Mantı

Mantı is one of the most ancient dishes in the Turkic culinary tradition, and it sits at the crossroads of the world's great dumpling cultures. Most food historians trace it back to the nomadic Turkic and Mongol tribes of Central Asia, who made stuffed dough pockets as a portable, long-lasting food for travel across the steppes. As Turkic peoples moved west along the Silk Road, they carried mantı into Anatolia, Armenia, the Caucasus, and as far as Korea (where a version called "mandu" exists).

The Ottoman imperial court elevated mantı into a refined dish, and a particularly small mantı — the goal was 40 in a single spoon — became a test of skill for palace cooks. Kayseri, a city in central Anatolia not far from Cappadocia, became the mantı capital of Turkey; a Kayseri mantı is about the size of a thumbnail, and locals will fiercely tell you no other region's version comes close.

Our mantı are traditional Turkish dumplings filled with seasoned beef, boiled until tender, and served with a flood of garlic yoghurt and a drizzle of spiced butter sauce. The combination of the hot pasta, cool yoghurt, and warm spiced butter is the flavour combination that has made this dish beloved across Central Asia and the Middle East for a thousand years.