He rarely appears in newspapers, only a handful know his name, and a select few have tucked into his sour soups and stuffed peppers.
Yalan Kadir is chef to the Romanian team, and just the mention of him brings a smile to the faces of the squad’s usually reserved officials and has them licking their lips.
The Turkish cook’s repertoire of healthy, tasty food includes pasta, fish and salad dishes that get consumed with gusto.
“He cooks fantastically,” said federation spokesman Paul Zaharia, breaking into a rare grin that contrasted with his usual sober demeanor.
Kadir arrived a week before the Romanian team in this mountain resort, making his own plans just as the squad is preparing for its opening match with France on Monday.
“I’ll be doing five or six sour soups and cream soups a day instead of one a day,” he told daily Pro Sport in a rare interview in April. “Gone are the days when I brought Romanian feta cheese and mineral water. It’ll all be brought locally.”
The hottest items on his menu are his soups, especially ciorbe — Turkish broth soured with lemon or borsch.
“His food is delicious,” official Dan Bragoanu said. “I like everything that I’ve eaten. It’s tasty and nutritious.”
Kadir has been with the national team for about a decade, and it’s hardly surprising that Romania has a Turkish chef, even if the officials mostly shrug when asked why.
There is a Turkish linguistic and culinary influence in Romania, the southern and eastern parts of which were under Ottoman authority until the country won its independence after a bloody war in 1877.
Alongside the obviously central European pork schnitzels, pickled cucumbers and bell peppers served with french fries that are widely available in Romania, are rice and meat stuffed vine rolls, roasted peppers in vinaigrette and smoked eggplant salad — all variations of Turkish cuisine.
And some Romanian players seem to have an affinity with Turkish clubs. Former star Gheorghe Hagi was a midfielder and coach at Galatasaray before coaching Bursaspor, while Mircea Lucescu coached Galatasaray and Besiktas.
But Kadir’s menu doesn’t just include the savory flavors one might associate with Turkish cuisine. Under the guidance of the team doctor and nutritionist Pompiliu Popescu, he even does desserts.
“He does all kinds of sweets, even chocolate ones,” Zaharia said, with a grin.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
RSS