If you’re interested in different flavors and after some delicious food, then you must be aware of Turkish food’s reputation as one of the tastiest cuisines worldwide.

The Ottoman Empire has influenced Turkish cuisine. Turkish cuisine is known for its diversity and fantastic flavor. However, the food you will find varies depending on where you live. Although each region has its cuisine, you will find many dishes similar to those from other areas using different ingredients or different techniques.

This article will cover a variety of Turkish food worth trying and simple recipes you can try at home. It’s challenging to list all the traditional Turkish dishes here due to Turkish cuisine’s cultural richness and diversity. To experience a broader range of Turkish cuisines, you should look for a restaurant that offers Turkish cuisine near you.

Are you ready to hear about all the mouthwatering food that awaits you?

Trending

Most Common QR Activation Code 001-$wag$-sfap49glta4b7hwyl5fsq-3802622129

1- The 5 Best Turkish Foods to Try

I had to think hard about what to include here–not because there aren’t many good foods to pick from, but because there are so many excellent Turkish cuisine dishes out there!

A- Ravioli

This is the specialty of Central Turkey and originated in Kayseri. __S.13__

Manti tastes like mini ravioli filled with meat. It is small, boiled dumplings made with ground meat. You can top it with yogurt, garlic, and chili powder. You can also add dried mint and ground sumac to your recipe.

B- Doner Kebab

This is seasoned meat that has been cooked on a vertical rotating spit. Doner means “rotates.” The meat is cut into long, thin strips that can be served in many forms.

• Served on a plate on top of sliced pita bread with melted butter over it.
• On a plate, layered on top of pita bread sliced with yogurt and tomato sauce. This is Iskender Kebap.
• Wrapped in a lavash of tomatoes, lettuce, onion. This is durum.

C- Leaf Wrapping

Sarma is Turkish for “wrapping” and consists of grape leaves stuffed with spicy ground meat or rice. While the rice version is prepared with olive oil, it is hot and served cold. The ground meat version is heated. It is usually served with yogurt.

Although preparing yaprak sarma can take a lot of time, it is worth it.

D- Raw Meatballs

Cig kofte is a spicy mix of minced beef, fine ground bulgur, and onion. It also includes tomato paste, spices, herbs, and pepper. Vegetarian versions are made without meat. This is a popular dish in the southern region of Turkey.

E- Kunefe

This dessert is very rich. It’s quite difficult to make at home so you won’t eat it every day.

It’s made of shredded pastry dough (bread crumbs) and cheese, then topped with pistachio nuts.

2- A Typical Turkish Breakfast

Here’s my favorite dish. Do you want to help me set the table for breakfast?

Let’s open the fridge and take out the following:

• Butter
• Cheese
  • There are three preferred types of Turkish cheese: white (feta) cheese, Tulum cheese, and kasar cheese.
• Olives
  • Black and/or green olives can be found at most Turkish breakfast tables.
• Tomatoes and cucumbers
• Jam
  • Jams are made at home by most people. It’s hard to imagine all the jams we have: strawberry, peach, orange, strawberry, and quince. We even have walnut, watermelon, eggplant, and rose jams!
• Eggs
  • You can boil them, make omelet-style or use them as menemen. __S.54__

Turkish bread is a portion of popular breakfast food. It can be either freshly baked or toasted. Simit, a round dough covered with sesame seed and polacca, which contains cheese, olives, potatoes, and other ingredients, are two examples. Two other Turkish pastries are also common.

Tea is another must-have at the table. Tea is a big part of Turkish food culture.

3- Delicious Turkish Pastries

Here are some Turkish pastries most people have a hard time saying no to:

A- Borek

Borek refers to pastries made from yufka. It is similar to filo dough. __S.64__

The pastry is made of thin layers. You can either make your yufka borek or buy it from a Turkish market. __S.67__ It might be called something else depending on how it was made, the ingredients it contains, and how it was baked. Take this example:

• sigara boregi
• cig borek
• su boregi
• kol boregi

This pastry can be served during any meal, as a snack, or at tea time.

B- Gozleme

First, make a lavash loaf. Next, you place fillings like cheese, spinach and ground meat on the bread and then the bread is folded over it. The bread is then baked on a large sheet of metal called a sac.

C- Pide

Pide is made from dough and filled with cheese, ground beef, or small cubes seasoned meat. It is sometimes described as boat-shaped by some people. This pastry is not usually made at home, but it is often eaten in a restaurant. __S.83__

D- Lahmacun

It is thin dough topped with spiced ground meat, tomatoes and peppers. This is what we usually order at restaurants.

E- Katmer

Katmer, a rolled out dough that can be sweetened or salted depending on the filling it contains, is called Katmer.

4- Kebabs and Meat Dishes

Do you love the rich flavors of meat dishes? Here are some Turkey foods you must try if you love the succulent flavors of meat dishes. __S.94__

A- Kebabs

Attention meat-lovers: Get ready for all of these delicious kebabs.

You can find many types of kebabs from Turkey. Although each type can be made with meat, the similarities do not end there. They can be made with different seasonings and cooking methods. These are the most well-known:

• Adana kebap
• Beyti
• Cag kebabi
• Cop sis
• Kagit kebabi
• Orman kebabi
• Talas kebabi
• Tandir kebabi
• Tas kebabi
• Urfa kebabi

B- Meatballs

Turkish for “meatball”, kofte is. Meatballs are made from ground meat and come in many varieties. Take this example:

• Izmir kofte
• Manisa kofte
• Inegol kofte

Other types of meatballs include:

• Kasap koftesi
• Dalyan kofte
• Misket kofte

C- Veggies with Meat

These are some Turkish dishes that include a healthy dose of vegetables and delicious meat. __S.124__

Karniyarik

This consists of baked eggplants filled with ground meat, seasonings, and parsley, then covered in a tomato sauce.

Hunkar begendi

This Ottoman Empire recipe inherited this dish. It’s soft, marinated lamb cubes on top of an eggplant. The eggplant is then pureed with butter, kashar cheese, and melted butter.

Etli dolma

Dolma refers to a dish in which vegetables like bell peppers and eggplants are stuffed. You can also stuff them with spicy rice, or ground meat. Another dish that was inherited from Ottoman Empire is this one.

Etli taze fasulye

This is green beans cooked with tomato paste, ground meat, and onions.

But that’s not all! You can find many Turkish meat-and/or vegetable dishes. You can search the internet for more Turkish food recipes.

5- A Variety of Appetizers

Turkish for “appetizer”, meze is a word that means “appetizer”. Turkish cuisine has a rich selection of appetizers. Here are just a few. __S.144__

• Acili ezme:With mashed tomatoes, onions, hot spices, and green herbs
• Patlican salatasi:With roasted eggplants, yogurt and garlic
• Fava:Fava beans are used in this recipe
• Kisir: It is made with finely ground bulgur, tomato paste and onion, as well as garlic, parsley, onions, garlic, sour grape juice, and other spices
• Piyaz:White beans, onions, vinegar, and garlic are used in this recipe
• Cevizli biber:Red peppers, onions and pepper paste are used in this recipe.

6- Vegetable Dishes

Are you still with us vegetarians? These delicious veggie dishes are not to be missed.

Let’s start with a generic recipe. Zeytinyaglilar is a term that describes vegetables cooked in olive oil. This is made by cooking green beans, peas and zucchinis with tomatoes, onions and olive oil. It is best served cold.

Now, let me list some more Turkish food for vegetarians:

• Baklali enginar:Artichokes and fava bean are used in this recipe. Usually made in the summer.
• Pirasa yemegi:Recipe with leeks, carrots and rice
• Borani:With spinach, onions and yogurt.

7- Yummy Desserts

Now, here comes my favorite topic: delicious desserts!

A- Baklava

Baklava is a popular and well-known Turkish dessert. Baklava is made from handmade filo dough. It has many layers. It also contains syrup and chopped walnuts.

B- Gullac

Gulac dates back to the Ottoman Empire. It is usually eaten during Ramadan. It is made up of two layers of dough, each with a thin layer. The layers are then soaked in milk and rosewater and served with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts.

C- Kazandibi

It is similar to a milk pudding but the bottom is burned. Another dessert that was inherited from Ottoman Empire.

D- Asure

This soup is dense and sweet. It is made with boiled beans, wheat and dried fruits. This dessert is said to have been made with seven ingredients, according to a legend.

8- Food-Related Vocabulary

You’ve learned so much about Turkish cuisine, why not dive into some Turkish food vocabulary? __S.195__

A- Talking About Food

• En sevdigim, yemek Koftedir. __S.198__(“Meatballs are my favorite food.”)
• Ben maydanoz sevmem.(“I don’t like parsley.”)
• Ben vejeteryanim.(“I am a vegetarian.”)
• Cilege alerjim var. __S.205__(“I am allergic to strawberries.”)
• Karnim acikti. / Ben acim. (“I’m hungry.”)
• Karnim tok. / Ben tokum. __S.212__(“I’m full.”)
• Acliktan oluyorum. __S.215__(“I am starving.”)

B- Terms for Cooking

These are some words that you might use when cooking! __S.221__

Actions

• Pisirmek (“To cook”)
• Firinda pisirmek (“To bake”)
• Kizartmak (“To fry”)
• Kesmek(“To cut”)
• Dilimlemek(“To slice”)
• Soymak (“To peel”)
• Dogramak(“To chop”)
• Rendelemek(“To grate”)
• Karistirmak(“To mix”)

Ingredients

• Et (“Meat”)
• Sebze (“Vegetable”)
• Meyve (“Fruit”)
• Yag(“Oil”)
• Su“Water”
• Tuz(“Salt”)
• Baharat (“Spice”)
• Un(“Flour”)
• Seker (“Sugar”)

Utensils

• Catal(“Fork”)
• Kasik(“Spoon”)
• Bicak(“Knife”)
• Tencere“Cooking pot”
• Tava(“Frying pan”)
• Ocak(“Range”)
• Firin(“Oven”)

C- How to order at a restaurant

Finally, here’s how to order Turkish food at a restaurant:

• Menuyu gorebilir miyim?(“May I see the Menu?”
• Ne onerirsiniz?(“What would your recommendation be?”
• Su alabilir miyim lutfen?(“May I please have water?”
• Bu sos aci mi?(“Is this sauce spicy?”

9- A Delicious Turkish Food Recipe

Hold on now, here comes a simple recipe for you to try making at home!

Let’s start with havuclu meze, a quick appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium carrots (peeled and grated)
• 500g yogurt
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (peeled and grated)
• 1/4 bunch dill (chopped)
• 2 tbsp. 2 tbsp.
• Salt (eyeball it)

Instructions:

1.Heat the olive oil in the frying pan, then add the grated carrots.

2.Sauté them until softened on medium heat.

3.Add salt to the mixture and mix.

4.Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool.

5. __S.312__Combine yogurt and garlic

6. __S.315__Once the grated carrots have cooled, mix in your garlic yogurt with dill. Combine it all.

7. __S.319__Before serving, decorate the dish with parsley leaves.

10 -Final Thoughts

This article will teach you about Turkish traditional food and some useful vocabulary related to food. __S.325__

What Turkish cuisine do you most want to try? Are you familiar with the dishes we have mentioned? We would love to hear from you! __S.329__