Kaohsiung’s Turkish and Croatian Restaurants

　As Kaohsiung becomes more multicultural, there have been an increasing number of eateries featuring international cuisines. This article highlights a visit to Kaohsiung’s Turkish restaurant and Taiwan’s only Croatian restaurant.

Taksim Turkish Cuisine

　Senay was the head chef of a restaurant in his native country Turkey. He opened Taksim Turkish Cuisine in Kaohsiung where he serves meals cooked to order and makes the dough by hand. Dishes are all made fresh daily and flavored with delicious Turkish spices. It is a great place to enjoy this unique cuisine and authentic cultural ambiance.

　Kebabs, doner kebabs, flavored roasted beef balls, and wraps are made with spices such as Fennel, mint, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, pepper, etc., and served with green salad and Pide bread for dipping. They are common to Turkish cuisine and served with traditional drinks, such as Ayran yogurt drink.

　Other popular dishes include savory Pide dipped in tomato sauce and Iskender Chicken. These delicious meals combine tomato or thick cheese sauces and are flavored with Turkish spices. The restaurant also offers Cheese Beef Pide, seasoned with unique spices and comes with a salad and savory yogurt sauce. A good way to finish the meal is with a cup of sweet Turkish coffee.

Sasa Croatian Kitchen

　Chef Sasa Medved is from Slavonia, located inland in the northeastern part of Croatia. Sasa specializes in Croatian cuisine and other popular Eastern European meals, which feature a variety of grilled, stewed, and ground meat dishes.

　Sasa's hand-made signature sausages come from a generations-old family recipe. In Taiwan, he uses local black pork mixed with Croatian spices and squeezed into natural hog casings. The juicy roasted sausages have a mouthwatering aroma. His Slavonian stew is a traditional dish that is enjoyed at family gatherings. It is made with venison, beef, wild boar meat, lamb, and onions. The meats are mixed with paprika and then put on to simmer in a large pot. The tender, tasty meat is served in a slightly spicy soup. This rich and flavorful comfort food keeps people coming back for more.

異國風味小旅行

　　高雄以海納百川的精神，匯集了許多特色風味，造訪全臺唯一的克羅埃西亞餐廳和正宗土耳其餐廳，引領食客進入風味異域。

塔克辛土耳其料理

　　在土耳其擔任餐廳主廚的Senay，為了重現家鄉味，Senay使用來自土耳其的香料，且親自調配，餐點均現點現做，堅持手揉麵團。 

　　土耳其人的餐桌上最常出現烤肉、烤餅、生菜和酸奶（Ayran），搭配小茴香、薄荷、紅椒粉、辣椒粉、肉桂及胡椒等辛香料，佐以口感和形狀各異的麵餅，發展出品項繁多的餐點，比如：串燒烤肉、旋轉烤肉、風味烤牛肉丸、薄餅包牛絞肉燒烤等。

　　品嚐沾了滿滿香料番茄醬汁的烤餅和「伊斯肯燒烤雞」，再嚐嚐融合香濃起司和獨特香料的「起司牛肉比嗲」，濃郁厚實的風味佔領味蕾後，生菜沙拉和鹹優格帶來一陣清新，最後用一杯濃烈、焦苦、甜味飽滿的土耳其咖啡收尾。

莎曉克羅埃西亞廚房

　　「莎曉克羅埃西亞廚房」的主廚Sasa Medved來自克羅埃西亞東北部內陸的斯拉沃尼亞，則受東歐國家影響，著重肉類烹調，以烤肉、燉肉、各式絞肉等形式變化，Sasa以滋味馥郁的鄉土料理見長。

　　Sasa以家傳配方灌製的手工香腸，是餐廳招牌之一，選用臺灣黑豬肉，混合克羅埃西亞的天然香料，灌入天然豬腸衣，火烤後逼出香氣油脂，口感扎實。另一道「斯拉沃尼亞燉肉」則家庭聚會常見的料理，將鹿肉、牛肉、野豬肉、小羔羊、洋蔥放入大鍋中，再以紅椒粉提味，湯頭濃郁帶有些許辛辣感，肉品軟嫩入味，溫暖人心。