Comic Kitchen: Janissary

Comic Kitchen is a series that puts the spotlight on superheroes and their eating habits. It also brings awareness to food from different cultures. Many countries outside of America have superheroes that defend their nation. Turkey is no different and Selma Tolon, AKA Janissary, has dedicated herself to protecting her country.

No matter how far away from home she was, Janissary would take pride in eating traditional Turkish cuisine. As a former doctor, she’s fully aware of the importance of eating a balanced diet to remain healthy.

Starter – Baba Ghanoush

For a starter, Tolon would want to start off with a light meal to whet her appetite. That’s why I’d see her going with a bowl of baba ghanoush sprinkled with rose petal dukkah for a bit of added seasoning. Flavoursome and filling, baba ghanoush is made from mashed eggplant, tahini and other ingredients to create a smoky dip.

Janissary would appreciate the smokiness that comes from the baba ghanoush being cooked over hot coals. It’s the right amount of flavour to get her prepared for the main dish.

Main Course – Cheese And Chicken Pide

Tolon is the wielder of the legendary Suliman The Great’s scimitar. The sword is the source of her powers and magic. But in order to wield the blade effectively, she needs to have the right amount of energy to perform the necessary feats needed to be a superhero. I’d see her getting her nutrients from a good mixture of carbs and protein. So, for a main course she’d choose a traditional Turkish pide.

Known as Turkey’s answer to the pizza, pide is a large flatbread baked with all manner of toppings. For her toppings, Janissary would go with two classic ingredients like cheese and chicken. Before eating the pide, she’d drizzle a good amount of lemon juice onto the dish for extra zest.

She might also enjoy the pide with a glass of aslan sutu (lion’s milk) or raki. This potent drink is consumed after mixing it with water and letting the liquid turn a milky white colour. The name lion’s milk comes from the Turkish colloquialism for being strong. The loose translation would be ‘the milk for the strong.’ There’s no doubt that Janissary has the heart of a lion, so she’d have no trouble drinking the raki.

Dessert – Crème Brûlée

For dessert, I’d imagine Janissary choosing a meal that’s both warm and wholesome. A great crème brûlée would be exactly what she’d be looking for. The hardened, caramelised surface would provide a beautiful contrast with the warmth of the custard beneath.