What Do They Eat in Turkey? A Guide to Traditional Turkish Cuisine

Turkey is a vast country spanning over 300,000 square miles with diverse landscapes and cultures. As such, Turkish cuisine is rich and varied, influenced by the cooking traditions of the Balkans, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. While kebabs and lamb dishes are very popular, there’s much more to Turkish food than just meat.

Traditional Turkish Breakfast

Breakfast in Turkey usually consists of bread, cheese eggs olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey, and kaymak (clotted cream). Here are some classic Turkish breakfast dishes

• Menemen – Scrambled eggs cooked with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices. Served with bread.

• Sucuklu Yumurta – Fried eggs topped with Turkish sausage (sucuk).

• Borek – Flaky phyllo pastry filled with cheese potato meat, or spinach.

• Simit – Round bread encrusted with sesame seeds. Similar to a bagel.

• Olives – Turkish breakfasts always include olives, from the small black ones to green, fleshy Memecik olives.

• Tomatoes & Cucumbers – Fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumbers are another breakfast staple.

• Fruit Preserves – Locally made jams and fruit preserves like kayısı reçeli (apricot jam) are popular.

• Cheese – Beyaz peynir and kaşar cheese are frequently served.

• Kaymak – A rich dairy product similar to clotted cream.

Breads

Bread is an essential part of Turkish cuisine. Here are some to look out for:

• Pide – Oval-shaped flatbread baked in a stone oven. Can be topped with cheese, meat, veggies.

• Lavash – Large, thin flatbread used to wrap döner kebabs to make dürüm.

• Yufka – Round flatbread used to make börek pastries.

• Bazlama – Fluffy, slightly leavened flatbread that’s torn (not cut) and eaten warm.

• Simit – Bagel-like bread coated with sesame seeds. Sold from street carts.

Meze – Small Plates and Appetizers

Meze are a selection of small dishes served as appetizers with drinks. Common meze include:

• Hummus – Chickpea dip blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic.

• Baba ghanoush – Smoky eggplant dip.

• Sigara Böreği – Fried cigar-shaped pastries with feta and parsley.

• Calamari – Fried squid rings.

• Midye Dolma – Mussels stuffed with rice.

• Lahmacun – Flatbread topped with minced meat and vegetables.

• Falafel – Fried chickpea patties.

• Fava – Pureed fava beans with olive oil and dill.

• Haydari – Thick yogurt dip with garlic and mint.

Kebabs

Kebabs are hugely popular in Turkey, particularly:

• İskender Kebap – Döner kebab sliced and served on pide bread with tomato sauce and melted butter.

• Adana Kebap – Spicy handminced kebab grilled on skewers.

• Urfa Kebap – Lamb kebab marinated in isot pepper and served with tomatoes.

• Cağ Kebabı – Horizontal lamb kebab cooked over wood fire. Specialty of Erzurum.

• Tas Kebap – Lamb cubes cooked in a clay pot with vegetables.

• Ali Nazik – Skewered lamb with eggplant puree and yogurt.

• Patlıcan Kebap – Lamb and vegetables grilled on skewers wrapped in eggplant slices.

Seafood

With Turkey bordering four seas, fish and seafood are integral to Turkish cuisine. Popular seafood dishes include:

• Balık Ekmek – Fried or grilled fish sandwiches sold along the Bosphorus.

• Midye Tava – Sautéed mussels cooked in olive oil with peppers and onions.

• Levrek – Seabass cooked on a grill or fried crispy.

• Hamsi – Pan-fried Black Sea anchovies.

• Kalamar – Fried, grilled, or stuffed squid.

• Kılıç Balığı – Swordfish kebabs.

Vegetable Dishes

While meat dishes are prominent, Turkish cuisine has many excellent vegetarian options:

• Menemen – Scrambled eggs with sauteed peppers and tomatoes.

• Bakla – Fava beans stewed with onions, carrots, olive oil and dill.

• Kısır – Bulgur wheat salad with tomatoes, parsley, peppers and pomegranate dressing.

• Mücver – Zucchini fritters made with spring onion and dill.

• İmam Bayıldı – Stuffed eggplant cooked in olive oil.

• Börülce – Buttery stew of black-eyed peas and rice.

• Karnıyarık – Eggplant stuffed with minced meat and simmered in tomato sauce.

Soups

• Tarhana Çorbası – Fermented yogurt and wheat flour soup.

• Mercimek Çorbası – Lentil soup with rice, onions, carrots and herbs.

• Ezogelin Çorbası – Red lentil soup with bulgur wheat and mint.

• Düğün Çorbası – Soup made from lamb meatballs and chickpeas.

• İşkembe Çorbası – Tripe soup flavored with garlic, lemon and vinegar.

• Yayla Çorbası – Yogurt soup with rice, mint and butter.

Desserts and Sweets

Turkish desserts range from sticky, syrupy treats to rich custards and pastry:

• Baklava – Layers of filo pastry with chopped nuts and syrup.

• Künefe – Sweet cheese pastry soaked in syrup.

• Lokum – Gelatinous cubes flavored with rosewater or pistachio.

• Kadayıf – Shredded wheat dough with walnuts, soaked in syrup.

• Kazandibi – Milk pudding with a burnt bottom (kazan dibi).

• Dondurma – Stretchy, sticky ice cream flavored with mastic resin.

• Sütlaç – Rice pudding made with milk, sugar and cinnamon.

• Kemalpaşa – Syrup-soaked pastry with kaymak clotted cream.

Drinks

• Çay – Black tea served in tulip-shaped glasses with cubes of sugar.

• Türk Kahvesi – Thick, strong coffee served with grounds.

• Ayran – Refreshing cold yogurt beverage mixed with water and salt.

• Şalgam – Salty fermented beet and turnip juice.

• Boza – Fermented millet drink with a slightly sour taste.

• Salep – Hot orchid flour drink flavored with cinnamon and milk.

Regional Specialties

Every Turkish region has unique dishes that reflect local agriculture and culture:

Central Anatolia – Mantı (dumplings), höşmerim (sweet milk pudding)

Aegean – Olive oil dishes, çağla (fried sardines), kuru fasulye (white beans)

Southeast – Ciğer (liver kebabs), lahmacun (ground meat flatbread)

Eastern – Pastirma (cured beef), kadayif dolması (walnut stuffed dessert)

Istanbul – Midye dolma (stuffed mussels), tantuni (seasoned lamb wrap)

Black Sea – Hamsi (anchovies), kuymak (hot stonecooked cornmeal)