sesame oil. Since she cannot find sesame oil easily anymore she prefers to use hazelnut or sunflower oil to fry it. In the region around Adana the patisseries also use cottonseed oil. The main spice used in the dessert is cinnamon. Since the taste of cloves are dominant, less of them are put in than cinnamon. It is said that this dessert was made with 7 different spices. Allspice, nutmeg or ginger can also be added. In the past, spices were not used very much in popular cuisine; they entered home kitchens later. Therefore this dessert is very precious. It is rich both in spices and walnuts. It was a dessert for richer people. In the past, when there was a sugar shortage, people used to dilute the honey before pouring it in. Nursen prepares it sometimes with honey and sometimes dipped in syrup.