As the famous “Enka” (Japanese traditional ballad often sung at the bar or night spots), “another rainy day in Nagasaki” (translation) sung by “COOL 5” describes the wet and bluesy atmosphere of Nagasaki, the city is full of entertainment.
Sure enough, when I visited there (one day in October), the whole town was totally wet due to the approaching typhoon’s influence. Even in the rainy weather, you can still enjoy the various local food, One of those soul food is the Turkish Rice, but I must remind you that it is so mysterious.
First, the name is reaｌｌy a puzzle. The Turkish Rice is a mixture of Neapolitan spaghetti, Pork cutlet seasoned with Demiglace sauce and Pilaf (Dry curry can be a substitute of Pilaf) sided by Salad. That is the most common style. But we all know Turkey is an Islamic country, so eating Pork is religiously prohibited. The Pilaf has its origin in Turkish meal, so that may be a reason for the name of Turkish Rice. But it still makes me wonder….
Probably the most reasonable one is as follows. The color of those three ingredients (Pork cutlet, Pilaf and Spaghetti) looks like a French flag which is referred to “tricolor” (pronounced as TORIKOROLL) which sounds like “TORUKO” in Japanese pronunciation of Turkey. Complicated?
In reality, nobody knows for sure how the name was given. But the one thing for sure is that Nagasaki is well known for crossover cultural. Even in the period of national seclusion in the Edo period starting from the 17th century and continued until the “Black ship“ from the USA woke up the peaceful sleep, the city has taken a leadership in cross-culture. There are many restaurants in the city offering Turkish Rice. The one I visited was “Tsuru-chan” which is heralded as the first cafe in Kyushu back in 1925. You can enjoy the meal in a classic atmosphere.