Elizabeth Rees

View Original

The Unforgettable Kadma


One of the most memorable foods to my memory is something that is not known on the internet or can be found by research.  I extensively tried myself on several occasions, and all I was able to find was a re-known children’s comic character and a type of Turkish dessert. I am not even sure if the restaurant that produced these treasures is still standing apart from the outdated Google listing. Additionally, the only picture I could find of the creation itself is an odd picture of myself with my mouth full of its own deliciousness. Therefore, I almost feel obligated to show and tell one of my favorite culinary memories.


Think of a puff pastry lighter than air but slightly thicker than a croissant, filled but not overflowing with cheese, meats, fish, and vegetables to your liking. Sounds simple, right? What makes this composition of ingredients so magical is how the dough is made which is supposedly to my memory created only on marble and then cooked in a wood burning oven just enough until it rises like a Stromboli, only the pastry “bubble” is as thin as a piece of paper.

This, my friends is called a Kadma, according to the very gracious owners at Tigris, a small restaurant in Kassel, Germany. This dish alone is responsible for bringing many of my favorite people together, including my family and closest of friends.   What is even more wonderful about this dish is that we found it by accident. My friend and I were basically lost, hungry and determined to eat at the next restaurant that caught our eye. The moment we discovered the restaurant’s exotic red exterior, the rest was history.

Tigris could create almost any kind of Kadma to your desire. Favorites included were salmon, spinach and cheese or salami according to my friends. It was so unique that it brought every one of our visitors closer together. It is truly one of the things I wished we could have physically taken back home from that year in Germany. The memories that were created while we enjoyed this dish were priceless.

If you know about the Kadma, I am happy to know that I am not making this dish up. However, if you do not know about it, I can only encourage you to explore new flavors, as you never know what memories they will make to your palate.