Along with salt and black pepper, serve red pepper flakes, sumac, dried mint, and cut lemon according to the meal: lemon and red pepper flakes with soup, sumac onions with grilled food and kebabs, and red pepper flakes with bean dishes. Table seasonings do not replace the salt added during cooking; they let each person adjust the final taste to their liking. Choose containers that keep moisture out.
The purpose of seasonings on the table is not to flavor the food, but to let each person finish it to their own taste. Salt and seasonings are added while the food cooks and become part of each bite; what is sprinkled at the table stays on the surface and is only a final touch. So seasonings served at the table are not there to make up for what the food lacks, but to accommodate preferences that vary from person to person: one person may want more heat, another more sourness. The choice should therefore depend on which dishes are being served that day, rather than be random.
Salt and black pepper are the basic pair on every table, whatever the meal. A salt shaker holds fine-grained salt; coarse salt will not pass through its holes. Black pepper can be served preground or in a grinder; whole peppercorns kept in a grinder retain their aroma longer. The salt shaker and pepper grinder should be easy to tell apart, since they are the two items most often confused at the table; choose containers in different colors or shapes. If salt does not flow easily through the shaker holes, it has absorbed moisture, so empty and dry the container.
A few accompaniments are added to this pair at a Turkish table, and the dishes being served determine which ones. Serve cut lemon and red pepper flakes with soups such as lentil soup, ezogelin (Turkish lentil-and-bulgur soup), and yayla (Turkish yogurt soup). Serve sumac or sumac onions with kebabs, meatballs, and grilled food. Put red pepper flakes and raw onion alongside white bean and chickpea dishes. Serve dried mint to sprinkle over yogurt-based dishes and cucumber-yogurt salad. Lemon goes with fish; at breakfast, add thyme and red pepper flakes alongside the salt and black pepper.
Serve lemon wedges rather than a whole lemon. A lemon cut lengthwise into wedges or into quarters releases its juice easily when squeezed; thin round slices are not squeezed and are only for decoration. Remove the seeds with the tip of a knife so they do not fall onto the plate while squeezing. Serve the cut lemon on a small plate with its own fork or tongs. Prepare sumac onions shortly before the meal, too; as they sit, the onion releases its juice and wilts, red liquid pools at the bottom of the plate, and the onion loses its crunch.
Choosing small containers for the table also matters. Salt and red pepper flakes absorb moisture; salt kept in an open bowl or a damp place clumps, while red pepper flakes darken and lose their aroma. Choose salt shakers and spice containers with lids or holes and keep them dry; after the meal, close them and put them away in a dry cupboard. A metal salt shaker can give salt a metallic taste over time; glass or porcelain is more suitable. Place the containers between two people, and set them out in several places along a long table.