Turkey is usually best known for its kebabs, but this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Turkish cuisine and the range of delicious foods available.
Covering over 300.000 square miles, Turkey’s rich and diverse food is mainly thanks to its landscape and climate.
Plains and plateaus of rich fertile soil, mountain ranges and rapid rivers lend themselves to the rich and varied table.
You will discover olive oil based dishes from the Mediterranean Coast, hearty pastries from Anatolia’s center and spicy flavors from the east.
Here are some of the best Turkish foods that go way beyond the trusty kebab.
Yaprak Dolma are a favorite in Turkish cuisine and are simply vine leaves stuffed and rolled with rice cooked with onions, parsley, tomato, tomato paste, black pepper and olive oil.
A spoonful of the mixture is placed on a vine leaf, folded in and rolled into neat little cylinders. Yaprak Dolma is part of Turkish Aegean cuisine and sometimes includes a pinch of cinnamon that adds a little something extra.
Iskender Kebab is a rich meal named after the man who invented the dish, Iskender Efendi.
Iskender is from Bursa, located in the northwest of Turkey. It’s a thinly sliced doner meat laid over pieces of thick bread and smothered in freshly made tomato sauce, drizzled with melted butter and served with yogurt, tomato and grilled green peppers.
Manti is very popular and extremely delicious. The most popular type of manti comes from Kayseri and is made with small squares of dough with various fillings. Manti is small parcels stuffed, normally with mincemeat and sealed. The manti is then cooked in boiling water and served with a topping of garlic yogurt and chilli flakes.
Pide is also a firm favorite with the Turks, with some of the best originating in the Black Sea region. Balls of dough are stretched out into a long elongated base and topped with various fillings. You can enjoy mincemeat, meat, cheese, spicy sausage (sucuk), egg and many more.
Pide is cooked in a wood fired oven and the high temperature produces a crisp crunchy base.
Simit is a circular sesame covered pastry and is sold everywhere in turkey, with the best found in Izmir. They are crispy, tasty and best enjoyed warm with a glass of Cay.
You can find Simit anywhere, from street vendors with baskets full of simits on their heads, from cafes, from bakeries and in bus and train stations.
Cig Kofte originates from Sanliurfa and takes its name from the original recipe that used raw (cig) ground beef mixed with bulgur, tomato paste, onions, garlic and Turkish spices. These days meat is not used.
The mix is kneaded sometimes for hours on end until the desired consistency is made. Nowadays, there are many Cig Kofte vendors with small café like premises all over Turkey, and these places make their Cig Kofte meat free.
Lahmacun is a great favorite in Turkey and can be compared with a thin pizza. It’s a thin pastry base topped with an array of toppings including mincemeat mixed with tomato paste, garlic, parsley and spices. The paste topping is smeared across the base and cooked in a wood fired oven. It is served with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
Su Boregi is a savory pastry made from layering sheets of a fine filo like dough called ‘Yufka’ and is a staple of the high plateaus of central Anatolia.
Su boregi translated means ‘water borek’ and is the most delicious breakfast or snack available. It consists of white cheese, butter, olive oil and salt for its wonderful flavor.
Gozleme is simply a very large pancake type pastry. It’s cooked on a large hot convex metal plate and is filled with salty white cheese, spinach, mincemeat or potatoes.
Gozleme is considered a village food but can be found all across Turkey, even in the big cities.
Kuru Fasulye is a warming dish made from dried beans, tomato paste, olive oil and onions. It’s a hearty meal often served with pilau rice. This could possibly be the Turkish people’s favorite meal as it’s found in most restaurants and homes.
Menemen is a breakfast food but is often eaten for lunch or dinner with a crusty loaf. Menemen is made from eggs, tomatoes and green peppers. Some people choose to add onions and some spice to this tasty meal, but it really does depend on who’s cooking.
Kumpir is basically a baked potato smothered in butter and topped with many tasty toppings. You won’t know what to choose when you see the vast array of toppings on offer including olives, cheese, meats, sausage, coleslaw, Russian salad, pickles, beans, corn, beetroot and many, many more.
Kofte are meatballs that are made with ground lamb or beef. They can be found with or without sauce and are a staple in most Turkish households. You can find kofte at nearly every restaurant, street deli or cafe and normally they come served with rice, potato chips or in a wrap, known as a ‘durum’ in Turkish.
Whilst in Turkey make sure to experience as much of the local cuisine as possible, you won’t be disappointed.