Cambridge Chronicle

Oleana chef knows where the spice is right

By Alexander Stevens
Thursday, March 10, 2005

Diners at Oleana in Cambridge seem to like the flattened lemon chicken with
za’atar, served on a Turkish cheese pancake. They also love the basturma
with hummus.

“We don’t ever take [those two dishes] off the menu,” says Oleana
co-owner and chef Ana Sortun. “They never go away.”

Those dishes, as well as just about everything on the Oleana menu, are
made possible by Cambridge’s proximity to Watertown, and its neighborhood
full of authentic Lebanese, Syrian, Turkish, Armenian and Greek food shops.
Once or twice a week, Sortun or another staffer makes the 10-minute trip
from Oleana to Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown to pick up the spices,
cheeses, yogurts and specialty meats that are the foundation of Eastern
Mediterranean cooking.

The Watertown collection of authentic food shops may be unique in the
entire country. Conveniently clustered near each other, these are the stores
that help give Oleana its zing. And Sortun says they’re crucial to her
restaurant.

“If these shops weren’t here,” she says, “I’d have to go to Montreal.
Or figure out a way to import them myself.”

In Sevan Bakery, the aroma of spices is so rich that it might inspire
visitors to try cooking this cuisine, even if their knowledge of Eastern
Mediterranean cooking begins and ends withshish kebob.

“This is an undiscovered cuisine, because it’s not trendy like shopping
in Chinatown,” Sortun says. “People who are Armenian or Greek know where
these stores are, but the mainstream doesn’t.”

But Sortun is changing that fact, one class at a time. Three years ago,
she offered a tour of these Watertown shops to a culinary arts class at
Boston University. The tours became popular, and she extended them to the
general public. She presents another on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For Sortun, the tour centers on Sevan Bakery (599 Mt. Auburn St.). The
shop seems to evoke her warm memories of her time spent in Turkey studying
the cuisine. She’s clearly inspired, even emotional, about the care the
family-owned business takes in selecting food. It shows in the products and
produce. Sortun points out zucchini and cucumbers that are thinner than
Americans are used to because they’re not loaded with water; instead they’re
packed with flavor.

“Look at how blond those walnuts are,” she says, standing at Sevan’s
extensive nut bar. “You’re not going to get any of those bitter walnuts you
find elsewhere.”

She turns and points out a bottle of honey with a rich amber color
that’s so lush that it glows. Other honeys look jaundiced by comparison.
Running her finger over a row of jars imported from Turkey or Greece, via
Canada and New York, she says, “You don’t see those labels anywhere else.”

As with all the shops on this tour, Sevan has a distinctly European
feel. Pick a cheese and you’ll walk away with it hand-wrapped and moist, not
cellophane-wrapped and bar-coded.

“At most supermarkets, you’ll find one kind of Feta, and it won’t be
very good,” she says. “At Whole Foods, you’ll find three kinds of Feta, and
they’ll all be good. Here there are five kinds of Feta, and they’re
delicious.”

Sortun is a recognized figure in this neighborhood – the shop owners
know her by name, and tell her what’s new and good. They allow her to roam
into the Sevan kitchen in the back of the store, where cooks are making
lahmejune – thin, crisp bread sandwiched around meat. Combing bread and meat
is a favorite of this style of cooking, juices absorbed by the bread, and
delivered to the taste buds.

Sortun points out that the vibe is entirely different at the
neighboring Arax. There’s some overlap between Sevan and Arax, but mostly
the two stores complement each other. Sortun stops at Arax for vegetables,
picking up a handful of fresh summer savory and inhaling deeply.

“That’s fresh za’atar,” says Sortun. “It’s very hard to find.”

Across the street is an organic butcher, where tour patrons not only
learn about the meats, they try out a yogurt and soda water drink that
polarizes the visitors – they either love it or hate it. Sortun loves it.
Next to the butcher is Fastachi, where they’re nuts for nuts. Not within
walking distance, but also part of the tour, are the organic wine store,
Violette, and Fepal, where she treats patrons to an authentic falafel.

Sortun says that by and large, foods offered at these stores are not
cheap – comparable perhaps to the prices at Whole Foods. But not only does
she feel that it’s important to support the independent, family-owned shops
that help give a community its identity, she also knows, firsthand, that
fresh, authentic foods make a difference in a meal. Oleana is her proof.

Sortun has been enamoured of Eastern Mediterranean cooking since her
first trip to Turkey to study the cuisines.

“It changed my life,” she says.

She says the testament to the food is not just how it tastes, but how
it makes you feel. Americans are accustomed to meals loaded with butter and
cream. After eating, we feel bloated, incapacitated. By comparison, after
eating a four-hour meal in Istanbul, “they push back their chairs and
dance,” says Sortun. “That’s how the food makes you feel. If you went to
France or Italy and ate a four-hour meal, you’d be in a coma.” Ana Sortun
leads the Watertown Market Tour, Saturday, March 12, 10-2. Price: $75,
includes lunch and gratuities. To register, call 617-353-9852.