Food, Travel, Turkey: Your Companion to an Epic Turkish Cuisine Tour
You've just stepped into a world of legendary empires, bustling bazaars, and age-old recipes that span continents. Let's peel away each kaleidoscopic layer of Turkey 's character - one bite at a time.
Our Foodie Journal: Your Menu for Adventure
Our blogs & travel guides provide bite-sized appetizers for the exciting journey ahead. Dig into the pages of our Foodie Journal to learn about Turkish delicacies, cuisine tours, food trails, and culinary festivals.
More Guides, Tips & Mouthwatering Stories Await in Our Foodie Journal!
Turkey's Culinary Capitals: Your Gourmet Pilgrimage
From the aromatic spices of Gaziantep to the fresh catches of Izmir , we’ll traverse through the breadth of Turkey's gastronomic landscape. Discover what to eat, where to stay, and what more to experience at these foodie destinations.
Where East Meets West on a Plate
What to Eat in Istanbul
From street food delights to gourmet experiences, the food in Istanbul is where Europe and Asia meet to create a tapestry of flavors. Must-not-miss dishes include:
Turkish Delight
Fresh Seafood
Where to Stay in Istanbul
Ajwa sultanahmet hotel in istanbul.
A 10-minute walk away from Blue Mosque & decorated inside & out with Ottoman accents.
The Official Culinary Capital of Turkey
What to Eat in Gaziantep
In Turkey’s culinary capital, spices dance and flavors explode. From the unique pistachio baklava to the fiery kebabs, experience a gastronomy that’s as rich in history as it is in taste. Here's a list of must-eats to get started:
Baklava with Pistachios
Spicy Kebabs
Menengiç Coffee (caffeine-free pistachio coffee)
Ali Nazik Kebab
Yüvarlama Soup
Where to Stay in Gaziantep
Anadolu evleri hotel in gaziantep.
Centrally located with al fresco dining in the courtyard of its restored historic building.
Cornucopia of Spicy & Savory Cuisine
What to Eat in Adana
Experience the bold and spicy flavors of Adana, Turkey’s kebab capital. From the famous Adana kebab to an array of spicy and savory delights, Turkish cuisine in this city is guaranteed to keep you awake! Do try:
Adana Kebab
Bulgur Pilaf
Stuffed Vegetables
Bici Bici (a type of shaved ice)
Sirdan (stuffed sheep intestine)
Where to Stay in Adana
Sky garden suites apartment in adana.
Clean, minimalist decor & city views for up to four people (and pets).
Farm-to-Fork Dining in the City of Fertile Lands
What to Eat in Bursa
Cupped by valleys on every side, Bursa is the place where fertile land makes for fertile tables. Experience the breadth of fresh, sweet, and savory Turkish dishes, including:
Iskender Kebab
Manti (Turkish Dumplings)
Candied Chestnuts
Inegol Kofte (meatballs)
Peach Desserts
Where to Stay in Bursa
Sea view villa in mudanya, bursa.
Air-conditioned accommodation with a terrace for enjoying sea views. Private & pet-friendly.
A Pantry of Vineyards, Olive Groves & Coasts
What to Eat in Izmir
Indulge in the freshest seafood and vibrant meze in Izmir, a city that celebrates the bounty of the Aegean Sea. Pair perfect coastal views with:
Boyoz (a type of pastry)
Kumru (a type of sandwich)
Bergamot Jam
Where to Stay in Izmir
Titan house hostel in izmir.
Modern shared stay peppered with eye-catching decor & pop art.
Hidden Gems: Your Second Helping of Turkey's Culinary Landscape
Venture off the beaten path to lesser-known towns for that extra drizzle of authenticity and adventure.
SEAFOOD RETREATS
Olive oil havens, culinary cross-roads.
Your Turkish Cuisine Tour Starts Here
Explore our guides, find your perfect stay, and gear up for your gastronomic journey. Plan your gastronomic adventures with Food, Travel, Türkiye today.
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Ultimate Turkish Food Guide
This Turkish food guide takes you through everything you need to know to plan your food tasting itinerary in Turkey. Turkish people have a passion for eating well. They often prepare meals together with a smorgasbord of options.
For many Turks, dinner is the most important meal of the day. Part of the Turkish food tradition of dining out is going to a restaurant or street vendor specializing in one type food such as kebabs, kofte, grilled fish or pide and sharing the dishes. The cold dishes would be served first, then the hot dishes.
In Istanbul, you’ll find traditional European-style service in some restaurants, but if you’re looking for a traditional Turkish experience, look for restaurants specializing in one type of food.
Eating in Turkey is to be shared with others and not rushed. Take your time to drink your tea or coffee, eat slowly, enjoy conversation, and simply be with your friends and family. One of the beautiful things about Turkey is your eating is not rushed out. Sit, chat, drink and enjoy.
Also, don’t forget to get your tips on planning your first trip to Turkey to use with the food guide.
Planning Your Food Tasting Itinerary
Step 1: pre-trip planning.
When planning your food tour through Turkey , do some pre-trip planning to find out the best restaurants, must try foods, food tours and cooking classes available.
STEP 2: Foodie Themes
When you’re planning your trip, there are several foodie themes to work through as you’re deciding on your food travel itinerary :
- Regional Foods & Favorites
- Famous Restaurants
- Specialty Shops & Eateries
- Food Markets
- Savory Street Foods
- Wineries & Cocktail Lounges
STEP 3: Organizing Your Turkish Food Itinerary
We suggest planning 1-2 specific food stops each day in whichever city you are in. Take advantage of having three meals a day – asking your hotel or locals their favorite places to go. Also, plan for plenty of time to enjoy your meal and the experience.
STEP 4: Where to Find Restaurant Reviews & Recommendations
Find food and restaurant reviews on Adventurefolio. Don’t forget to check our city guides for things to do including our Foodie Guides. Other places we suggest looking for reviews:
- Adventurefolio Instagram Community
- Foodie Blogs
- Trip Advisor
- Lonely Planet
STEP 5: Consider Booking a Food Tour or Cooking Class
Istanbul has a mix of all the regions of Turkey, and you’ll find all the must-try foods in various restaurants in the city. Istanbul has opportunities for cooking classes with a fusion of Turkish history, shopping for the dishes you will cook, and then preparing several courses with a local chef.
In any area you visit to taste the local Turkish cuisine, you can book tours where you eat your way through the city while learning about the history of the area. Tours will include an English-speaking licensed guide to accompany you whether it is a private or small group food tour. Read through the Turkish food guide and plan to come hungry!
Next, learn all about the different food regions in Turkey, including what to try while you’re there!
Food Regions in Turkey
Turkish food is influenced by Central Asia, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine. Modern Turkey is divided into 7 regions each producing and specializing in a specific area of Turkish cuisine. Following is some of the best food in Turkey.
Marmara Region
The Marmara region is where Istanbul , Bursa & Edina. Also, this is where the Ottoman empire’s wealth, industry, and gourmet foods were located. Ultimately, you’ll find regional foods all over Istanbul with any restauranteur jumping at the chance to open a location in the city. Located on the Marmaris, this area is known for small fish, mezes, raki, white wine, and puddings .
Aegean Region
The Aegean region ’s largest cities are Izmir, near Ephesus and Bodrum , and have a heavy Greek influence on its cuisine. Subsequently, with the Greek islands a stone’s throw off the coast, and abandoned Greek villages in this region of Turkey, you can imagine the mix of foods and culture. The Aegean region is more liberal in its view of alcohol and is known for its wines, olives, salads, herbs, wild weeds, and seafood .
Mediterranean Region
The Mediterranean region consists of the larger cities of Antalya , Kas , Fethiye and Adana and grows most of the fruits and vegetables in the region. There is nothing like walking down the street and picking an orange straight from the tree and eating it. The Turkish Riviera is known for large fish, salads, oranges, lemons and figs . Also, if you’re looking for the best fish in the area, look for the Balik Evi (Fish House.)
Southeastern Region
The Southeastern region’s largest cities are Gaziantep, Urfa, and Mardin and are influenced by the neighboring countries of Iraq and Syria. The famous cig kofte and isot chili pepper come from this region. This area produces some of the world’s best pistachios, in turn, the most delicious baklava and kunefe. You’ll find an ample supply of kebabs, bulgur wheat, baklava, kunefe and peppers in Southeastern Turkey.
Eastern Region
The Eastern region’s largest cities are Van, Kars, and Malatya . Eastern Turkey is bordered by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia and has a large Kurdish population that all influences the food in this region. Hence, you’ll find delicious cheeses, dried fruits, grains, and lamb.
Central Region
The Central region’s largest cities are Ankara, Konya , Kayseri, and Cappadocia are known as the agricultural heartland of Turkey growing most of its vegetables and grains. This area is unique in cooking most dishes with butter instead of olive oil. This area is known for its borek pastries, lamb casseroles, beef pastirma, and fruit molasses .
Black Sea Region
The Black Sea region’s largest cities are Trabzon and Samsun . This region is famous for a fish called hamsi with over 200 different recipes for it. Also, you’ll also find this region is passionate about hazelnuts, corn, salad greens, tea and pide bread .
Favorite Ingredients in Turkish Food
Do you know the favorite key ingredients that are staples in many of the Turkish dishes you’ll try in Turkey? You’ll notice Turkish food includes many kinds of meat in their dishes. If you’re looking for vegetarian or vegan options, you will find dishes that will fit the bill and taste amazing. Typically, the larger cities like Istanbul & Izmir have restaurants that cater to vegetarian and vegan Turkish cuisine.
Bread is served at every meal. Enjoy!
- Onion & Garlic
Next, learn the beginner’s vocabulary of all the favorite foods in Turkish.
Beginner’s Glossary: Turkish Food Guide
If you’re wondering what the names of foods in Turkish are, we have the best beginner’s guide to Turkish food vocabulary to get you started. Additionally, learn how to pronounce the dishes in Turkish and the ingredients used.
Ayran Pronounced (eye-rahn). The other national drink after raki made with yogurt, salt, and water.
Baklava A favorite treat made with filo dough layered with pistachios or walnuts and soaked with sugar syrup.
Borek This is a savory pastry called yufka that is rolled, stuffed, or layered with feta, spinach, or lamb.
Cay Pronounced (ch-eye). Tea is served at all meals including tea time at 10 am and 2 pm.
Corba Pronounced (chorba). Soup is served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Dolma This is anything stuffed, usually with peppers, eggplant, and zucchini.
Dondurma This is ice cream, the most popular kind being stretchy and called maras, made with mastic gum and salep. (pronounced marash)
Gozleme Pronounced (goz-lem-eh). A kind of thin savory pancake, usually stuffed with feta, spinach, or lamb. A dessert option is made with Nutella and fruit.
Helva A sweet flour made with tahini and soapwort root. In shops, it is sold in sticky bricks.
Kahve Pronounced (kah-veh). Turkish coffee is usually served black or with sugar upon request. Don’t forget to sip the tea as there are coffee grounds in the cup.
Kahvalti Pronounced (kah-vahl-teh). This is breakfast and literally means ‘after coffee’.
Kaymak Pronounced (kay-mak). This is delicious, clotted cream made with buffalo, cow, or sheep’s milk.
Kebab Chargrilled meat is usually on a skewer. You’ll find a wide variety of kebabs throughout Turkey with the doner kebab, iskender kebab, and patlican kebab being a few favorites.
Kofte Pronounced (kof-teh). Turkish meatballs with ground meat are usually served with bulgur wheat.
Kokorec Pronounced (koko-rech). Chargrilled sausage made with lamb, often wrapped in lamb intestines. This would typically be categorized as “street food”.
Lahmahcun Pronounced (lah-mah-joon). Turkish flatbread topped with minced meat, tomatoes, onion, and garlic.
Lokanta A casual restaurant is typically an inexpensive lunch where most dishes are displayed and you choose what you want.
Lokum Turkish Delight is served in many flavors. Favorites are pistachio, rose, lemon, hazelnut, and mint.
Manti Pronounced (man-tuh). Small dumplings are usually stuffed with minced meat and served with garlic yogurt and pepper sauce.
Meyhane Pronounced (may-hah-neh). This is a bar that serves appetizers called meze and served with raki.
Peynir Pronounced (pay-neer). Cheese, with Kasarli and Beyaz Peynir being some of the most popular.
Pide Pronounced (pee-deh). You may see signs calling this Turkish pizza. It’s a boat-shaped flatbread with different toppings cooked in a wood fire oven.
Restoran A restaurant is more upscale than a lokonta that is open for lunch and dinner.
Salca Pronounced (sahl-cha). A paste made with tomatoes and peppers is used to flavor a variety of dishes.
Salep Pronounced (sah-lep). A hot drink served in winter, made with powdered orchid tubers; thought to be an aphrodisiac.
Sucuk Pronounced (soo-jook). A spicy dried sausage, usually made of beef and usually fried.
Next, now that you know how the basics of food in Turkish, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about Turkish breakfast.
Turkish Food Traditions: Turkish Breakfast
Breakfast in Turkey is a staple of the cuisine in Turkey. It is like brunch or a feast, any day of the week. Look for breakfast salons to get a taste of many different regional breakfast favorites.
First, breakfast will start with tea ; strong or weak, with or without sugar. White bread is always served with breakfast, some will serve different types of grain bread for a healthier option. Also included, are bread and savory pastries such as pogaca, simit, borek, and acma.
Next, the rest of a traditional Turkish breakfast typically comes out on small plates with white cheese (like feta), Kasar peynir, black or green olives, butter, honey, jam, sliced tomatoes, and cucumbers. Your breakfast will include hard-boiled eggs, an omelet, and possibly sucuk with eggs.
Also, Menemen is a classic breakfast dish made with eggs, tomatoes, green bell peppers, and onions; all cooked in one dish and served with bread.
Finally, there are many other dishes served with your Turkish Breakfast depending on what region you are in. In Van , you will find breakfast salons that serve up to 40 different plates. Spanning 2-3 hours, they will eat a huge breakfast and not eat the rest of the day. In the Black Sea region, they dip their bread in cheese fondue. In Istanbul , you’ll find a kahvalti evi that will host large breakfasts that showcase different regions’ breakfast traditions.
Best Turkish Sweets
Turks have an undeniable sweet tooth that has translated into a variety of sweets. There are shops that specialize in different kinds of sweat treats. The key is knowing what you want, and which shop to find it in. So, as you wander through the streets of Turkey these are the signs you’ll be looking for:
Tatlici Pronounced (tat-li-jeh). Serves helva, Turkish Delight & ice cream.
Sekerci Pronounced (shek-er-jeh). Serves cakes, doughnuts, scones & cookies.
Muhallebici Pronounced (moo-hah-le-bee-chee). This is a pudding shop, that serves milk and rice-based desserts.
Pastane Pronounced (pahs-tah-neh). Serves cookies and syrupy sweets like baklava.
Baklavaci Pronounced (bak-la-vah-jeh). Specializes in serving different types of baklavas.
Grab a cup of cay and enjoy your afternoon tea with a friend – this is a time to be shared. Next, read the Turkish food guide for the best drinks in Turkey.
Famous Drinks in Turkey
Raki Raki is the official drink of Turkey. It’s a black licorice liquor that is served with mezes, fish, or oysters. It is poured as a clear liquid and then diluted with water turning it into a cloudy-looking drink. It’s a Turkish favorite!
Cay Cay is a black tea that Turks enjoy plentifully throughout the day. You’ll start and end each meal with a cup as well as have tea breaks at 10 am & 2 pm. You’ll see the Cayci (Cay Man) walking through the streets with cups of hot cay on silver platters offering tea to shopkeepers and visitors. Don’t be afraid to sit down and chat with a local over a cup of cay.
Turkish Coffee Turkish coffee is an ancient tradition from Ottoman times. You order it with or without sugar. It is served with the coffee grounds in the cup so be sure to only sip the coffee so you don’t end up with a mouthful of black coffee grounds.
Filter coffee has made it’s mark in recent years in Turkey. Read about the b est coffee shops in Antalya to try on your visit.
Wine Wine in this region dates back around 6000 years, with the Hittites making alcohol out of grapes. Over the years, wine became a key component of celebrations. Modern Turkey has many wines that will match the best of America, Australia, Italy, and France.
Look for local white wines made from white grapes called emir and narince from the Central region of Turkey, and misket from the Aegean Coast. Try local red wines made from red grapes called okuzgozu grown in the Eastern region, and bagazkere grown in the Southeast region.
Beer If you want to try a local Turkish beer, Efes is pretty much anywhere in Turkey.
Next, read the Turkish food guide for the best food for kids.
Best Turkish Food for Kids
When your traveling in Turkey with kids , its always good to prepare and know what are some simple foods that your kids or picky eaters in the family might enjoy. Next, we’ve got a list of a few of our favorite Turkish dishes for your kids:
- Lentil Soup
- Chicken Shish
We’ve got a full guide of best Turkish food for kids and tips for having a great trip even if you have picky eaters in your family.
Turkish Food Guide Conclusion
In conclusion, the Turkish Food Guide gives you a birds-eye view of all of the best Turkish foods to eat and where to find them. With delicious, food, desserts and drinks, you can’t go wrong on your trip to Turkey.
Dania Demirci is your go-to travel expert for exploring Turkey and co-founder of Adventurefolio.com. With her extensive knowledge and personal experiences, Dania helps fellow travelers create the ultimate Turkish itineraries. From hidden gems to must-visit spots, she shares practical tips to empower you to confidently explore Turkey.
35 Must-Try Foods in Turkey – A Turkish Food Guide
Whenever I get the chance to return to Turkey, I begin to plan which foods in Turkey I’d like to eat first. It often starts with freshly baked borek, sizzling spiced meats, lahmacun, tasty meze, and delicious desserts.
Turkish food is exciting, packed with flavour, and incredibly diverse.
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About Turkish Food
The foods in Turkey are an irresistible fusion of Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Greek, and Eastern European cuisines, thanks to the legacy of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkish cuisine is rich and diverse, with various specialities influencing global cuisine. From indulgent mezes to fresh vegetables, seasoned smoky flavoured meats, and sweet pastries, Turkish cuisine offers a mouthwatering combination of flavours.
Get ready to embark on a culinary adventure with some of the most delicious foods you’ll ever taste!
Let’s go! 35 Must-Try Foods in Turkey
Meze & starters.
Borek is one of my favourite foods in Turkey. Simple, cheap, and it always hits the spot.
Borek is a savoury pastry or pie made with thin layers of filo (or phyllo) dough, filled with various ingredients such as cheese, spinach, spiced ground meat, or potatoes.
Borek is baked in the oven until it’s crisp on the outside and golden in colour. The best time to eat borek is in the morning when many bakeries and small shops serve them piping hot from the oven.
2. Mercimek Corbasi
Mercimek çorbası, or lentil soup, is a beloved classic in Turkish cuisine.
This hearty and nourishing soup is made primarily from red lentils, cooked until tender and blended with sautéed onions, garlic, and spices such as cumin and paprika to create a smooth and velvety texture.
The soup is served hot, garnished with a squeeze of fresh lemon (this elevates the dish’s flavours) and accompanied by crusty bread.
Turkish pide is a traditional Turkish flatbread shaped like a boat and topped with various delicious ingredients. Think of it as a cross between pizza and bread.
Pide is exciting because of the sheer variety of toppings you can choose from. Ingredients such as spiced minced meat, Turkish cheese, sucuk (Turkish sausage), and Mediterranean roasted vegetables are most common.
The toppings are generously layered on the boat-shaped bread and baked to perfection, resulting in a crispy yet soft and chewy texture.
Pide is one of those foods in Turkey that you’ll want to enjoy again and again.
4. Leblebi
Leblebi is a popular chickpea snack in Turkey—essentially, chickpeas are roasted or fried until they become golden brown.
Leblebi can be found in various forms, ranging from plain roasted chickpeas to seasoned and spiced versions.
In Turkey, leblebi is often seasoned with salt and sometimes other spices like paprika or cumin to enhance its taste.
Leblebi is a great snack to pick up in the Turkish bazaar or from street food vendors when you’re out exploring for the day.
5. Katmer
Katmer, a delightful dessert native to Gaziantep in Turkey, is one of the most amazing foods in Turkey. This crisp filo dough pastry is filled with a mouthwatering combination of pistachios and clotted cream, creating a lovely balance of flavours and textures.
In Gaziantep, locals have a unique tradition of starting their day with this indulgent dessert.
So, if you find yourself in Gaziantep or can try katmer elsewhere, take advantage of the chance to experience this delightful dessert.
I’m a massive fan of gozleme, one of the most comforting foods in Turkey that always leave you wanting more.
This traditional delicacy consists of thin, unleavened dough that is expertly hand-rolled, filled with fresh ingredients and cooked on a grill.
Choose from savoury options like spinach, feta cheese, and minced meat to vegetarian variations featuring potatoes and fragrant herbs. The dough is filled, folded, and then cooked until golden, resulting in a satisfying balance of soft, chewy dough and tasty fillings.
Often enjoyed as a popular street food, gözleme is a quick and convenient snack food or meal.
Fresh lemon wedges are traditionally served alongside gozleme, providing a zesty kick that complements the flavours of the gözleme.
A dollop of natural yoghurt can also accompany it. Heaven!
Turkish Bread
Whether you’re strolling through the busy streets of Istanbul or exploring other destinations in Turkey, don’t miss the chance to taste the authentic and delicious simit. It’s a simple yet super satisfying snack that I absolutely love.
Simit is a ring-shaped bread covered in sesame seeds and it’s sometimes referred to as sesame bread or Turkish bagel.
This iconic Turkish street food is made from a combination of flour, water, yeast, and a pinch of salt. The dough is hand-rolled into long ropes, twisted into circular shapes, and then dipped in a water or molasses solution before being generously coated with sesame seeds.
Afterward, the simit is baked to perfection, resulting in a golden-brown crust and a soft, chewy interior.
It is often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack throughout the day.
The sesame seeds give the simit a comforting nutty flavour, when combined with the crusty exterior and fluffy centre, it’s a winning combination. This is easily one of my favourite street foods in Turkey.
Bazlama is a popular round flatbread – soft, slightly thick, and versatile.
Made from a simple dough, rolled out into circular shapes, and then cooked on a grill until it puffs up and develops a golden-brown colour on each side.
Bazlama can be enjoyed in multiple ways. As a breakfast item, it can be eaten plain, accompanied by cheese, olives, or honey. It can also be used as a base for wraps or sandwiches, filled with your desired ingredients such as grilled meat, vegetables, salad, or yoghurt-based dips.
The texture of bazlama is soft and fluffy, making it ideal for pulling apart and dipping into soups, stews, or sauces.
Acma is a popular pastry in Turkish cuisine that is often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. It is a soft and fluffy yeast-based bread roll that is typically shaped into a knot or coil.
The dough used to make acma consists of ingredients such as eggs, milk, butter, and sugar, resulting in a tender and slightly sweet flavour.
Once baked, acma develops a golden-brown crust while maintaining a soft and pillowy interior.
This beloved pastry is often enjoyed plain or lightly sprinkled with sesame seeds. It pairs perfectly with a cup of Turkish tea or coffee and can be enjoyed with various spreads like butter, jam, or cheese.
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10. Lahmacun
I dream about this delicious food often. Lahmacun is one of the foods you must try in Turkey, however, it’s a hugely popular food from Armenia, Lebanon , Iraq, Palestine and Syria – and other Arab countries.
Lahmacun is a thin, round flatbread topped with a mixture of spiced minced meat, and vegetables.
The dough used to make lahmacun is rolled out thinly and then spread with a mixture made from minced lamb or beef, mixed with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs and spices such as paprika, cumin, and parsley.
Once assembled, the lahmacun is baked in a piping hot oven until the edges turn crispy. It is typically served with a wedge of lemon, and fresh herbs like parsley or mint.
Once you place the fresh herbs in the centre and squeeze fresh lemon juice over it – fold it over or roll it up and indulge.
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Turkish Mains
Kofta (or kofte), are Turkish meatballs – a staple in Turkish cuisine.
Made from spiced lamb or beef, these patties or balls can be shaped and served in various ways. The meatballs are char-grilled and the meat takes on the smoky flavours from the grill – it’s wonderful.
Some variations include the addition of fresh herbs like mint and parsley, while others focus on the flavours of onion and spices.
Kofta can be enjoyed in casseroles, added to salads and sandwiches, or eaten with fresh flatbread and meze.
12. Manti
Sometimes referred to as Turkish dumplings, manti are small, bite-sized dumplings filled with a mixture of ground meat, typically lamb or beef, mixed with spices and onions.
During the preparation of manti, the dough is filled with the mixture, then carefully folded into a unique shape, resembling a tiny hat or boat.
Traditionally, manti is served hot and topped with a rich tomato sauce, melted butter, and a generous dollop of yoghurt. This is a delightful combination.
Dolma is a popular food to try in Turkish cuisine and many Mediterranean countries.
Dolma consists of various vegetables, such as capsicum, zucchini, eggplants, or grape leaves, stuffed with a delicious filling.
The filling for dolma usually includes a combination of rice, minced meat (often lamb or beef), onions, fragrant herbs like parsley and mint, and a blend of spices.
This mixture is carefully stuffed into the prepared vegetables, creating a wonderful combination of textures and flavours.
Once assembled, the dolma is typically cooked by simmering or baking until the vegetables are tender.
14. Kuzu Tandir
Kuzu Tandır is a mouthwatering dish in Turkish cuisine that showcases the art of slow-cooked lamb. It consists of pieces of lamb, typically from the shoulder or leg, marinated with spices and herbs, and then slow-roasted to perfection.
The lamb is traditionally cooked in a tandir (or tandoor), a clay oven, which helps to seal in the flavours and create tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat.
The slow cooking process allows the lamb to become incredibly tender while developing a crispy exterior, resulting in a heavenly contrast of textures.
Kuzu Tandır is often served with sides such as rice pilaf, salad, or roasted vegetables.
15. Shish Kebabs
Shish (or Sis) Kebabs are a worldwide sensation! This Turkish meat dish features skewered, juicy pieces of lamb, beef, chicken or even just vegetables cooked on hot charcoal.
Served with rice, salad, and thin bread on the side or wrapped in flatbread, the smoky flavour from the meat is divine.
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If there are any foods in Turkey that sound familiar to you, it’s likely this one.
In Turkish cuisine, “doner” refers to a dish that has gained worldwide fame. The word “döner” means “to rotate” or “to turn,” and it perfectly describes the cooking technique used for this dish.
Doner is typically made from marinated meat (often lamb or chicken) that is stacked on a vertical rotisserie. The meat slowly rotates and cooks against a heat source, allowing it to become tender while developing a crispy exterior.
As the meat rotates, thin slices are shaved off and served in various ways. It is commonly enjoyed as a filling in pita bread or flatbread, known as “doner kebab,” along with fresh vegetables, herbs, and a variety of sauces such as yoghurt or tahini-based dressings.
Doner has become a popular street food in Turkey and has gained popularity in many other countries as well.
It’s the perfect grab-and-go snack and you will see many ‘doner kebab’ shops and restaurants if you travel throughout Turkey.
17. Balik ekmek
Balık Ekmek, which translates to “fish bread” in English, is an iconic street food delicacy in Turkey, particularly along the coastal regions. It is a simple yet delicious dish that consists of grilled or fried fish served in a bread roll.
The preparation of Balık Ekmek typically involves fresh fish, such as mackerel or sea bass, which is seasoned and cooked to perfection.
The fish is then placed inside a crusty bread roll, along with various accompaniments that may include lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and usually a squeeze of lemon juice.
If you find yourself near a coastal area in Turkey, be sure to enjoy balik ekmek.
Furthermore, this is one of the foods in Turkey that is essential to taste if you’re exploring Istanbul. Find it at the fishing boats by the Galata Bridge on the Golden Horn. Highly recommended.
18. Menemen
Menemen is a popular breakfast dish but is also enjoyed as a light meal.
This is a comforting dish made with simple ingredients such as eggs, tomatoes, capsicum, and onions. First, the onions and capsicums are sauteed until soft, then chopped tomatoes are added and then reduced down to form a chunky sauce.
Eggs are cracked into the mixture and gently stirred until they are softly scrambled, resulting in a creamy, chunky texture. Menemen is sometimes customised to include sucuk (Turkish sausage), cheese or herbs such as dill or parsley.
Salt, pepper, and sometimes chilli flakes can be added.
Menemen is typically served hot and can be enjoyed on its own or accompanied by crusty bread for dipping.
19. Hamsili Pilav
Hamsili Pilav, also known as Anchovy Pilaf, is a delightful and aromatic dish in Turkish cuisine. It features the star ingredient of fresh anchovies, which are combined with fragrant rice and a medley of herbs and spices.
To prepare Hamsili Pilav, the anchovies are first cleaned and deboned.
The rice is then cooked with onions, garlic, and butter, infusing it with the most delicious taste. The anchovy fillets are gently folded into the rice, allowing their flavours to marry up with the grains.
The dish is often seasoned with herbs such as parsley and dill, along with spices like black pepper and some fresh lemon juice for a zesty kick. The result is a satisfying pilaf with tender anchovies, imparting a distinct seafood flavour to the dish.
Hamsili Pilav can be enjoyed as a main course accompanied by a fresh salad. This dish is a Turkish specialty, particularly in coastal regions of Turkey, where anchovies are abundant and highly appreciated.
20. Alinazik Kebab
Alinazik Kebab is a delicious and unique dish in Turkish cuisine that combines grilled meat with a creamy and smoky eggplant dip. It is a specialty of the Gaziantep region in Turkey.
To prepare Alinazik Kebab, tender pieces of marinated lamb or beef are grilled to perfection, resulting in juicy, and tender meat.
The meat is then served on a bed of creamy roasted eggplant spread, which is made by roasting eggplants until soft and blending them with garlic, yoghurt, and sometimes tahini or olive oil.
The combination of the smoky eggplant spread with the perfectly grilled meat is incredible. The dish is typically served with warm bread or rice pilaf.
21. Hunkar Begendi
Hunkar Begendi is a significant (and delicious) dish in Turkish cuisine that holds a special place in culinary history.
Translated as “Sultan’s Delight,” it is a rich, unforgettable dish that consists of two main components: a smoky eggplant dip and tenderly braised meat. The meats used to prepare this dish are typically lamb, although veal or beef can be used.
The hero of Hünkar Beğendi is the creamy eggplant dip, made by roasting whole eggplants until soft, scooping out the flesh, and blending it with butter, milk, and grated cheese. This results in a velvety, smoky spread that serves as a bed for the meat.
The meat is slow-cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spices until it becomes tender.
Hünkar Beğendi is often considered a dish fit for royalty, and its name reflects its regal status. It is believed to have been created during the Ottoman Empire and was said to be a favourite of Sultan Abdulhamid II, hence the name “Sultan’s Delight.”
Vegetarian Foods in Turkey
Kısır is a traditional Turkish dish that is popular as a mezze or salad. It is a bulgur-based dish with a vibrant mix of fresh flavours and ingredients.
To prepare kısır, fine bulgur is soaked in hot water until it absorbs the liquid and becomes fluffy. Then, a variety of ingredients are added to enhance its taste and texture. Finely chopped vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers are mixed with the bulgur.
Fresh herbs like parsley and mint are added to boost flavour even further.
The dressing for kısır typically includes olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, and spices such as cumin and red pepper flakes.
These ingredients mixed together create the most satisfying Turkish salad you’ll ever taste.
23. Imam Bayildi
Imam Bayildi is a much loved Turkish dish that carries an intriguing name meaning “the Imam fainted.” This vegetarian delicacy features eggplants that are stuffed and braised in a wonderful tomato-based sauce.
To prepare Imam Bayildi, eggplants are partially peeled and then lightly fried or roasted until they reach a tender consistency.
The eggplants are carefully opened and generously filled with a mixture of onions, garlic, tomatoes, herbs like parsley and dill, and occasionally pine nuts. The stuffed eggplants are then simmered in the tomato sauce until they become irresistibly soft, absorbing all the flavours.
Legend has it that the dish got its name from an Imam who was so delighted by his wife’s rendition of Imam Bayildi that he fainted in sheer bliss.
It is often enjoyed as a main course or served as part of a meze spread, accompanied by bread or rice.
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Mucver is a delightful vegetarian dish found in Turkish cuisine, known for its delicious simplicity. It’s fair to say that many countries worldwide have a dish similar to this one, a satisfying and comforting snack.
Mucver is a zucchini fritter made by grating fresh zucchini and combining it with ingredients like eggs, flour, herbs (such as dill or parsley), and sometimes crumbled feta cheese.
The mixture is spooned into a hot pan, squashed slightly into small patties, and pan-fried in oil until golden and crispy.
You can enjoy mucver on their own; however, I recommend eating them with some thick yoghurt and a squeeze of fresh lemon, alongside a fresh salad. Yum!
Turkish Desserts
Künefe is a delectable dessert and is beloved in many Arab countries for its rich, sweet flavours and unique textures. It consists of shredded pastry soaked in sweet syrup and layered with a creamy, stretchy cheese filling.
To create künefe, a layer of the shredded pastry called kadayıf is placed at the bottom of a round pan, followed by a layer of unsalted cheese, typically a variety known as “tel kadayıf.”
Another layer of shredded pastry goes on top, and the dessert bakes until golden and crisp.
Once out of the oven, künefe is generously drenched in a sweet syrup, often flavoured with rose or orange blossom water, adding a delightful floral fragrance and taste to the dessert.
Combining the crispy pastry, oozing cheese, and sweet syrup creates a harmonious balance of textures and tastes – and this is why this ranks as one of my favourite desserts of all time.
26. Baklava
Baklava is a delicious and popular Turkish dessert and a hard one to match if we’re comparing the best sweet foods of Turkey that you must try.
It is heavenly and made with filo pastry layers, chopped nuts, such as pistachios or walnuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey.
The pastry is baked until golden and crispy and then soaked in fragrant syrup. The result is a delightful combination of flaky layers, crunchy nuts, and a sweet taste.
There are many different fillings for baklava, and choosing my favourite is hard. I highly recommend baklava with pistachio, and the walnut one is incredible too.
27. Kazandibi
Kazandibi is a delightful Turkish dessert that translates to “bottom of the pot” in English.
It is a creamy and caramelised dessert with a slightly burnt caramelised layer on top.
To prepare Kazandibi, a mixture of milk, sugar, and rice flour or semolina is simmered until it thickens and reaches a pudding-like consistency.
The mixture is then poured into a shallow pan, allowing it to cool and set.
The unique characteristic of Kazandibi lies in the final step of preparation. The cooled dessert gets flipped upside down, revealing a beautiful caramelised layer.
The result is a dessert with a smooth and creamy texture and perfect alongside some Turkish tea.
28. Sambali
Sambali is a sweet and dense semolina cake soaked in fragrant syrup- it’s the perfect cake for an afternoon pick-me-up with some fresh Turkish tea.
Sambali is typically garnished with ground pistachios or nuts for flavour and decoration.
It is prevalent in the Gaziantep region, known for its rich culinary traditions and delicious desserts.
29. Halka tatlisi
Halka tatlisi, also known as “ring dessert” or “hoop dessert,” is a traditional Turkish sweet treat.
A dough is prepared using flour, eggs, milk, sugar, butter, and yeast. It is kneaded and left to rise until it doubles in size, then shaped into small rings and deep-fried until golden and crispy.
After frying, the halka tatlısı rings are traditionally soaked in a sweet syrup infused with flavours like lemon zest or rosewater. This syrup adds moisture and sweetness to the dessert.
Expect this sweet treat to be served with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or garnished with crushed pistachios or walnuts.
30. Dondurma
Dondurma is essentially Turkish ice cream known for its unique texture, elasticity, and resistance to melting.
The preparation of dondurma involves churning the mixture slowly and continuously while freezing it. This process creates a dense and creamy ice cream with a slightly sticky consistency.
Additionally, dondurma vendors often perform entertaining techniques such as stretching the ice cream on long paddles or playing tricks with customers, adding to the fun and unique experience of enjoying dondurma.
Dondurma can be enjoyed in a cup or cone or paired with traditional Turkish desserts like baklava or künefe.
31. Turkish delight or lokum
Turkish delight, also known as lokum, is a sweet and chewy confectionery from Turkey.
Made from a gel-like mixture of starch, sugar, and flavouring, it comes in various flavours like rose, lemon, and pistachio.
Turkish delights are best enjoyed with Turkish tea or coffee and are a popular confection to give as a gift.
32. Gullac
Gullac is a traditional Turkish dessert with layers of wafer sheets soaked in sweetened milk and rosewater.
It is a light and refreshing treat enjoyed during Ramadan, often topped with crushed nuts.
Turkish Drinks
33. turkish tea.
Turkish tea, known as çay, is a popular hot beverage in Turkey. It is typically prepared using loose black tea leaves brewed in a special teapot called a çaydanlık.
The tea is served in small, tulip-shaped glasses and is enjoyed throughout the day, often accompanied by social gatherings or conversations. It has a strong flavour and is traditionally served with sugar cubes on the side, allowing individuals to adjust the sweetness to their liking.
Turkish tea symbolises hospitality and plays a significant role in Turkish culture.
34. Turkish coffee
If you enjoy your coffee strong (like I do), you’ll be a fan of Turkish coffee.
To make Turkish coffee, finely ground coffee beans are simmered in a unique pot called a cezve, along with water and sometimes sugar (the server will usually ask you if you’d like sugar).
The coffee is slowly heated until it reaches a frothy state, then poured into small cups. The grounds settle at the bottom of the cup, creating a thick layer.
Turkish coffee is enjoyed leisurely, sipped slowly to savour its intense flavour.
It is typically served with a glass of water to cleanse the palate.
35. Fresh Pomegranate Juice
Fresh pomegranate juice, known as taze nar suyu in Turkey, is a popular and refreshing beverage made from ripe pomegranates.
After the fruit gets pressed, the resulting juice is sweet, fresh, and tangy.
Fresh pomegranate juice is enjoyed throughout the year in Turkey, but it is particularly popular during the autumn and winter months when pomegranates are in season.
Recommended Tours & Food Experiences in Turkey
Whether you’re planning to visit Turkey for a week or a month, consider doing this Private Guided Tour of Istanbul to learn about the fascinating history before you explore the rest of the country.
For food lovers, you can taste some of the foods in Turkey I’ve listed above and much more on this ‘ Taste of Two Continents Food Tour’ . Discover Istanbul’s European and Asian sides with your foodie guide and a small group of hungry travellers (8 participants maximum).
Alternatively, this Istanbul Evening Sightseeing & Food Tasting Tour offers great value and allows you to experience this exciting city at night.
Final Thoughts about the Foods in Turkey
Even as I’m writing this, currently sitting in Thailand, which is one of my 10 Best Countries for Food Lovers , I can’t wait to revisit Turkey. There’s something special about this country, and it’s not just the delicious foods in Turkey.
The Turkish are welcoming and hospitable people, and it’s for this reason, in addition to the incredible Turkish cuisine and an excellent range of things to see and do that keep me returning whenever possible.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading more about Turkish food. Have we included your favourite foods in Turkey here? What dish would you add to our list of must-try foods in Turkey? Let us know in the comments below.
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9 Outstanding Cities in Turkey for Foodie Travelers
Gastronomic tourism, one of the popular trends of recent years, is perfect for those who love to travel and eat. I will try to point out where to go with gastronomic tourism in Turkey and 9 Outstanding Cities in Turkey for Foodie Travelers.
For gastronomic tourism, we can say to discover alternative places to discover different tastes. It is a kind of travel style that reflects the traditions and cultural values of the region and presents the dishes specific to the region. Gastronomic tourism, with its different cultures, has become the most popular form of travel in recent years.
Let’s look at a few of these regions together;
Gaziantep City Cuisine
Selected as one of the 9 best gastronomy cities in the world by UNESCO, Gaziantep is a veritable city of history and culture, which has hosted many civilizations since prehistoric times, as well as its internationally rich cuisine. The cuisine of Gaziantep, which is described as the “capital of gastronomy”, has a richness worthy of this title.
Gaziantep’s local style of cooking is delicious. Stuffed dried aubergines, fellah meatballs, micırık dish, cauliflower tzatziki are just a few of these delicacies. For dessert, the first thing that comes to mind is carrot slices, şöbiyet, and pistachio wrap. We used delicious pistachios in most of the desserts made in Gaziantep.
Diyarbakir City Cuisine
Diyarbakır, the center of Mesopotamian culture, stands out, especially with its catering culture. There are so many treats in the restaurants here that they will surprise you and give you hard time deciding what to try.
Diyarbakır, the city on the 2021 UNESCO Creative Cities National List, is a place where you can attend events on gastronomy. For example, you can taste regional cuisine products at the Mesopotamia Tourism and Gastronomy Fair. You can feel the gravity of meat recipes and spices in Diyarbakır cuisine. The famous kebab culture of the Middle East makes itself felt here as well. Especially if you like liver kebabs, you can find the best ones here.
Konya City Cuisine
Konya is an ancient city in the heart of Anatolia and has hosted many important civilizations. The region, which bears traces of very rich culture and has been home to a name that left its mark on the history of humanity like Mevlana, is famous for its thousands of years of history and its gastronomic delicacies.
Since Konya is on trade routes, it has always taken something from different cultures. Developing its cuisine in this way, Konya is one of the most important gastronomy stops in Turkey. The city, which has a very rich food culture, also draws attention to its cooking techniques and presentation styles.
Adana City Cuisine
This city, which carries traces of different cultures, has a wide culinary culture. The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, Adana-style kebab. It is possible to come across a kebab shop every step of the way while walking around the streets of Adana. Meat is consumed so much here that it is not possible to find a place to eat skewered liver even for breakfast. For those who want to cool off from the heat of Adana, bici bici dessert, which is served cold, is recommended.
Afyonkarahisar City Cuisine
Afyonkarahisar, the gastronomy city of the Aegean Region, became the last Turkish city to be included in the “creative cities” network in gastronomy by UNESCO in 2019. Afyonkarahisar’s most prominent flavor, which contains delicious dishes, which are known with local names, draws attention to Afyon Sucuk, which is produced on average 20 thousand tons per year. Another well-known flavor of the city is cream.
Hatay City Cuisine
Hatay, which acts as a bridge between the Mediterranean and Southeastern Anatolia and is known as the “City of Civilizations”, is a city that has reflected its multiculturalism to its original cuisine. Hatay, which has hundreds of flavors from appetizers to salads, from local dishes to desserts, has a worldwide reputation in gastronomy.
Hatay city, which has dozens of options for appetizers offers appetizers such as muhammara, hummus, mutabbel, broad bean paste, abagannuş, tebbuli, salty yogurt, and ashur. For dessert, the most popular is, of course, künefe.
Aegean Region Cuisine
The Aegean region, which fascinates everyone with its climate, location, and historical beauties, impresses with its unique culinary culture. When Aegean cuisine is mentioned, olive oil dishes and local herbs come to mind first. Especially by adding spices such as thyme and chili pepper to olive oil , bread is eaten with pleasure.
As for meat, its meatballs are quite famous. In fact, every region such as İzmir, Manisa , Tire, Akhisar , Aydın, has its own special meatballs. Boyoz and dove stand out as street delicacies. As for dessert, donuts, fig dessert, curd dessert, zerde, and şambali are the most popular ones.
Bursa City Cuisine
Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire and a favorite of cultural trips with its historical and cultural values, takes its place on my list with its delicious dishes. Gastronomic tourism in the city is developing day by day. Therefore, in order to try these unique flavors, countless tourists from all over the country visit Bursa all year round just to eat. This is such a city that it appeals to both the eyes and the stomach.
Iskender, cantık, pita meatballs, tahini pita, İnegöl meatballs, Elbasan pan, Muradiye soup, sheet pan, candied chestnut, Kemalpaşa dessert, milk halva, and walnut Turkish delight are among the flavors that you should definitely eat in Bursa.
Black Sea Region Cuisine
It is a cuisine that gives the right to gastronomic tourism. Because of its different climate, this region is home to fish such as anchovy, bluefish, and bonito. Rich butter and cheese options add a distinct flavor to breakfasts. Muhlama made with cornflour, kaygana, natural eggs, honeycomb honey are among the indispensable tastes of breakfast tables.
Get Your Foodie Tour Guide in Turkey
Food always has been an important part of an excellent travel experience in Turkey. I love to eat local delicacies in little restaurants and take my guests into these not so tourist restaurants. Contact me to learn what to eat and where to eat while traveling in Turkey. Also, write to me to hire a local Turkish foodie tour guide who is experienced in gastronomical tours in Turkey. See you soon, Hasan Gülday .
BONUS CONTENT! 😊
Nobody can skip Nusret Gökçe who is known as ”Salt Bae” internationally when it comes to speaking about being a foodie in Turkey! Here is the link to the famous chef’s Instagram page. You can stop by any of his restaurants to try some famous Turkish meat dishes.
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Hasan Gülday
Hasan Gülday. Professional licensed tour guide working in Turkey.
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Home » Middle East » Turkey » Most EPIC Food Tours in Istanbul | The Broke Backpacker 2024 Guide
Most EPIC Food Tours in Istanbul | The Broke Backpacker 2024 Guide
Istanbul is a magical city of many cultures. It’s where the East meets the West, and even spans over two continents, split by the Bosporus Strait. From the stunning mosques of the Sultanahmet district to the cozy cafes of the Jewish Quarter in Balat, contrasting cultures live together in harmony in Istanbul.
This makes for a great culinary scene. The food in Istanbul is a melting pot of spices, flavors, and cuisines from across two continents . The spice markets are a thrill for the senses, with every flavor hitting your nose all at once.
I’m thinking about those delicately constructed layers of filo pastry on a perfect baklava. Dinner is a hearty, meaty delight of of kebab varieties. Istanbul is a place FULL of flavor.
There is just too much amazing food to choose from, and some foods that are unique to the city such as stuffed mussels and sucluc, which is why doing a food tour in Istanbul is such a great idea.
If you want to explore the city and find the best food stops, then a foodie tour of Istanbul is how you’ll get acquainted. Indulge culinary delights with a side order of top-quality hospitality.
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Food in Istanbul – Why is it Special?
Istanbul foodie neighbourhood breakdown , best food tours in istanbul, final thoughts on food tours in istanbul.
Formerly known as Byzantium, then Constantinople, Istanbul has always been a thriving city and a meeting point between cultures. In fact, the Grand Bazaar is the oldest shopping mall in the world and has always been a hub of trade for centuries.
Every wanderer looking to trade came traveling through Istanbul on the trade routes of the Silk Road, including some recipes…
Even today, the flavors from the East and West combine to make some of the best fusion food on the planet . There are lots of must-try foods in Istanbul.
Let’s start with Simit , a popular street food in Istanbul. This chewy, round bread is covered in sesame seeds and topped with honey or Nutella.
Another doughy favorite of mine is pide or “Turkish pizza”, just like the Italian equivalent but without the tomato sauce. There’s also lahmacun, made of a thin piece of dough, and topped with minced meat, spices, and vegetables.
Breakfast is a big event for locals, and no matter where you stay (particularly in Istanbul Airbnbs and homestays) more often than not given a complimentary Turkish breakfast of eggs, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and bread. Yum-o.
Menemen is eggs, tomatoes, green peppers, and spices, it’s a popular breakfast dish in Istanbul. The dish takes its name from the Menemen district of Izmir in the Aegean Region of Turkey.
One dish you’ve probably heard of is Köfte , usually made from lamb, beef, or both. You may know köfte from the takeaway. But in Istanbul, it’s obviously way better – it’s served with grilled peppers, spicy sauce, flatbread, and rice.
Döner – you know her. Here it’s cooked on vertical rotisseries and is arguably Turkey’s most famous food. But wait a minute, what about baklava?
Baklava was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine, made of flaky layers of pastry topped with honey and nuts. Borek is a savory version of baklava that can also be found in Istanbul. It’s usually filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables.
And finally, you can’t come to Istanbul and not try the seafood. Grab a fresh Balik Ekmek (fish sandwich) from the fishing boats on the Bosphorus. The cafes along the river bank in Eminonu, near the famous Galata Bridge, serve up the freshest catches of the day and it’s one of the top attractions in Istanbul .
A note on happy bellies – It’s generally safe to consume street food in Istanbul, but it’s best to avoid very cheap meat or seafood. If there’s a queue, it’s usually good to eat.
A Taste of Istanbul’s Street Food
- > Where: Kadikoy Market, Beyoglu district
- > Includes: Professional guide, Tastings, Public transportation (Bus, ferry, subway etc.)
- > Duration: 4.5 Hours
- > Price: €63.02
Turkish and Ottoman Cuisine Workshop
- > Where: Istiklal Street, Beyoglu
- > Includes: All food, drinks, food history and cooking demonstration
- > Duration: 3 Hours
- > Price: €57
Dervish Experience & Traditional Dinner
- > Where: Fatih
- > Includes: Food, drinks, transport & tickets to the show
- > Duration: 3.5 Hours
- > Price: €66
Before we introduce you to the top food tours in Istanbul, let’s quickly run through the best foodie neighborhoods so you can explore the culinary delights on your own.
Sultanahmet, also known as the old town, is Istanbul’s most touristed district and includes neighbourhoods such as Sirkeci and Eminonu. Visit the famous Spice Market Misir Carsisi, also known as the Egyptian Bazaar, which is an explosion of color and flavor from every corner of the world.
In Eminou try Turkish delight, also known as lokum, at the oldest confectionary shop in Istanbul, Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir Lokumlari. Stop by at the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, as well as the underground Basilica Cisterns. Of course, no visit to Istanbul is complete without a trip to the Grand Bazaar, full of indoor souks and market stalls peddling everything from fine leather to fake brands.
Karakoy is a harborside neighborhood in Istanbul on the opposite side of the river to the old town. Trendy cafes and cocktail bars line the streets while family-run shops and traditional neighborhood bakeries give the area a local vibe.
Istiklal Street is Istanbul’s busiest thoroughfare, packed with color, culture and flavors from all over the world. Also known as “Independence Caddesi,” it’s a 1.5-kilometre-long pedestrian boulevard that runs through Beyoglu.
Just north of Taksim Square the area of Besiktas is famous throughout Turkey. Hundreds and thousands of Turkish residents visit here year-round to fill their bellies with the first meal of the day. Affectionately known as “Breakfast Street” , the area near to Dolmabahçe Palace is packed full of cafes and restaurants serving up menemen, kaymak, simit, and a whole selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. All washed down with a healthy amount of Turkish coffee of course.
To the north of Besiktas is the flamboyant restaurant Nusr-Et Steakhouse Etiler , made famous by the viral ‘Salt Bae’ videos on social media. I can say from experience it’s 100% worth the hype and is one of the top places to visit in Istanbul ! The ‘extra’ serving style, refined Turkish dishes, and over-the-top portions make this a meal not to be missed.
Kadiköy is a laid-back residential neighborhood on Istanbul’s Asian shore. It’s probably best known for its fresh seafood and local favorite Marmara Balik Market (fish market). Here you can find everything from Turkish pizza, to fresh olives, and perfectly steamed stuffed mussels. The area is pretty popular with the younger crowds too. You can visit indie boutiques, hipster cafes, and traditional Anatolian eateries. There’s also some of the best nightlife in the city along Barlar Sokak (Bar Street).
For some of the best views, visit the Moda Caddesi neighborhood’s shores that showcase Istanbul’s beautiful skyline. Get a dondurma (ice cream) from Meshur Dondurmaci Ali Usta and look out across the Sea of Marmara.
Now you know where to go looking for the best food in Istanbul, you need to know which… It’s time to take a look at the top food tours to add to your Istanbul itinerary .
A Taste of Istanbul’s Street Food – The Overall Best Istanbul Food Tour
- Where: Kadikoy Market, Beyoglu district
- Duration: 4.5 Hours
- Includes: Professional guide, Tastings, Public transportation (Bus, ferry, subway etc.)
- Price: €63.02
This small group tour gives you a taste of some of the best food in Istanbul. It’s a comprehensive five-hour tour of Istanbul’s street food scene covering everything from pide to simit.
You will travel by foot as well as tram, and take a ferry over the Bosphorus to seek out the best dishes on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Start by browsing the vibrant Kadikoy Market on Istanbul’s Asian side. Later, take a stroll along the iconic Galata Bridge to sample the seafood sandwiches of Galata.
There’s a bit of everything on this tour, all finished off with baklava at the famous pastry shop ‘Karakoy Gulluoglu’ in the Beyoglu district.
Your local guide will give you loads of facts about the surrounding area as well as some great tips for getting around. Do this tour at the start of your visit, even if you’re only visiting for a weekend , and save yourself a load of money on taxis and bland food.
No Diet Club Istanbul Food Journey – For Those Who Don’t Care About Calories
- Where: Karakoy & Kadikoy
- Duration: 3 Hours
- Includes: Food, drinks, ferry, local guide
This offbeat 3-hour tour is perfect for those that aren’t watching their weight. Packed with tasty delights from favorite local spots and food markets, this tour takes in the highlights of Istanbul’s treats.
Try fresh mussels at the Karakoy Pier, a local favorite, wander the backstreets of Kadikoy on the Asian side, and try some of the best Turkish mezes. Then uncover the secrets to Turkish cheese and try Künefe, a cheesy dessert adored by locals.
Local guide, Yunus Emre, has been an official tour guide in Istanbul for over 12 years. He’s done all of the sights and knows the facts, but this tour isn’t for sightseeing.
It’s a deep dive into the flavorsome food that keeps this city running.
Half-Day Turkish Coffee Tasting and Tour – The Caffeine Addicts Food Tour in Istanbul
- Where: Fatih / Old Town
- Includes: Hotel pick-up and drop-off from centrally located hotels, local guide, coffee and Turkish delight tasting, all entrance fees
Turkish coffee is world-famous and making the perfect cup is a fine art. Visit a unique museum and get the chance to drink at some of the most historic coffee venues in Istanbul on this three-hour guided tour.
You will learn everything there is to know about the national drink during this tour for caffeine lovers. Make the perfect Turkish coffee in a historic coffee shop, visit the coffee storage of the Ottomans, and try authentic Turkish delights at the Kurukahvedji Inn.
Coffee is a huge part of Turkish culture, and this tour gives you all of the facts. Learn the how, the why, and the where to drink coffee along the beautiful “Coffee Route” of Istanbul.
Dervish Experience & Traditional Dinner – The Best Traditional Food Tour
- Where: Fatih
- Duration: 3.5 Hours
- Includes: Food, drinks, transport & tickets to the show
Join the locals at a very traditional Sufism Dervish show, then get spoiled with a feast on the rooftop of a 150-year-old restaurant.
Spend an hour experiencing the hypnotic ‘Whirling Dervish’ of Turkey. Learn all about the dance and the history of the authentic surroundings from your local guide.
Hosts Kubilay and Zeynep are passionate about their culture and want to share it with visitors. You will get to know them and learn about the spiritual ways of Sufism .
This tour is a great way to get a sense of the Rumi spirit, a word borrowed from Arabic literally meaning ‘Roman’. The community comes together for these impressive shows, a far more authentic Istanbul experience than belly dancing.
After the show, you will be whisked away to a local kebab restaurant. It’s housed in a historic building with beautiful views out over the city from the rooftop.
You will get an unlimited amount of quality Turkish cuisine. Try traditional soups, a great choice of kebabs, and of course lots of mezes. Finish the night off with tea or Turkish coffee and a local dessert.
There are vegetarian and vegan options available too! Just let them know your dietary requirements when you book.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Breakfast in Istanbul – The Breakfast Tour in Istanbul
- Where: Besiktas
- Duration: 2 Hours
- Includes: Traditional Turkish Breakfast and Turkish tea
- Price: € 37
Hundreds of people flock to ‘Breakfast Street’ in Istanbul every morning, but it remains largely unheard of to tourist visitors. The first meal of the day is an important part of Turkish culture, experience it like a local with one of the best Istanbul foodie tours.
Just across from the Dolmabahce Palace, this trendy neighborhood in Besiktas is the best place to get breakfast in Istanbul. People from all over Turkey head here but many foreign visitors miss it completely.
Local guide Utku will order you a feast including menemen, kaymak & honey, and muhlama. Don’t worry about trying to translate menus, he’ll take care of everything.
Utku has traveled all over the world. He brought the very first Airbnb Experiences to Istanbul while he was working as Airbnb Brand Ambassador. His aim is to give you an unforgettable local experience in Istanbul.
If you’re not too full, chat about the best things to do in Istanbul over Turkish tea or coffee before heading back into the city center.
Turkish and Ottoman Cuisine Workshop – The Best Istanbul Cookery Class
- Where: Istiklal Street, Beyoglu
- Includes: All food, drinks, food history and cooking demonstration
Tucked away in a cozy house on Istiklal Street, between the Galata tower and Taksim square, you will find a fun-packed cooking experience with locals.
Kaan and Arda will immerse you into the world of Ottoman gastronomy, but this is no history lesson. They have been doing this sort of thing for a while, and know the key to great food is having fun!
Compete with your fellow cooks for ‘best chef’, learn some new dance moves while listening to traditional Turkish music, and eat your heart out during this action-packed cooking lesson in Istanbul.
Learn the art of making Turkish lasagna called ‘Yalama‘, and try Salgam (fermented black carrot juice), yum! There are plenty of options for vegetarians too with humus, Çig Köfte, and lots of other tasty treats.
This is a great way to get a real appreciation for the food in Istanbul. Learn what goes into the food you are eating as well as try some of the best things to eat in Istanbul.
Local Food, History, and Hidden Places – The Do It All Food Tour in Istanbul
- Where: Sultanahmet and Eminou
- Includes: Food, drinks, vegan/gluten-free options (advanced notice required)
Wander the hidden streets of the old town and visit the most historic and authentic local eateries in the heart of Istanbul.
This tour takes in all of the essentials. If you want someone else to do all of the hard work for you and try the very best food in Istanbul, this is the one for you.
Starting at the iconic Spice Bazaar you will try pide, followed by Turkish delights from a 245-year-old shop, then to a local stall for the “best döner in town”.
Find hidden kebab stalls in the Grand Bazaar and wash it all down with Turkish coffee. Finally, demolish some baklava as you take in the sights of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
Ozcan, the founder of Taste Of Istanbul, along with a small team (Didem and Elif) runs highly-rated food tours in Istanbul. As a local foodie, he has hand-picked some of the very best spots to try the most delicious and iconic food in the city.
This tour is perfect if you don’t have much time in Istanbul, or if you just want to learn about all of the best spots in the old town to return to during your stay. Taste of Istanbul also runs a nighttime tour of Beyoglu and a transcontinental foodie walk.
So there you have it, the best Istanbul food tours you just have to try. They are packed with history, culture, flavor, and a little pinch of heaven.
Not only will you ignite your taste palet, but these tours will help you learn all about the cultures of the many empires that have ruled and traveled through Istanbul. It helps you understand the people around you better. You’ll also find yourself greeted with open arms.
Taste some of the very best fusion cuisines that have come from centuries of trade and shared cultures. Try and use a couple of Turkish words too and watch their faces light up.
Istanbul is a complete paradise for foodies, so make sure you make the most of your stay. These awesome food experiences really set your world on fire.
And for transparency’s sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links . That means that if you book your accommodation, buy your gear, or sort your insurance through our link, we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). That said, we only link to the gear we trust and never recommend services we don’t believe are up to scratch. Again, thank you!
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The Hungry Tourist is Proud to Present:
Around anatolia with sinan, trip through the heart of turkey’s terroir and traditions, april 5 – 10, 2020.
At A Glance
Cities explored: Istanbul, Urla, Izmir, Tire, Adana, Gaziantep, Turkey Length: 6 days Date: April 5th to – 10th, 2020 Availability: Limited to 12 guests
From the beaches of the Aegean to the towns along the ancient caravan spice routes, Western Anatolia is where Empires met and swapped recipes.
You will understand the cuisines of the different peoples who settled the region, Arab and Greek, Armenian, Circassian and Ottoman.
Street food crawls, markets and mezze, you will taste and learn about the wines of the region, the many different varieties of baklava and — most importantly, the difference between doner, kebab, and kofte. This is a tour that takes you from the smoky grilled delicious of local inns to some of the very best fine dining restaurants around the Mediterranean.
Hungry Tourist tours are fun and friendly. Like-minded people from around the world, around the table, sharing stories and experiences and tastes. Couples, singles, family groups — everyone fits right in.
Sinan Hamamsarılar or as many in Turkey know him, Tatdedektifi (The Taste Detective) is the guy you want to have to navigate Anatolian cuisine.
Sinan is one of Turkey’s most serious and popular culinary experts and influencers, a consultant to the food industry and food writer for “Hürriyet”, Turkey’s biggest newspaper and Turkish Airlines’ ’“Skylife” magazine. He knows every grand restaurant and every delicious doner hole in the wall from Sultanahmet to Gaziantep.
On top of all this, Sinan is a great cook, an encyclopedia of Turkish wine, has a passion for the hundreds of different kinds of Turkish cheese and is a world-class expert on hamburgers.
but as you know, a picture is better than 1000 words,
So play this little clip.
sunday, april 5
Meeting at Istanbul airport
Flight – Istanbul to Izmir Transfer to Od Urla from İzmir Airport Dinner at Od Urla
Hotel: Swissotel İzmir
Monday, april 6
Street food crawl for all day long in İzmir
Dinner at Ferdi Baba Alaçatı
Tuesday, april 7
Tire farmers market opening ceremony Breakfast at Babaoğlu Kebap Tire market tour Olive oil tasting Private chef lunch at Gastrotire
Flight – İzmir to Adana
Dinner at Kazancılar Çarşısı Börekçi Rıza Şırdan
Hotel: Adana Divan
Wednesday, april 8
Pre-breakfast Street food crawl for 3 hours Börek Fermented black carrot juice Local banana milkshake Local kadayıf shop Kebap
Drive – from Adana to Gaziantep
Dinner at Küşleme Kebaphan Hotel Gaziantep Divan
Thursday, april 9
Baklava factory (Güllüoğlu) Metanet Beyran Metanet Katmer Tahmis Kahvesi Güllüoğlu “baklava” tasting Elmacıpazarı local market tour Lunch at H alil Usta Dinner at B ayazhan Cumba Künefe
Hotel: Gaziantep Divan
Friday, april 10
Dukat Beyran Elmacıpazarı local market tour İmam Çağdaş Zeki İnal “şöbiyet” tasting
Flight – Gaziantep to İstanbul
Landing in Istanbul at 14:45
Per person, shared room: Euro 3390 SINGLE OCCUPANCY SUPPLEMENT: Euro 550
Price includes all food, beverages (not wine), taxes, service charges, domestic transportation and 5 nights of accommodation. Price does not include airfare to and from Istanbul, and any travel or medical insurance. Extra nights: before or after the tour can be booked at the Four Seasons at the Bosphorus hotel in Istanbul at special rates.
Apply to Join The Tour
Email address
Phone Number
Number of Guests
Country of Residence
A Note on Set Menus The menus offered during the tour are selected by The Hungry Tourist with the help of our local partners. We believe they represent the best culinary fare these cities have to offer. Guests may order outside of these menus at their own expense.
Wine: Not offered in most restaurants and not included.
Payment A non-refundable deposit of Euro 1000 per person will be charged upon reservation. The balance will be charged to your credit card 60 days prior to the first day of the tour. Cancellation Policy and Penalties
If cancellation is received up to 30 days before the first day of the tour, the deposit will be forfeited.
If cancellation is received up to 10 days before the first day of the tour, a penalty fee of 50% of the remaining balance will be charged. If cancellation notice is received within 10 days of the first day of the tour or the guest is a no-show, the entirety of the remaining balance will be charged.
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Best Food Tours in Turkey - Secret Food Tours
Being split between the European and Asian continents, has meant that Turkey's history has been shaped by a great mix of different cultures. Once dominated by the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has managed to maintain its rich and diverse culture whilst still taking influence from its European neighbours.
In Istanbul in particular you'll find their food culture has stayed true to the ancient recipes that have been handed down over generations whilst simultaneously taking strides to innovate and modernise where necessary.
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A COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRADITIONAL TURKISH FOOD CULTURE
You may know Turkey or even plan to visit for its diverse culture, history, and architecture. But in between the cozy beaches, magnificent structures, ancient ruins, and stunning architecture, you don’t want to miss the country’s foods and cuisine.
Turkey has an impressive culinary mosaic with countless influences from all corners of its Ottoman and Byzantine history. Thus, it ranks somewhere at the top of the world’s cuisine, next to French, Italian, and Chinese delicacies.
Regional Influences
Turkey loves its food and as you explore the different regions of the country, you’ll notice the changing landscape of breakfast, lunch, and dinner tables. The cuisines available in an area are influenced by the history and culture of the local people. They are also shaped by the foods common to that particular region.
For instance, the Aegean, Marmara, and Mediterranean cuisines are rich in fish and seafood due to the adjacent seas. The Black Sea region also uses a lot of fish for the same reason, but Slavic and Balkan culinary cultures influence their meals. As such, the food typically includes corn and corn flour dishes.
On the other hand, the southeast is famous for its kebabs and desserts like kunefe, baklava, and kadayif. The presence of abundant livestock in the Anatolian region facilitates this meat-rich diet.
Istanbul is the most interesting of all. It’s a thriving metropolis and thus, draws people from all over the country. These migrants bring with them different cultures that have turned the city into the cultural heart of Turkey. Here, you’ll find delicious Turkish delicacies from every region of the country.
The Aegean region produces a lot of olives, which is reflected in its delicious olive oil vegetable dishes. Pastries are most common in Thrace, while Central Anatolia has specialties like manti and gozleme.
General Cuisine Culture
Food in Turkey is embedded deep in the fabric of society. Almost everyone is passionate about food, from the five-year-old waiting for mom’s supper to the theatrical roadside seller trying to sell their street food snacks. Thus, mealtime in Turkey is a social occasion relished by everyone involved.
In the Ottoman era, families had two meals a day. The first was pretty similar to brunch, taken between morning and noon, while the second meal was eaten between the late afternoon and evening. This meal was more like a feast, consisting of several meat dishes served with vegetables. There were also several legume accompaniments.
Today, most families take three meals a day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfasts are delicious but quick and basic during the weekdays. On weekends, however, breakfast is an occasion for the whole family to come together and enjoy many different foods. As a result, weekend breakfasts generally last longer than weekday ones.
Lunches are heavier than breakfasts but less elaborate than dinners. Finally, there is “yatsilik.” This unofficial meal is taken around 10 pm and consists of nuts like almonds, roasted pumpkin seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, roasted chickpeas, and pistachios. There are also fresh and dried fruits, including figs, dried plums, and dried figs. These are served with black Turkish tea.
The key ingredients of Turkish meals are meat, vegetables, and legumes. The meals are generally soupy, and thus, bread forms a key part of everyday meals. The country’s bread consumption is so over-the-top that the average Turk consumes their body weight significantly in bread annually.
A Day’s Worth of Meals
Here’s a closer look at the three meals the average Turkish family takes in a day.
1. Breakfast
In Turkey, weekday breakfasts are different from weekend ones. Weekday breakfast is a light meal, just filling enough to give you all the energy needed to get through the day. The key ingredients include tea- the country’s favorite beverage- bread and cheese. There may also be a few accompaniments, but nothing too sumptuous. It’s pretty diverse with some vegetarian/vegan options, but it pales compared to traditional Turkish breakfasts, which are now done on the weekend.
Weekend breakfasts are large and plentiful. They’re usually so large that you can take a whole culinary tour in one sitting if you’re new here. A typical traditional breakfast contains several small dishes accompanied by olives, tomatoes, cheese, jams and spread, butter, and, of course, loaves of fresh bread and an abundance of Turkish black tea.
As a result, Traditional Turkish breakfasts are very delicious, healthy, and rich in nutrients. The vegetables and potatoes present an excellent breakfast option for those who prefer a vegan/vegetarian diet. They are usually fried using olive oil, sunflower oil, or hazelnut oil. This makes a Turkish breakfast one of the most delicious and nutritious vegan options available.
Eggs are also a staple in Turkish breakfasts. They may be served fried, boiled, or combined with tomatoes and peppers to make menemen.
As for the cheese, it is one of the most important elements of a Turkish breakfast. Cheese varieties vary depending on the region, with the Aegean coast enjoying white cheese (beyaz peynir) and Bergama Tulum and the Black Sea coast serving kolot peyniri, aho peyniri and tel peynir. On the other hand, comlek peyniri is the common cheese variety in Central Anatolia, while Eastern Turkey has its very own otlu peynir and deri tulum.
In the past, weekend breakfasts were predominantly a family affair held at home. The whole family would congregate to have family and friendly conversations, and as a result, the meal would last hours. Today, it’s still a family-oriented meal, but more families are getting it in breakfast restaurants.
They typically consist of meals that do not require preparation time and effort, like soups and salads. Due to the prominence of soups, such dishes are referred to as ‘sulu yemek,’ which translates to ‘dishes with water.’ In addition, they are prepared using seasonal ingredients, so what you take for lunch during summer may not be what’s available during winter.
For instance, summer soups are generally cold and nutritious. These are prepared to help beat the summer heat and are sometimes called ‘yayla corbasi’ or simply ‘yogurt corbasi.’ They are typically yogurt-based and can be prepared with chickpeas, whole barley grains, or rice seasoned with mint.
Although most lunches are easy to prepare, there can be exceptions, especially with comfort foods like ‘manti,’ ‘pide,’ and ‘lahmacun.’
Dinner in Turkish cuisine is the most elaborate meal of the day. The dinner table is filled with a variety of sumptuous dishes because it’s the only time, apart from weekends, that all family members assemble.
Dinner in Turkey usually starts with warm soup. This is followed by a vegetable dish (prepared from eggplant, potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, spinach, or green beans), legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc.), or meat boiled in a pot. Finally, the stew is served with starchy foods like bread, pasta, Turkish rice pilaf, or bulgur. Green salads or cacik may also be served during dinner.
At around 10 pm, families may partake in Yatsilik, an official meal that consists of fruits, fried or otherwise, and nuts. These may include plums, figs, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, roasted pumpkin seeds, roasted chickpeas, etc.
The Key Ingredients of Turkish Cuisine
The core of Turkey’s culinary marvels consists of a wide variety of ingredients. Generally, Turkish cuisine consists of vegetables, legumes, meats, spices, grains, nuts, and oils.
- Nuts typically consist of chestnuts, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios.
- Legumes include chickpeas, lentils, beans, and broad beans.
- Meats usually include lamb, chicken, beef, and fish.
- Rice and bulgur are widely used as grains. Traditional Turkish oils include olive oil, sunflower oil, and hazelnut oil.
- There is a whole spectrum of spices, including red pepper, thyme, mint, coriander, black pepper, saffron, nigella seeds, rosemary, coriander, cumin, sumac, poppy seeds, and cloves.
- There are also a whole lot of vegetables. These include okra, pea, zucchini, chicory, carrot, green peppers, spinach, artichoke, tomato, mallow, cabbage, celery, potatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, beets, leek, lettuce, arugula, eggplant, purslane, radish, and garlic to name a few.
The availability of these specific ingredients varies by region.
Turkish neighborhoods come to life every week as vendors set up stalls in local markets to sell their products. These markets are where most Turkish households obtain their food ingredients. On market days, the atmosphere there is vibrant, with a lot of jostling and haggling as vendors compete for attention and buyers move through stalls.
But perhaps most attractive is the cacophony of sights and smells. The scenery here is colorful and dazzling spices, with wisps of aroma from high-quality fresh food ingredients. As such, bazaars are the best places to start your culinary tour of Turkish dishes. Some of the best neighborhood markets and spice bazaars worth a visit include; the Egyptian/Spice bazaar, Kastamonu Pazari, Bolu Pazari, Yalikavak Pazari, Kemeralti Carsisi, Grand Bazaar, Tire Pazari, Safranbolu Pazari, Ferikoy Organik Pazari, among others.
The western impression of Turkish food is that it is very spicy. However, Turks don’t just use spices for the sake of throwing in as many flavors as possible. Instead, every dish is prepared to bring out the main ingredient’s flavor instead of burying it under sauces or spices. So, cabbage will still taste like cabbage, lamb-like lamb, and beans like beans, albeit with a much richer flavor.
Grain, Rice, and Pilafs
Pilaf is a staple in the Turkish kitchen. Even then, there are still high standards for its preparation and are thus a demonstration of one’s cooking skills. The most common pilafs are rice pilaf and wheat pilaf. They are usually cooked plain but can also be flavored with nuts, fruits, and spices.
Preparing the rice pilaf is an art since the rice should roll out rather than stick together in mushy clumps. These versions are usually prepared as an accompaniment to meat, fish, or vegetable dishes.
Like the Sultan Pilavi, some less common pilafs are made with meat, fish, and vegetables. There are also substantial pilafs that can be served with a salad and eaten as a full meal. These include the Safranli Midyeli Pilav, Yufkali Pilav, and Ic Pilavi.
On the other hand, wheat pilafs are prepared using sliced tomatoes, whole onions, and green peppers sautéed in butter. They are pretty substantial and, thus, can be taken as a meal in itself. Generally, pilafs are served cold with plain yogurt in the summer months.
Away from the pilafs, rice is still a popular dish, especially when served with chickpeas.
Turks consume many vegetables in their diet. These are usually cooked as standalone vegetarian dishes or mixed with meat, beans, or rice. Fortunately, the vegetables cultivated in Turkey are delicious and nutritious. So, a purely vegan meal can still be a satisfying meal even for the most passionate of meat lovers.
Simple vegetable dishes are prepared by slicing the main ingredient, such as eggplant or zucchini, and slowly cooking it in butter with tomatoes, onions, and green pepper. Other dishes are a little more complex and feature unique recipes that vary from home to home.
Generally, though, there is a whole class of vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil. These include most of the vegetable ingredients present in Turkey. They are usually prepared using olive oil and chopped pepper onions with tomato paste or pepper paste.
Vegetables fried in olive oil are a staple of Turkish cuisine, but the preparation may vary with the season. However, minced meat is rarely added to the pot as olive oil dishes don’t go very well with meat.
Note that live oil vegetable meals may be taken warm, at room temperature, or cold.
Dolma is another class of vegetable dishes in Turkey. Their name, a derivative of the Turkish verb “doldurmak” (to fill), suggests that these are stuffed vegetables. Any vegetable that can be stuffed or wrapped around the fill can be used in dolma. Therefore, there is a great variety of dolmas in Turkey, including those that use grapevine leaves, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage, green pepper, and eggplants.
Most Dolmas are stuffed with a rice mix or a meat mix. Rice dolma is cooked in olive oil and consumed at room temperature, while meat mix can be taken as a main-course dish together with the yogurt.
Popular vegetable ingredients/dishes in the Turkish menu include:
- Kizartma : Deep-fried vegetables like potatoes, zucchini, green peppers, and eggplant. They are usually served with a yogurt source.
- Mucver : Graded vegetables mixed with flour and egg before being deep-fried. The most common ingredient is zucchini.
- Karniyarik : Eggplant stuffed with chopped-up garlic, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and ground beef and baked in an oven.
- Kabak oturtma : Zucchini roasted with minced beef or lamb.
- Kapuska : Thin white cabbage stiffed with onions and tomato sauce. It can also be cooked with minced lamb or beef.
- Turlu : Prepared by cooking zucchini, onions, potatoes, eggplant, and onion.
- Ispanak yemegi : Spinach, onions, and rice cooked with tomato paste and eaten with garlic yogurt.
Bread in Turkish Cuisine
If there is one meal that’s secured a permanent spot in the hearts and plates of the Turkish population, that would be bread. It has remained an important part of regional meals for thousands of years.
In the Ottoman era, bakers believed that the Archangel Gabriel taught Adam how to bake after expulsion from Eden. This belief explains why bread was, and still is, enjoyed and respected by everyone, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, simple or sophisticated.
Today, any Turkish meal- breakfast, lunch, or dinner- without bread is incomplete. It is considered an indispensable component of every meal and is eaten as a snack or with soups, meat, and vegetables. As a result, Turkey has the highest bread consumption per person globally, with the average Turk consuming around 199.6 kg (440 lb) of bread annually. That’s almost three times their weight!
Some popular types of bread in Turkey include :
- Somun Ekmek : This bread has a soft golden yellow color and is one of the most consumed in Anatolia.
- Lavas : Lavas bread is commonly used to make wraps. It is prepared from water, flour, and salt.
- Pide : Also known as pita, pide bread is a type of flatbread.
- Misir Ekmegi : This bread is prepared from cornflour and is high in nutrients. It is common in the Eastern Black Sea Region.
- Yufka Ekmek : This wheat bread has been consumed in Anatolia for thousands of years. When fresh, it is the main ingredient in pancakes and borek. On the other hand, it can be made to last for up to 12 months if fried up.
Manti is another wheat-based cuisine in Turkey. This dish consists of dough dumplings filled with a special meat mix. Its usually taken during the weekends as lunch and is served with a dash of melted butter and garlic yogurt as accompaniments.
Borek is another popular wheat-based meal. The dish consists of thin sheets of dough layered or folded into various shapes and filled with meat mixes or cheese. These are either baked or fried before being served.
There are more than 200 soup recipes in Turkey, making the Turkish soup menu the richest and most diverse globally. You can practically have soup for breakfast, lunch, and supper if you want to. Some common soups in the country include:
- Cold ayranasi soup , prepared from bulgur and chickpeas. It’s a tasty and nutritious soup commonly consumed in the summer and can be served chilled or lukewarm.
- Lentil soup (mercimek corbasi), prepared from red lentils, potatoes, and lamb/chicken stock and spiced with carrots, onions, and garlic.
- Chicken and vermicelli soup (Sehriyeli tavuklu corbasi), prepared from chicken, vermicelli, and butter.
- Tomato soup (Domates Corbasi), a roasted tomato soup that served as a prelude to most Turkish lunches and dinners. Ingredients include tomatoes, garlic, onion, olive oil, flour, water, fresh basil leaves, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Others include tripe soup (iskembe torbasi), tarhana soup (tarhana corbasi), and cheek and shank soup (kellepaca corbasi).
Those who love meat will find a home and a full stomach in Turkish cuisine. The country has some of the sweetest and most iconic meat dishes globally, like kofte and kebab. Meat comes from chicken, beef, and lamb and is prepared in various methods; roasted, grilled, fried, skewered, etc.
Kebabs are perhaps the biggest export of Turkish meat cuisine. In Turkey, it’s cooked both at home and in restaurants using spiced beef, lamb, or chicken. . Every region in Turkey has its unique kebab style.
The western world is more familiar with the doner and sis kebab varieties. Doner is prepared by stacking alternating layers of sliced lamb leg and ground meat on a large skewer. The vertical skewer is slowly rotated to roast the outer layer of the meat, from which thin slices will be shaved to be served. On the other hand, sis kebab is grilled cubes of skewered meat.
There are other kebab variants, which are cooked in pots drily without water. These are easier to prepare than grilled kebabs and, thus, commonly prepared at home.
Kofte can be prepared using ground beef or lamb, skewered meats, or grilled meats and grilled tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. It is a common delicacy in family picnics.
Nomadic Turks inspired raw kofte. It is prepared by kneading raw double ground meat with thing bulgur and hot spices for several hours.
Izgara refers to the general way used to prepare meat dishes in Turkish meat restaurants. These include kofte, shish, or lamb chops. In Turkey, you’ll find two types of restaurants; those specializing in only grilled meats (meat restaurants) and those selling meat alongside other local dishes.
Fish & Seafood
Bathed by four seas, the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara, and the Black Sea, Turkey is rich in fish and seafood. However, to get a good taste of these, you must visit the coastal areas because fish and seafood in the interior are pretty expensive.
Fish in Turkey is prepared by frying, grilling, or cooking slowly by the poaching (bugulama) method. The most popular fish in Turkish cuisine is the anchovies, which are usually served cornflour-coated. They can also be prepared in a variety of ways, but their availability depends on the season.
Typical fish dishes include mackerel, sardines, bonito, farmed sea bass, and farmed sea bream. Seafood, on the other hand, is mainly served in restaurants. These include clams, oysters, crabs, octopuses, bugs, lobsters, prawns, calamari, scallops, and squid.
Turkish Street Food
Turkey is home to some of the best street foods in the world. These are quickly prepared, delicious, and thus, a firm favorite among locals and tourists. Some of the most famous street foods in the country include Doner, Pide, Gozleme, Lahmacun, Simit, kofte ekmek, cig kofte, Kokorec, and Kumpir.
Turkish Beverages
When it comes to beverages, Turks love tea above all else. The average citizen drinks multiple cups of tea a day, and it’s offered to guests in all homes and businesses in the country. However, Turks usually brew their tea in a teapot and serve it in glass cups.
Coffee is quite common but nowhere near as famous as tea. Traditional Turkish coffee is prepared in a small copper pot (cezve in Turkish) and served in small porcelain cups. There is a common belief that the coffee ground left at the bottom of the cup after drinking can read the drinker’s future.
Alcoholic drinks, on the other hand, are pretty appreciated, despite the country being considered to be predominantly Muslim. Raki is a famous traditional Turkish alcoholic drink that contains a high alcohol percentage and thus, should be consumed slowly. Here is a detailed read on how to drink Raki aka the lion’s milk.
Other local drinks include Ayran, Sahlep, Salgam (turnip juice), and Boza.
A rich selection of dishes at great places
There are lots of great restaurants in Turkey serving delicious local meals regardless of the price. So, restaurant hopping during your Turkish experience is the best way to sample our rich selection of dishes. Thus, learning the proper terminology makes it easier to navigate through the Turkish cuisine scene. Here are a few valuable words:
- Afiyet Olsun mean enjoy your meal.
- Elinize saglik , which means health to your hands. Its interpreted as appreciating the chef/cook.
- Serefe , meaning cheers.
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Home > 40 Turkish Foods To Try – What To Eat In Turkey Guide
40 Turkish Foods To Try – What To Eat In Turkey Guide
Written by our local expert Nicky
Nicky, originally from the UK, is now a local in Turkey. She moved to Marmaris, Türkiye for love 12 years ago and is now your Turkey travel planner.
If you’re headed to Turkey, you need this guide on what to eat in Türkiye. It lists the most delicious Turkish foods to be sure you try while there!
Before you continue reading, I should point out one thing – do not read this post if you’re hungry ! You’re likely to go raiding the fridge, and I cannot be responsible for additional calories consumed!
However, go for it if you’ve recently eaten and are not too hungry. Be aware that you may want to eat something by the end…
If you’re considering heading to Türkiye this year , you’re in for a treat. Not only is there plenty to see, do, experience, and enjoy, but your taste buds are in for a treat, too. But, what to eat in Turkey is the question…Read on to discover the best food to eat in Türkiye based on my own experiences with food in Turkey.
Turkish food is delicious . Turks do not believe in mass-producing food, so everything you buy in bakeries, restaurants, cafes, or, if you’re lucky enough, in the family home is likely to have been made right from scratch, with the freshest produce.
There is no such thing as ‘yuck’ when it comes to eating Turkish food; however, a few choices might turn your stomach if you are a little squeamish – goat intestines or brain soup. Anyone?
Nope, I thought not.
Despite those slightly borderline dishes, there are countless other beautiful delicacies to try when visiting Türkiye . Whether you’re heading to a holiday resort on the south coast, visiting Istanbul , or going somewhere else entirely, you HAVE to try the food ! Not doing this would be a crime (not literally, but it should be).
So, what should you try? Here are the best Turkish foods to add to your holiday menu.
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Turkish Appetizers & Snacks
So, what do people in Turkey eat? So much great stuff, but it always starts with meze…
1. Turkish Meze
A Turkish meze plate is a perfect way to start a meal. It’s a great way to try a little bit of everything. The best part is that there’s something for everyone. There are typically four to eight different meze on a plate.
Some of the most popular ones are hummus, ezme, tarama salata, dolma, and stuffed grape leaves . There are also usually some pita bread and olives. The key to enjoying a Turkish meze plate is to take your time and savor each bite. It’s the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and family while enjoying some delicious food.
If you’re walking around Istanbul or any city in Türkiye , you’ll see a simit. These are Turkish bagels that have sunflower seeds on top. They’re circular and go wonderfully with a glass of Turkish tea or cay.
If you want a more substantial snack, stuff your simit with white cheese!
Street food is super-popular in Turkey; if you wander around, you’ll see vendors selling leblebi. These roasted chickpeas are seasoned with spices and salt. You might even see the sweet version.
4. Midye Dolmas
Midye are mussels, but midye dolmas are stuffed muscles, usually stuffed with rice or meat. These are another popular street food snack you’ll see everywhere, and they’re traditionally served with a bit of lemon squeezed over the top.
Turkish Breakfast Dishes
Typically, it is a breakfast dish, but I think you can enjoy it any time of the day. gozleme is another flatbread type of dish, but this time, it contains all manner of different ingredients. A personal favorite of mine is potato, but you can try cheese, mincemeat, spinach , and cheese; the list goes on.
Try finding gozleme made the traditional way, and avoid the ones you find rolled up in bakeries. You’ll know when the gozleme is traditional Turkish food because you’ll see the ladies in the restaurants rolling the thin dough and cooking it over a huge, round, hot plate.
Menemen is another breakfast dish, but you’ll find Turkish people eating this all day long; such is its popularity. Menemen is made with peppers, tomatoes, and eggs and a little spice to add extra flavor. It’s a real treat and super addictive! Again, use the bread to eat it, and be sure to drink a glass or two of Turkish tea (cay) beside it.
7. Sucuk Yumurta
Sucuk yumurta is a breakfast dish you’ll often find as part of a traditional Turkish breakfast . You might also find sucuk served alone or on bread (sucuk ekmek). Sucuk is a dry, fermented sausage that is extremely popular and famous across Türkiye. You will struggle to find a house that doesn’t have some sucuk in it!
Sucuk is cut into small, thin pieces and fried in this dish. Then, fried eggs are cracked over the top and cooked. You may find the eggs left with the eggs whole or mixed up in a scrambled variety. Either way, this side dish is delicious when eaten with fresh bread using your hands!
Turkish Fish & Meat Dishes
Kofte is a street food you’ll find everywhere, usually served on bread, but you can also find it in restaurants as part of a full meal. These meatballs are fried just until done, so they’re still juicy in the middle. There is another variation with some cheese in the middle if you want to add a few extra calories!
9. Islak Burger
This isn’t any old burger. No, it’s undoubtedly an acquired taste, but you should try it. In particular, you’ll find an islak burger in Istanbul , and it’s a wet hamburger. Although a little smaller, it’s a regular hamburger, then covered in a tomato/garlic sauce and put in a very hot box of steam until it turns wet or a little sweaty. It sounds messy, and it is, but it is also very tasty!
Hamsi is a type of fish, a black sea anchovy, to be more precise. Several anchovies are slightly dipped in cornflour and then fried in this dish. They’re served in a circle, with fresh lemon squeezed over the top and a salad on the side. Of course, you eat with bread as with most food to try in Turkey. You’ll find hamsi served in countless balik (fish) restaurants and street outlets.
11. Balik Ekmek
When you translate this, it comes out as ‘fish and bread’ or a fish sandwich, but it’s so much more than that!
You’ll find balik ekmek all over the country. Still, it’s typically famous in the Eminonu region of Istanbul . The fish is caught directly from the Bosphorus (usually, but not always) and served straight off the barbecue onto fresh bread.
The other plus point is that this is a very cheap street food that you can grab and eat while still being full at the end.
12. Hunkar Begendi
If you like lamb, you’ll adore hunkar begendi, a lamb stew with bechamel sauce and plenty of aubergines. Leg of lamb is available widely and much cheaper in Türkiye than in most countries, and this stew gives you the best taste of this delicious meat. It is often served with rice, and though it is a food from Turkey that is not as well known, it is undoubtedly a hearty and filling meal.
13. Kelle Paça Çorbası
We mentioned earlier that some dishes in Türkiye aren’t for the squeamish, and this is undoubtedly one of them. However, it’s very popular nationwide; you’ll see it everywhere. Perhaps you want to try it?
Corba means soup , and this type of soup consists of trotters and meat from a sheep’s head. I told you it wasn’t for the squeamish! But it’s said to be highly healthy and ideal for topping up your vitamin levels during the winter .
14. Kuru Fasulye
This is a staple main dish in Turkey and one you’ll find in all traditional restaurants and many homes up and down the country. It is a stewed bean dish with a bit of lamb or beef. It’s made with olive oil , white beans, and often with a bit of tomato paste to give it a slightly red color.
Again, you eat with bread, but you should sprinkle a little pul biber (red chili flakes) over the top to give it a little kick.
Guvec is another staple dish in most Turkish households, and it’s a hearty and truly delicious meal to try. This is a stew, typically with lamb, but you’ll find it with beef. The meat is simmered until super-tender with carrots, potatoes, peas, peppers , onions, and mushrooms. The sauce it is surrounded by is often a little tomatoey, spicy, and warming.
Eat it with bread, and if you want to go authentic, avoid the fork and dig in, using the bread as a scooping aid!
I could carry on writing about the best Turkish food all day! This option is a great one for pasta lovers. Manti is often referred to as ‘Turkish ravioli,’ It is a small dumpling made of egg pasta containing beef or lamb. They are typically served in a bowl with yogurt on top and a tiny bit of spice to add a kick.
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Turkish meat kebabs, 17. tavuk shish.
Also known as chicken shish, this is marinated chunks of chicken threaded onto a skewer and barbecued until succulent and genuinely fantastic.
Usually served on a piece of tortilla wrap (known as lavas) with salad on the side, you’ll be full without realizing it, although you’ll still want to try another piece.
18. Cag Kebab
You might confuse cag kebab for doner kebab, but it’s different and ten times more delicious. You won’t find cag kebab everywhere, so if you find a restaurant serving it, definitely try it because it’s genuinely delicious.
Cag kebab is basically lamb, and it’s stacked onto a rotating skewer, but instead of a vertically stacked doner, cag kebab is horizontally stacked and cooks over a hot flame as it rolls. Then, the meat is sliced thinly and placed onto metal skewers. Add a few onions if you want to spice things up a bit. You use lavas (wrap) to pull the meat off the skewer and eat with your hands.
19. Testi Kebab
If you go to a restaurant and order testi kebab, especially in Istanbul , you can expect to pay a fair amount, but it’s worthwhile if you find a good one. This is a guvec style of stew, but the difference is that it is cooked in a clay pot in the oven, helping to give the meat a genuinely tender and succulent taste.
They will smash the clay pot open when served, and the contents will still be cooking on your plate. Delicious!
20. Manisa Kebab
A Manisa Kebab is a Turkish kebab originating from the city of Manisa – but you can find these kebabs all over Türkiye. It is made with ground lamb or beef and typically includes onions, garlic, tomatoes, and various spices. The kebabs are grilled on skewers and are often served with rice or bread.
21. Iskender Kebab
Iskender kebab is one of the most famous dishes in Turkey, and it’s loved by many. It’s renowned for the sizzling noise upon serving; you’ll understand why that happens in a minute!
The kebab is served on a plate, with sliced doner meat (beef or lamb), and on pitta bread, with tomato sauce and yogurt. Then, melted butter is poured over the top, causing the sizzling noise as the heat hits the meat.
22. Tas Kebab
Tas kebab is an absolute must while eating in Türkiye – you can find it in many local restaurants. A meat stew , tas kebab, is tasty and perfect with rice (or pilaf) on the side. The stew contains beef , lamb, potatoes, carrots, and onion. You’ll sometimes find red and green peppers, but the authentic version is simpler.
The best way to eat it is with a thick slice of bread and to use your hands to mop it up! You’ll be pretty full afterward, that’s for sure!
23. Tavuk Dürüm
Durum means a rolled-up wrap, and this is where you’ll find the famous donor kebab. Donor chicken or meat is sliced up and served in a wrap with salad, tomatoes, and a little seasoning before being wrapped into a roll and eaten as is.
Delicious and available everywhere.
Turkish Vegetarian Dishes
This famous street food is one you can find worldwide, for sure. Kumpir is a jacket potato, but here, you can choose from just about anything you want to be pilled on top, usually with a dollop of ketchup and mayonnaise, too, if you wish. The difference in Turkey is the fillings and how it’s served.
Head to Ortakoy in Istanbul for the most famous Kumpir. From olives, sweetcorn, tuna, cheese, peas, and carrots, the list goes on when it comes to toppings, and the more you add, the fuller you’ll be!
25. Imam Bayildi
If you like aubergine/eggplant, then this is one for you to try. Imam Bayildi is a stuffed eggplant/aubergine with garlic, tomato, and onion. The stuffed aubergine is then cooked in plenty of olive oil, making it soft and easy to eat. You could try lavas (wrap) or bread alongside it.
26. Çiğ Kofte
The name of this one might be confusing to some because we’ve already said that kofte means meatballs. In this case, there are no meatballs. Cig kofte are ground-up bulgar wheat with spices, wrapped in lavas (wrap), salad, pomegranate sauce, and a squeeze of lemon. It sounds interesting, but it tastes delicious! It’s also very low in calories!
27. Ezogelin Corbasi
Soup, or corba, is famous across Türkiye as a food to eat at any time of the day or night. Ezogelin soup is made with red lentils and bulgur, and it’s a delicious starter or a main meal if you’re not that hungry! Mop it up with fresh bread, and it will probably become one of your new favorites.
Turkish Stuffed Breads & Pies
28. lahmacun – turkish pizza.
If you like pizza with a twist, you’ll love lahmacun. It’s cooked in a wood-fired oven until the edges are crispy and super delicious! This flatbread is typically topped with minced meat like lamb or ground beef with spices and tomatoes.
Roll it up with salad leaves in the middle and a squeeze of lemon for a tasty treat you’ll undoubtedly want to repeat.
It’s eaten at lunch, dinner, or even as an appetizer.
Another pastry-type dish, borek, comes in all different types, and again, the most common are mincemeat, cheese, potato, cheese, and spinach . You’ll see locals eating it with tea, but if you want a sweet treat, try the plain version with sweet pudding sugar sprinkled over the top! You’ll find borek customarily served for breakfast, but it’s an all-day kind of affair.
Make this dish at home with our favorite recipe.
The most common fast food from Turkey is pide, a portion of easy food to grab on the go, and it’s pretty filling, too. This is a flatbread with a topping of your choice, shaped like a teardrop, with the edges curled up just enough to keep the filling inside. However, you’ll also find a closed pide (kapali pide) which is long and usually chopped into pieces.
Kiymali pide is one of the most famous, containing minced beef and onion, or you can add cheese and go for kiymali kasarli pide. Delicious! Other popular fillings include sucuk, kusbasili (beef meat chunks and peppers), kasar (cheese), and spinach; you can even find them with egg on!
Turkish Desserts – For The Sweet Tooth In Your
31. baklava.
Okay, so there is some debate as to who invented baklava, and you will find it all over the Middle East and in the Balkans too, but it’s extremely popular and effortless to find in Türkiye, so you have to eat at least a piece (or five) while you’re there – with a cup of caj or Turkish coffee.
For those who aren’t sure, this is a flaky pastry sweet that comes in various varieties. The traditional option contains pistachio nuts and is drizzled in honey. Not so great for the waistline but oh-so-wonderful for the taste buds!
Turkish desserts are less about chocolate and jam and more about intricacy, which basically sums up katmer. This rather delicious yet surprisingly light dessert is a must-try—crushed-up pistachio nuts sandwich layers of buttery, flaky pastry with some cream and butter inside.
You’ll find it served alone or with ice cream. In the Gaziantep region of Turkey , katmer is often served as a part of breakfast because pistachios are abundant in this region, and they’re known to increase energy during mid-morning.
33. Turkish Ice Cream
Dondurma is a type of Turkish ice cream that is made with mastic. Mastic is a resin from the mastic tree, giving the ice cream its characteristic chewy texture. Dondurma is usually flavored with vanilla or chocolate and is often served with nuts or fruit.
If you’re in Türkiye, you have to try it – just be warned, the Turkish ice cream vendors are known to be pranksters. One such Turkish ice cream prank is a tradition in which ice cream sellers make their customers reach for a cone before pulling it away and continuing the trick over and over.
Or, as in my son’s case – they made him open his mouth for the ice cream, but he was left with nothing but a paper towel in his mouth – doh!
Turkish Künefe is a delicious and iconic dessert that hails from the southeastern region of Turkey but has become popular throughout the country and the Middle East . It is a sweet and indulgent treat that locals and visitors love.
Künefe consists of several layers of finely shredded phyllo dough, known as “kadayıf,” which is layered with unsalted cheese, usually a type similar to mozzarella or akawie. The dish is then baked until the dough turns golden and crispy, and the cheese melts into a gooey, stretchy, and luscious filling. After baking, the dessert is generously soaked in a sugar-based syrup infused with rose or orange blossom water, imparting a delightful floral aroma.
The combination of the crispy, golden-brown kadayıf with the warm, gooey, and slightly salty melted cheese creates an exquisite contrast of textures and flavors. The cheese provides a rich and savory element, balanced beautifully by the sweetness of the sugar syrup and the floral notes from the rose or orange blossom water. The dish is often topped with crushed pistachios or walnuts, adding a delightful nutty crunch to each bite.
Künefe is typically served warm, straight out of the oven. It is traditionally cut into individual portions and enjoyed with a dollop of clotted cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which further enhances the dessert’s sweet and creamy profile.
One of the unique aspects of serving künefe is the special pan used for preparation and presentation. The dessert is cooked and served in a shallow, round copper dish called a “sac.” The use of the sac not only gives the künefe its distinctive shape but also adds to the overall experience of enjoying the dessert.
Künefe holds cultural significance in traditional Turkish cuisine and is often associated with special occasions and celebrations. It is a popular treat during the holy month of Ramadan and is served at many festive gatherings, weddings, and family reunions. It has gained international popularity in recent years, becoming a beloved dessert in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants worldwide.
35. Lokma – Lokmasi
A Lokma is a small, deep-fried pastry that is coated in syrup or honey. It is of Turkish origin, and its name comes from the Turkish word for bite-sized. Lokmas are often served as part of a dessert or as a snack, and they are particularly popular during Ramadan.
Lokmas are made by frying dough in oil and then coating them in syrup or honey. The dough used is usually a type of unleavened bread dough, and it can be either sweet or savory. Sweet lokmas are typically served with cinnamon and cloves, while savory lokmas are usually served with cheese or ground meat.
Lokmas are believed to have originated in Türkiye, though it is unclear exactly when or how they first came about. The earliest known mention of lokmas comes from a 13th-century Turkish cookbook, though it is possible that they were being made before this time.
Lokmas will surely bring a little sweetness to your day, especially when you are about to walk over the Galata Bridge in Istanbul! We grabbed some and nibbled on them as we wandered over to Beyoğlu.
36. Halka Talisi
If you love churros, you’ll love this! Shaped like a horseshoe, the pastry is deep-fried and dipped in sweet, sticky syrup. It’s messy to eat on the go, but it’s more than worth the effort – and the syrup dripping down your chin!
37. Lokum (Turkish Delight)
You’ve undoubtedly heard of Turkish Delight or lokum as it’s known locally. Turkish Delight is a delicious treat that originates from Turkey. It is made of gelatin, sugar, and flavorings and is often dusted with powdered sugar. Turkish Delight has many flavors, such as rose, lemon, or pistachio.
This sweet treat has been around for centuries and was even mentioned in the classic book, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.” In the story, Turkish Delight is a magical food that has the power to make people forget their troubles. If you’ve never tried Turkish Delight, you are missing out! This sweet treat is sure to delight your taste buds.
It’s a good idea to head to a store that sells lokum fresh by the weight and not purchase a box of the pre-packed stuff. While the boxes are fine, they’re not as fresh, and the fresher versions are so much tastier! Our faves are the rosewater and the pomegranate versions.
38. Sambali
Sambali is one of the lesser-known Turkish desserts, and it’s made of semolina, which gives it a soft and fluffy consistency. Made with milk, molasses, almonds, sugar, and lemon juice, it’s a delicious snack or dessert , and you can usually find it on street carts.
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Turkish Drinks
Ayran is a refreshing and delicious yogurt-based drink that originates from Türkiye. It’s made by blending yogurt with water and salt and often has a bit of dill added for flavor. Ayran is perfect for quenching thirst on a hot day and goes excellent with Turkish dishes like kebabs or rice pilaf.
Raki is a delicious Turkish drink that’s perfect for any occasion! It’s made with grapes and aniseed and has a unique flavor that’s sure to please everyone. Raki is also easy to make, so you can enjoy it anytime.
Turkish Breakfast
We can’t finish up a chat about Turkish food without mentioning breakfast . Known locally as ‘kahvalti,’ breakfast is a feast and a half! Try and make time for a traditional Turkish breakfast, which will surely see you through until dinner!
Eggs, menemen, borek, gozleme, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, different types of bread, meats, and the list goes on. Served with several glasses of tea (cay), breakfast is an event in Turkey , and you’ll find families coming together en masse to enjoy plates and plates of delicious, fresh breakfast food!
So, now that you are in the know about the most popular Turkish foods and traditional Turkish dishes, all you have to do is decide which Turkish delicacy you’ll chow down on first.
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Comments (15)
thank you for such an informative blog !
Suh a great article, thank you for sharing this blog.
Great to read the post.. Keep writing more and more.. All the very best
very helpful post
Great article just keep on posting this.
Very nice and wonderful information about turkey and its food . thanks ! alot
Thank you for providing this important information. It’s fantastic in my opinion.
Thank you for sharing!
Turkish cuisine is the one of best in the world.
Check my cookbook, “ The Sultans Kitchen “
Wonderful and Informative post about Turkey. Thanks a lot for sharing!
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Traditional turkish food guide: 29 best turkish foods to try in turkey.
What is Turkish food and what are the best Turkish dishes? If you’re a foodie visiting Turkey for the first time and are wondering what the best Turkish foods to try are, I’ve got you! One of my favorite parts about traveling is getting lost in the sea of new flavors that inevitably comes with sampling new food. Food says so much about culture and history, and is the best way to explore cities and countries.
Prior to visiting Turkey, my knowledge of traditional Turkish food was limited to Turkish coffee and döner kebabs. I assumed the food would be similar to what I was used to eating at home, since there’s a lot of crossover between Arab and Turkish culture.
I was right…but also wrong. Turkish cuisine may be a fusion of Arab and Greek food, but that doesn’t mean it’s the same. In fact, I discovered plenty of exciting new dishes and flavors that delighted my palate. If you’re looking for a guide on what to eat in Turkey (or at your neighborhood Turkish restaurant), you’ve come to the right place! Without further ado, I present the ultimate foodie’s guide to the best Turkish food to try in Turkey!
Table of Contents
29 Traditional Turkish Foods You Must Try in Turkey
There are probably hundreds of traditional Turkish dishes out there but this list primarily includes popular Turkish food that can be found in most places around the country (with a few exceptions). A lot of people wonder what type of food people eat in Turkey and the answer is a cross between Mediterranean, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Some of these “typical” Turkish foods are actually quite popular in neighboring countries Still, many of these dishes either originated in Turkey or have their own Turkish twist on them. So let’s see how many you can try on your upcoming trip to Turkey!
Simit (Sesame Pretzels)
This Turkish pretzel is made fresh on the daily and sold in street carts and is a very popular on-the-go Turkish breakfast food. It’s not particularly flavorful but boy is it filling! Dense and inexpensive, simit is commonly eaten either for breakfast or as a snack throughout the day.
Menemen (Omelette)
Turkish breakfast is epic on many levels but menemen is easily one of the best parts of it. I’m not a big egg person but this veggie omelette makes American vegetable omelettes cringe in shame. Menemen consists of perfectly scrambled eggs mixed with sautéed onions, tomatoes, and peppers. It has tons of flavor and spices and is served with a side of toasted bread. So. Good.
Kahvalti (Turkish Breakfast)
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There’s breakfast, and then there’s Turkish breakfast: an impressive and massive spread of all kinds of dishes and sides. Forget about the boring hotel continental breakfast with toast and jam – Turkish breakfast is a feast for the senses (and the stomach!). There’s no rule or system to exactly what goes into a kahvalti, but it usually includes eggs, olives, fresh vegetables, cheese, bread (simit) and so much more. The Turkish take that whole breakfast is the most important meal thing very seriously.
Pide (Turkish Pizza)
More fondly known as Turkish pizza, pide was one of the first things I ate upon arrival to Turkey. It’s made with slightly thick and hearty bread, and topped with spiced minced meat, veggies, and/or cheese. Sometimes it’s served like an actual pizza, and other times it’s wrapped, almost like a tamale. Either way, it’s delicious and cheap. It can be found at most restaurants, although I found it to be freshest at the specialty bakeries.
Lahmacun (Flatbread)
If we were to classify lahmacun as another type of Turkish pizza, then it would be New York style – thin and crispy – whereas pide would be a Chicago deep dish. More accurately, though, I’d call lahmacun Turkish flatbread. It’s a thin and crispy bread topped with minced beef at its most basic. However, like pizza, in can be topped with pretty much anything you want: I usually went for beef, cheese, and veggies. Lahmacun can definitely be eaten for lunch, but it’s actually a popular street food so it can be eaten anytime, whether as a snack or as a quick meal.
Gozleme (Crepe)
Gozleme is, in a nutshell, a Turkish savory crepe. Prepared dough is rolled into a thin layer over a hot plate and cooked, then stuffed with whatever items you’d like. I was personally a fan of the feta and spinach combination but you can pretty much add whatever you’d like to it. Like lahmacun, this is a quick meal or snack that you can have any time of the day. The best gozleme is usually found at little street stalls throughout Turkey.
Kumpir (Baked Potato)
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Think baked potatoes are somewhat boring? Think again! Kumpir is no ordinary baked potato. In Turkey, there are entire stalls dedicated solely to the creation and consumption of these. You start with a large baked potato served with a generous amount of cheese and butter and then the rest of the toppings are totally up to you. Just a few of the toppings you can add: sausage, mushrooms, corn, cheese, olives and more. Go hard or go home. But most likely – go home with a food coma.
Balik Eknek (Grilled Fish Sandwich)
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If you think you’re not much of a seafood person, I bet Turkey (specifically, Istanbul) will change your mind. Where else can you get the fresh catch of the day immediately grilled and served in sandwich form? Balik eknek is a fish sandwich typically sold by fishermen as a street food – you can buy it along the Bosporous River or at fish markets. The sandwich usually consists of grilled fish topped with lemon, pickled veggies, and lettuce. This is definitely one of those quintessential things to eat in Turkey, especially in Istanbul .
Manti (Ravioli)
Manti is Turkish ravioli / mini dumplings. Ravioli, dumplings, whatever you want to translate it as – this stuff is delish! It’s a pasta dish stuffed with either veggies or meat (I had both a potato and beef version), and topped with yogurt and spices. Fresh, flavorful, and filling – now that’s what I’m talking about! Definitely worth including in this Turkey food guide. Oh, and if you’re in Istanbul, consider trying it at Ficcin.
Sarma (Cabbage rolls)
Sarma is Turkish-style cabbage rolls, usually stuffed with rice or bulgur, spices, and minced meat. I’m not sure if this dish actually originated in Turkey or not, as many neighboring countries and regions have their own versions of stuffed cabbage rolls, varying in spices and fillings. Regardless of the origin, the Turkish version of sarma is delicious. Although this is usually served with meat, you can occasionally find vegetarian versions. If cabbage isn’t really your thing, consider trying dolma instead – stuffed vine leaves.
Borek (Savory pie)
If there’s one thing Turkey loves, it’s savory pastries with fillings or toppings. Borek is just that: basically, a savory pie made of phyllo dough that’s often stuffed with spinach and cheese (but can also be made with minced beef, and / or potato). Borek also comes in many varieties. There’s su borek (pictured above), a wetter version of the traditional stuffed pie, as well as cigara borek, which is rolled into a thin pasty (like a cigarette – hence, the name). But given that you can’t go wrong with a savory pastry, I recommend sampling all three while in Turkey if you can. Say yes to carbs!
Imam Bayildi (Stuffed eggplant)
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Imam bayildi hilariously translates to “the imam fainted,” which is indicative of just how good this eggplant dish is. It’s one of those famous Turkish dishes because of the name alone. The story goes that a wife cooked this dish for her husband and he lost consciousness from the delicious flavor. And I don’t blame him!
I’m not a huge fan of eggplant myself, but in Turkey I am. All their eggplant dishes are amazing and this one is no exception. Imam bayildi is a dish consisting of roasted eggplant stuffed with tomato, garlic, onions and parsley. Not only is this dish great for vegetarians but it’s also so popular that it can be found in neighboring countries as well. Yum!
Hünkar Beğendi (Eggplant puree)
If I had to choose a single Turkish dish to eat every day for the rest of my life, it would be the hünkar beğendi from Karakoy Lokantasi . Also known as Sultan’s Delight, this dish consists of tender, slow-cooked beef, served over a smoky eggplant puree. It truly is a dish fit for a sultan. I’m not usually a fan of eggplant, but this dish had me wishing that my Airbnb was next door to the restaurant, so it had to be on my Turkish food guide. Incidentally, this place serves some of the best food in Turkey (in my humble opinion) so if you get a chance to eat here, do it!
Döner Kebab
One thing I learned when I went to Turkey is that there are a LOT of types of kebab. Döner kebab is a staple of Turkish cuisine and is the type of kebab most people are familiar with – the wrap served with slices of meat shaved from a spit. The slices are served with veggies on a thin flatbread, and can be found all around Istanbul, although my first taste was at a stall in Taksim Square. No Turkish food guide would be complete without it.
Testi Kebap
Testi Kebap is most famous in Cappadocia – specifically in Goreme. Spiced meat and veggies are cooked slowly, and served in a sealed clay pot. Half the fun is watching the chef setting fire to the pot right before your eyes, then cracking it open. The meat is delicious too, so you get a little entertainment and a yummy meal. Woo!
Iskender Kebab
Turkey has an impressive variety of kebab dishes but Iskender is one of the most popular ones amongst locals. Named after Iskender Efendi from Bursa, it comprises of lamb kebab meat topped with a tomato sauce and butter and served with a side of yogurt. Can you say instant food coma?
Iskender is a food that everyone has strong opinions about – specifically, where to eat the best version. I’m personally not the biggest fan of this dish, mostly because it’s quite heavy for my liking. However, it’s definitely one of those Turkish dishes to try at least once while you’re in Turkey!
A dürüm is a Turkish wrap that is actually not a kebab. In fact, it’s minced meat or chicken pieces barbecued on a skewer and wrapped in lavaş – which is basically a Turkish tortilla. It’s hard not to compare döner to dürüm, but if I had to choose, the latter would take the cake. It is full of smoky charcoal goodness and is served with fresh tomatoes, parsley, and onion – I mean, there really is no comparison. I’m sure that the fact that I ate this at Dürümzade (a restaurant once visited by Anthony Bourdain himself) helped swing the vote in its favor.
Kofte (Mined meat skewer)
Kofte is Turkey’s version of meatballs, served in patty or skewer form. Spiced minced ground meat and breadcrumbs are hand-mixed before being grilled, and it is one of the quintessential foods of the country. Like kebab, it comes in many forms (including raw!), but the grilled version is most common.
Mezze is not a single item; rather, it’s a collection of small plates of different foods. Hot, cold, meats, veggies – you name it, it’s served as mezze! It’s essentially the appetizer course, and, depending on the restaurant, is offered on a large tray where you can select each plate that looks appetizing. It’s an excellent way to sample a variety of dishes such as spreads, stuffed grape leaves, and so much more. If you only try one thing from this Turkish food guide it should be mezze, because you get so many dishes to choose from.
Dips / Spreads
Spreads are often a part of the mezze course, but there are so many great ones that I couldn’t resist adding them as a separate item on this Turkish food guide. Tomato and pepper, eggplant, chickpea, and yogurt are just a few of the most popular ones. If you aren’t normally the biggest fan of eggplant or yogurt, these Turkish spreads will definitely change your mind.
Mercimek Çorbası (Lentil soup)
Translation: red lentil soup. Warm, hearty and absolutely perfect for winter, I tried this comforting dish in Cappadocia. The lentils are finely blended, so you aren’t left with that beany texture, either. Add a squeeze of lemon to your bowl and enjoy!
I’ve talked about the must try food in Turkey but what about the drinks? Yogurt is easily the national food item of Turkey, and thus it has to be on any Turkish food guide. Yogurt is served as a dip, a sauce, or even as a drink – it is everywhere and in all forms. You’ll have no problem sampling some if you order any variety of mezze, but the best way to consume it is either in its pure form with a little honey, or as a drink served with salt. You won’t have a problem getting your daily intake of dairy here!
Pronounced “chay”, this is probably Turkey’s second national drink. Although apple tea is found all over Istanbul, I was told that it’s pretty much a tourist drink and most Turks only drink black tea. Either way, both teas are always served in a glass and never with milk. Incidentally, if you’ve never had apple tea before – prepare yourself for a newfound addiction! I don’t even care that it’s touristy because it’s delicious!
Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee may look like espresso, but it is definitely not. It’s made in a pot called a cezve and carefully boiled until it forms a “skin” layer, then served in a mini mug. You have to let it settle a little first, otherwise you’ll end up with a mouthful of chalky coffee powder. Don’t drink the bit at the bottom of your cup either – that’s all coffee residue!
Pomegranate juice
I obviously don’t need to explain what pomegranate juice is, so let’s keep this short. Fresh juice is big in Turkey – especially orange and pomegranate juice. It’s fresh, inexpensive, and delicious, and you should try it. The end.
There are more or less 15 countries out there that make baklava and claim to have invented it. I have no idea where it actually originates from, but you can find heaps of it all over Turkey. Baklava is a dessert comprising of layers of phyllo dough stuffed with nuts and topped with syrup. It comes in many different and creative varieties, although this is the standard version. Available both at bakeries and in restaurants, prepare to fall in love with this syrupy, nut-filled dessert. I recommend getting the version at Hafiz Mustafa , a popular and scrumptious bakery chain.
Like baklava, kunefe is a dish that can be found in quite a few countries in Central Asia, The Middle East, and North Africa. In Turkey, kunefe is made of layers of thin, noodle-like dough with a gooey central layer of string cheese and soaked in a sweet syrup. It’s often topped with pistachios, as pictured above (this version was served with ice cream as well).
Turkish Ice Cream
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What do Turkish people eat for dessert all summer long? Ice cream! Seriously, they take their love for ice cream seriously and you’ll find stands at pretty much every corner during the summer. But Turkish ice cream (dondurma) isn’t just regular ice cream that you’re eating in Turkey. Instead, it’s infused with an aromatic called mastic, which makes it sticky and stretchy. It tastes really good, although the texture is a bit different than regular ice cream (as are the flavors, of course). But what makes Turkish ice cream truly stand out is the vendors – because the ice cream doesn’t melt quite as quickly, they have a field day performing tricks for customers. Just Google Turkish ice cream vendors and prepare to be amazed.
Turkish Delight
Last, but not least, is Turkish Delight. I distinctly remember trying Turkish delight when I was 7, and promptly spitting it out. Either the American version sucks, or my palate has expanded significantly since I was a single digit age, because now I love it. Essentially, Turkish delight is a sticky and sugary gel-based candy. It comes in a multitude of flavors and is oftentimes covered with nuts, sugar, or both. Even if you think you’ll hate it, give it a chance. Try all the free samples at the Spice Bazaar before buying what you want. Just don’t leave Turkey without trying some!
I hope this post has give you a little taste of the best Turkish food out there and inspired you to experience the mouthwatering marvel that is Turkish cuisine. And if you don’t have a trip to Turkey planned in the foreseeable future – well then, perhaps it’s time to plan a trip to your local Turkish restaurant!
More Turkey Resources
- Turkey Travel Guide
- IstanBRR: The Best Things to Do in Istanbul in Winter
- Fairy Chimneys and Fairy Tales: Cappadocia in Photos
- The Foodie Guide to Turkish Cuisine
Have you ever tried Turkish cuisine? Have I left anything out of my Turkish food guide? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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51 thoughts on “ Traditional Turkish Food Guide: 29 Best Turkish Foods to Try in Turkey ”
It all looks so good! Do you think there’ much room for vegetarians? Thank you for sharing this post!
Thanks for reading! And yes, definitely! Most of the mezze and spreads are vegetarian, as are the majority of side dishes – the Turkish love fresh and grilled veggies! And a lot of the main dishes could be easily modified to be vegetarian as well :). Are you thinking of visiting sometime soon?
The red lentil soup and the Turkish pretzel both look amazing! I’d also love to try a Turkish delight. I completely agree with you that food can tell you a lot about culture and it often makes your travels! http://passportcouture.com
They’re all so good! I’m sure you can get the lentil soup at a Turkish restaurant although I’ve never seen the pretzel or Turkish delight readily available in the US (but maybe I haven’t looked hard enough)!
I agree with you! My favorite thing to do when traveling is to try all the different foods. And those are often the souvenirs that come home with me too 🙂
I sooo didn’t need this now…I’m crazy about turkish food, probably the only country where I travelled that I actually gained weight – best money spent 😀 btw can’t believe u didn’t put the best thing – Kunefe *_*
Hahah the food is definitely incredible! I had no idea they have kunefe there…not sure how I missed that. i ate loads of kunefe in Cairo, so maybe I mentally skipped over it in Turkey. Agree that it is SUPER delicious though. Thanks for reading 🙂
Kofte sounds a lot like keftes or kefthetes or any other number of regional variations that are all so yummy. Gosh I can’t wait to explore and eat my way through the Ottoman empire.
Yes I think they’re all similar variations in that region. But all equally delicious and worth trying in every country 🙂
Wonderful tour de force of Turkish food, loved every bit of it.
Thanks for a detailed share! One observation – there seems a considerable overlap between Turkish and Greek food!
Thanks for checking it out! You’re totally right! I haven’t been to Greece but have eaten lots of Greek food and there’s definitely a lot of cultural influences. My guess is because they were all part of the old Ottoman Empire back in the day. Interesting how history influences food, huh?
This is so interesting: i didn’t know over half of these foods! I was in Istanbul years ago, when i was way less curious than now about food – I MUST go back
Thanks Marta! Yes, there are so many foods I had never even heard of until I visited. You must go back and try them all!
Oh my goodness. I don’t think a food post has ever given me such a strong case of wandercrust.
Haha I’ve never heard of wandercrust but I’m definitely adding it to my vocabulary! Glad you liked it 🙂
Well, that’s understandable because I just made it up. 🙂
So I just booked a table at our local Turkish restaurant after reading this – hopefully the food lives up to these descriptions!
Ooh the pressure is on! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Awesome guide! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I’m lucky to live in a town where there are a lot of Turkish people and so also Turkish restaurants. The food is just very yummy. I’d love to visit Turkey only for the food 🙂
I’m so jealous! Surprisingly, there aren’t a ton of Turkish restaurants (besides the doner kabab shops) in Los Angeles, so I always have to drive a bit for good Turkish cuisine. You should definitely visit Turkey for the food, though! There’s so much great variety and it’s all so delicious!
We too loved the food in Turkey. The variety is incredible. Sultan’s Delight was one of our favorites as well! I am glad to see we have recipes featuring many of your favorites on our site.
That’s awesome! The food is amazing to be honest – so many great dishes! I want to attempt to recreate Sultan’s Delight at home so I’ll definitely take a look at your site.
Love this post because I loved all the foods in Turkey, especially the Turkish Delight. Sensational. Thanks for clarifying the kebob types, I did not know that.
Thanks Melody! I actually used to hate Turkish Delight but it tastes WAY better in Turkey. Apparently there are even more kabob types than I mentioned – could you imagine?
I love Turkish coffee, baklava, doener kebab, and cheese cigars. Turkish food is delish!
All of those are amazing!
Turkey has been popping up more and more often in various travel groups I’m in and this food guide gives me even more reason to want to make a trip over there…everything looks delicious!
I highly recommend adding it to your travel list! The food is absolutely delicious and the history and architecture is to die for! I only went to two cities and would love to go back and see more :).
I loved your guide! I just missed the Kiymali Borek, a Phyllo Pastry With Minced Meat Filling that is incredible! Thank you for your post!
Thank you and thanks for reading! Sounds like I missed out on something delicious when I went :(. I’ll have to add it to my list for next time!
The best place to eat it and also the Turkish desserts is the karakoy gulluoglu.
Good to know. I’ve bookmarked that for next time I go to Turkey. Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
OMG the raviolis!! I totally forgot I had those! They were DELICIOUS!!! I had mine in a white cheese sauce… drilling rn…
Must say though, the baklava was all so gross. With so many stores making so many varieties, I think it was over hyped in Turkey. Greece definitely make better baklava.
Yessss they’re amazing right?
I had one decent baklava but I’m totally biased towards Middle-Eastern baklava since I’m Egyptian and Sudanese. It’s hard for anyone to top my mom’s! :p
But I was all about the Turkish delight if I’m being honest.
Great write up Sally!! Being Turkish myself, I must say you did very well in experiencing different Turkish dishes, some of my favourites actually! I can eat manti and dolma (stuffed grape leaves) forever!! Also, Çay is pronounced ‘chay’ not ‘shay’. I noticed someone mentioned borek, which my mom makes all the time, and I myself like it with feta and parsley which is also so so good!! If you haven’t had lahmacun, you should try it next time, it is somewhat similar to pide. Oh and on the beaches, they sell muscles stuffed with rice – TO DIE FOR!! Reading this really makes me want to go back right now just to eat!!
Thanks Gucci! I’m glad I managed to try most things since I was only there for a little over a week! I’ll fix the pronunciation for cay right now – thanks for pointing that out :). I didn’t get a chance to try lahmacun but I really want to go back to Turkey so I’ll add it to my list for next time! Same goes for the mussels on the beaches. It was February when I went so I stayed away from the beach – def need to return when it’s warmer!
Thanks for reading and your comment!
This is a great list. Whenever I go to Turkey, I’ll definitely look back at this post!
Thank you! I’m glad you found it useful 🙂
Looks like you ate well in Turkey! That pide and kofte looks so good. Actually, everything look insanely delicious. I’ve never tried the testi kebab, but this is just an excuse to go back 🙂
Oh I did! It’s easy to overwrite Turkish food as just kabobs, but clearly there’s a lot more to eat! And yes, returning to Turkey for the food is totally acceptable in my book 🙂
This is an awesome compilation of Turkish cuisine. Love the Baklava. Hünkar Beğendi and Kofte look delicious. 🙂
Thank you! Both are AMAZING! Looking at this post again makes me really miss Turkish cuisine haha.
Thanks for this amazing post. Turkish quisine is indeed really nice, and not expensive at all. Glad still the positive sides of Turkey are promoted.
You’re welcome! I love Turkish food and Turkey – I hope to go back again and explore (and eat!) more 🙂
Spit out Turkish delight?! Ha ha … I don’t know about the U.S. but I cannot find good TD in Canada. When I tried it in Istanbul, I didn’t want to eat anything else. I am not a sweets person at all, but something about the texture and myriad flavours of TD just do it for me.
Haha yeah I can’t find a good version in the US AT ALL! But I’m with you – I ate it every day in Turkey! SO unexpectedly delicious!
Durum is not for comparison, incredible taste, so i always recommend it to my friends!Glad, you`ve written about it
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The remote destination serving some of Turkey’s most exciting food
E ditor’s Note: This CNN series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy .
Just off the D515 state highway to Kuşadası, a meandering asphalted road cuts through the pine trees and undulating olive groves of the Mediterranean landscape to reach the village of Caferli.
Few people would think to come this way, but it’s exactly here that you’ll find one of Turkey’s most groundbreaking destination restaurants, where the menu - connected to the natural environment - is unlike any typically found in a country known for its delicious food .
Çiy restaurant created by chef Damla Uğurtaş, overlooks an evergreen valley and Aegean Sea from its outdoor terrace, where tables rest in the shade of a large olive tree.
For Uğurtaş, who comes from the Turkish west coast city of Izmir, about 60 miles (100 kilometers north of the restaurant), the remote location is the result of her own meandering journey, one which saw her veer from a degree in English literature to enter the world of fine dining.
“Since the inception of Çiy, I dreamt that it would be located in a village, which reflected the character of the Aegean, in a place where we could feel the spirit of the trees and even the sea,” she tells CNN.
After graduating from MSA, a highly regarded culinary arts academy in Istanbul, Uğurtaş climbed the restaurant career ladder, becoming kitchen chef at 7Bilgeler, a renowned vineyard in the nearby village of Gökçealan.
But, determined to open her own restaurant, she undertook an arduous renovation and building project to transform and expand a collection of traditional buildings in the obscure village of Caferli into her innovative dining establishment.
Love for nature
From the main gate, the restaurant and an attached guest house appear like a village-within-a-village. Its natural stone structures and descending pathways stand among herb gardens and terraces overlooking the expansive valley.
The main building – which includes the restaurant on the ground floor and three rooms upstairs – is newly built, while three guesthouses on the property are renovated village houses.
All the interior design has been specially chosen down to the smallest details, from vintage furnishings and traditional carpets in every room to the small lace doilies that rest on the water glasses.
The restaurant itself is an anomaly for this unknown village. It’s a fine-dining endeavor with a tasting menu that is both shaped by the imagination of its chef as well as the ingredients of the region.
“Çiy is a reflection of my love for nature,” says Uğurtaş. “I prefer a cauliflower that happily resisted the cold in winter over a bland pepper that is harvested by forcing the soil. I tell the producers I work with, ‘I will only buy what grows beautifully, non-toxically and with a high yield in your soil.’
“Instead of expecting my farmers to produce ingredients they’re unfamiliar with, I ask for the best and most low-intervention product that they know and already produce. As such, I believe I leave room for them to do their job, while I do mine. The region is already multi-layered and fertile. Playing with existing products makes me happy.”
Translated to the plate, the chef’s dishes embrace simplicity, allowing nature’s flavors to present themselves fully, but are also enhanced through technique and experimentation, which lift them from flavorfully satiating to very memorable.
“I never imagined Çiy as a restaurant in a city, that’s why I always feel that we’re exactly in the right place,” she says. “Ease of access to our ingredients and producers is our biggest advantage, and since our priority is taste, this is the restaurant’s most defining feature.”
Uğurtaş’s savory éclair has powdered shrimp shell within the pastry, is filled with a shrimp cream and accompanied by a cup of peach kombucha. Her homemade pastas, which she learned to make while training alongside a renowned Italian chef in Istanbul, are topped with veal ragout, or composed of ancient grains such as Kızılca wheat and served with thinly sliced calamari in a sauce of egg yolk, Bergama Tulum cheese, olive oil and fermented mussel juice.
Plates are paired with wines from a list that focuses more on Turkey’s boutique vineyards.
The more casual lunch service at Çiy differs according to the day. On Sundays, there are brunches with croquembouche towers of puff pastries filled with cream and gilded with caramel threads. On Saturdays, the Çiy burger takes center stage with its homemade pickles, ketchup, peach mustard, and buttery bun. And on Wednesdays, Uğurtaş and her team, who already love to make their own sourdough bread, make a signature sourdough pizza.
Food for the soul
Preferring to define her food as “healing Mediterranean cuisine,” Uğurtaş is part of a newly burgeoning gastronomical movement in Turkey, which focuses on not only satiating the palate, but also the soul.
Chefs are leaving the cities to open restaurants in remote locations, closer to nature and to the rich culture and ingredients of the country’s different regions. Among them, Osman Sezener and his restaurant Od Urla , Ozan Kumbasar’s Vino Locale in Urla, Tuncay Gülcü’s Chayote and Serra Beklen’s Capra Çukurbağ in Kaş.
“Damla Uğurtaş is breaking new ground with her fusion cuisine in a very unknown location,” says Adnan Kaya, a columnist for Hürriyet newspaper focusing on Aegean culture. “This trend seems to be the new philosophy in Turkish gastronomy and Çiy will be among the pioneers.”
“We are aware as humans that the planet can no longer meet our demands and this is where chef Uğurtaş arrives with her healing cuisine,” adds Kaya. “She creates her own dishes without rushing, with true ingredients from the region, with respect to the seasons, and every member in her staff is integral to this, they all present their unique contribution.
“They all grow and learn together, becoming more beautiful with each day as they complete each other, produce together, cook and laugh. And this is reflected in the flavors. Let’s hope all restaurants can be like this.”
Guests visiting Çiy bask in its serenity, a far cry from the hustle and chaos of Turkish mega city Istanbul, which has until now been the driving culinary force in Turkey.
The restaurant sits quietly in its village, the soft hum of conversation on the terrace, the surrounding valley vast but silent. A cold signature cocktail rests on the bar, sipped by guests wearing the restaurant’s own fragrant mosquito repellent made from local herbs.
It’s a striking scene that makes it easy to believe that a small but significant revolution is taking place in Turkey’s food scene. One that’s closer to, and in harmony with, nature.
Uğurtaş says that customers who make the journey will be rewarded for their efforts.
“Hosting guests requires a detailed execution from top to bottom and in a remote village you can’t achieve this with food alone,” says Uğurtaş.
“That’s why a holistic way of living prevails at Çiy. We welcome our guests with a philosophy formed by the contribution of the village, the region, the people we work with and our own personal values.
“Every detail exudes this philosophy, from the fabric to the colors, the plates to the food, the staff to the music played, the glasses to the wine list. This is what I love most about my own restaurant.”
Feride Yalav-Heckeroth is a freelance writer based between Istanbul and Lake Constance and the author of her own guidebook, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Istanbul. Her writing has been published in Kinfolk, Brownbook, The Travel Almanac, Wallpaper*, Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler.
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Moscow shooting latest: More than 130 killed in concert attack; terrorist 'tackled by spectator'; member of band's team 'hid in dressing room'
Last night, gunmen opened fire on crowds at a concert hall in Krasnogorsk in the Moscow region, killing at least 133 and injuring more than 100. Islamic State has said it was behind the attack, but the FSB says suspects had Ukrainian contacts and were attempting to flee over the border.
Saturday 23 March 2024 18:29, UK
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- Watch a Sky News special programme on the concert attack from 6pm
- Number of people killed rises again to 133
- Explained: Everything we know about the Russian concert shooting
- All suspects detained and attackers tried to escape towards Ukraine, claims Putin
- Spectator 'tackled terrorist'
- Head of band's production 'hid in dressing room'
- Analysis: Why IS-K would target Russia
- Analysis: Kyiv worries Putin will exploit bloodshed to escalate war in Ukraine
- Watch: Video shows gunmen storming Moscow concert hall
- Live reporting by Brad Young
Tune in at 6pm tonight for a special programme with Yalda Hakim focusing on the Moscow attack.
You can watch live at the top of this page or follow the key moments in the blog.
The Russian claim that Ukraine was involved in the attack is "totally unfeasible", says international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn.
Speaking on The World with Yalda Hakim, he says it was also "totally predictable" that the Kremlin would blame Ukraine.
Moscow "flooded the zone" with contradictory claims that will baffle its domestic audience and leave them with a "lingering impression" that Ukraine was involved.
"There is the possibility the Russians will now use this to justify a mass mobilisation or other efforts they want to bolster their war in Ukraine," says Waghorn.
He adds: "They are going to use this for maximum propaganda benefits."
Nonetheless, the attack demonstrated Russian security was not prepared - the national guard base was close to the concert hall but it took them an hour and half to respond, says Waghorn.
"They could have been there within five or six minutes, even allowing for reaction time, and they weren't," adds security analyst Michael Clarke .
He says he was inclined to think it was not a "false flag" operation but instead a "real security failure".
Russia may use the concert attack as leverage for its agenda in Ukraine, a security analyst has said.
Moscow has stated - without providing evidence - that the perpetrators had contacts in Ukraine and were provided with a "window" to cross the border.
Adam Dolnik, a Czech security expert who has studied attacks in India, Kenya, Russia and elsewhere, said the Islamic State claim appeared credible.
"That will not stop the Russians from leveraging this for their foreign policy agenda vis-a-vis Ukraine and the West," he added.
Attacks by marauding gunmen were a typical modus operandi in recent years for IS and al Qaeda, Mr Dolnik said.
He noted Islamic State has a record of attacks against Russia, including the bombing of a 2015 flight from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg and a 2022 attack on the Russian embassy in Kabul.
Earlier this month, Russia's FSB said it foiled an attack on a Moscow synagogue by ISIS-K, an affiliate of the group.
"If you line up all these things together, then I think it's completely conceivable that this would be an IS attack," said Mr Dolnik.
He said the one element that was unusual was that the perpetrators had escaped, rather than going in prepared to be shot by security forces.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken has condemned the concert attack as a "heinous crime".
He followed David Cameron and the French and German foreign ministries in offering his condolences to the families of those killed.
"We send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and all affected by this heinous crime," said Mr Blinken.
"We condemn terrorism in all its forms and stand in solidarity with the people of Russia in grieving the loss of life from this horrific event."
Russia's Investigative Committee has released new photos from the scene of the attack.
A black bag filled with ammunition was found, along with a gun.
Emergency responders were also seen inside the burnt-out building, which was set ablaze during the attack.
A giant electronic screen on a Moscow building is displaying the words "we mourn" alongside a candle and the date of yesterday's attack.
Elsewhere in the Russian capital, mourners have been leaving flowers and tributes.
A team member working with the band set to perform at the Crocus Concert Hall last night hid in the dressing room during the attack, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
The head of Picnic's production managed to get out of the building through the basement after hiding.
Last night, RIA reported a member of the group was initially uncontactable but later found.
Updates have been coming in at pace since yesterday's attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow.
If you're just joining us or need a recap, here is what you should know.
Four men, armed with Kalashnikov automatic weapons, arrived in a van at the concert venue in Krasnogorsk at 7.40pm yesterday, before killing at least 133 people and wounding more than 100.
Video showed people rushing for the exits as the attackers walked through the concert hall aiming and then firing in bursts at civilians.
They then set fire to the building, according to Russian investigators.
Some witnesses said the men poured a liquid on seating and curtains in several places before igniting it.
The gunmen
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it detained 11 people including the four gunmen.
The men had fled the venue by car into the Bryansk region - 210 miles southwest of Moscow, Russian media reported.
Some of the suspects were shown being interrogated on the side of the road in footage published by Russian media and Telegram channels with close ties to the Kremlin.
With his hands tied and his hair held by an interrogator, one suspect said he "shot people" for half a million roubles.
Another suspect was shown being marched out of a forest, his face covered in blood from what appeared to be an ear injury.
Who was behind it?
Islamic State said they carried out the attack, the group's Amaq news agency said last night.
"The attack comes within the context of a raging war between the Islamic State and countries fighting Islam," Amaq added in a statement citing security sources.
The US has intelligence confirming Islamic State's claim, two US officials told Reuters.
Another told our partner network NBC News there was no reason to doubt the group was responsible.
Prior warning
US officials said America had warned Russia in recent weeks about the possibility of an imminent "extremist" attack, with the US embassy in Moscow also issuing a warning to American citizens.
Hours before the embassy warning, the FSB said it had foiled an attack on a Moscow synagogue by Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan, which is known as ISIS-Khorasan or ISIS-K.
ISIS-K seeks a caliphate across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran.
Putin points finger at Ukraine
Vladimir Putin claimed the attackers were heading towards Ukraine when they were detained, and that a "window" had been prepared for them to cross the border - without providing evidence.
Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack.
"All that happened stays in my eyes, in my ears. This is pain."
These were the words of survivor Margarita Bunova as she described yesterday's attack on the Crocus Concert Hall.
She told of screaming, panic, and fleeing as bullets "crackled" through the venue.
Watch her speak below...
The US has no reason to doubt claims made by Islamic State that the group carried out the concert hall attack, a US official has said.
The official told our partner network NBC News that there were no indications of any Ukrainian involvement.
Earlier today, Vladimir Putin claimed - without providing evidence - that "a window had been prepared" in Ukraine for the attackers to flee through.
"[IS] has a long-demonstrated history of targeting Russia and neighbouring countries," the US official said.
America believes no US citizens were killed in the attack, the official added.
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Best food and wine tours in Turkey
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Learn about the vibrant culinary and wine scene in Turkey, a country rich in history and culture. Embark on unforgettable food and wine tours in Turkey, where you can indulge in the best gastronomic experiences this country has to offer. Explore the bustling streets of Istanbul, a city that seamlessly blends tradition and modernity. Sample mouthwatering local delicacies such as kebabs, baklava, and Turkish tea, paired with exquisite wines made from indigenous grapes like Yakut, Öküzgözü, and Kalecik Karası. Venture to Ankara, the capital city, and discover its hidden culinary gems. Savor traditional dishes like mantı (Turkish dumplings) and gözleme (stuffed flatbread), accompanied by locally produced wines that perfectly complement the flavors. In Izmir, known for its vibrant markets and coastal charm, immerse yourself in the local food and wine culture. Taste fresh seafood, mezes (appetizers), and regional specialties, all accompanied by exceptional wines that showcase the unique terroir of the region. Don't miss out on the opportunity to experience the best food and wine in Turkey. Book your unforgettable food and wine tour today and embark on a culinary journey like no other.
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What Makes Us Different
We love food
It’s really that simple: food excites us! We love to discover it, eat it, and share it with you. Our childhoods were filled with the flavours of Turkish cuisine – of nene’s (grandma’s) and anne’s (mum’s) cooking. Food forms an integral part of of our daily lives, seasonal dishes and cultural traditions. Now we have the opportunity to share the flavours of Turkish cuisine with you; to excite you, too, with those unique foodie institutions our families continue to pass down through generations.
We know Istanbul
We are Istanbul locals: passionate about our city’s food, its local providores, and about guiding you on a journey through the streets, we grew up in.
We know this city, and we have hand-crafted every aspect of our Istanbul food tours to create your unforgettable Istanbul experience.
Let us take you on a locals’ journey inside our favourite neighbourhoods. We will share with you stories about Turkish culture, history, family traditions, and our relationships with our providers so you will leave Istanbul feeling like a local foodie, too.
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If you’re looking for ordinary, you’ve come to the wrong place. Each of our Istanbul Food Tours has been specially hand-crafted for your taste of the best native dishes from fascinating specialty food shops and exceptional local restaurants. The food takes centre stage, and you won’t leave hungry – but, this is so much more than just a food tour. It’s our attention to detail, enjoyment and deliciousness that makes Yummy Istanbul and our Istanbul food tours genuinely special.
Book your Istanbul food tour today – this city is so endlessly yummy.
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Why an Istanbul Food Tour?
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Our Istanbul food tours will have you journeying from secret local restaurants to one-of-a-kind boutique markets.
Family recipes
You'll visit hole-in-the-wall eateries, perfected by passing knowledge down family lines through generations.
Great variety of foods
You'll experience mouth-watering local delicacies like katmer, Turkish ice-cream, classic Turkish kebabs, Turkish coffee, Turkish street foods, Turkish pizza, Turkish delight and more on your Istanbul Food Tour.
The most delicious Turkish foods
Our culinary Istanbul walking tours will give you a deeper appreciation for this magnificent city because we taste the fabulous Turkish foods and wander the lively backstreets where the locals eat and shop.
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Forget about large tour groups and tour buses; with us, you will discover Istanbul as a small group, exploring on foot to immerse yourself in the heart of our vibrant food culture.
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You'll gain an insider's view into the history, culture, and architecture which continues to set Istanbul and Turkish flavours apart and has done so for centuries.
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A culinary guide to Istanbul, Turkey
The city that straddles Europe and Asia has found its stride and is at last gaining recognition for its creative take on traditional Turkish cuisine.
If you’re looking for something to soak up the excesses of your night come 4am, you’ll have no trouble finding it in Istanbul. You’re never too far from a compact cafe selling döner cut straight from the spit, or a street vendor selling buttery, chickpea-studded rice topped with morsels of chicken breast from a small cart illuminated by a single lightbulb. This is truly a 24-hour city.
Turkey’s — and Europe’s — largest metropolis has an unusual geographical position, split in two by the Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Black and Marmara Seas, their shores hemming in the urban sprawl on either side. And while this is a place that has become defined by its crowds, its 16 million people bring with them an energy that translates to a rich and diverse dining scene.
The city is home to a strong culinary tradition that reflects its residents, who hail from all over Turkey and beyond, arriving with their own recipes and cuisines. In this respect, it’s practically an entire nation of its own. Adventurous eaters can venture from one corner of the city to another just to taste a specific delicacy often unavailable anywhere else, save from its region of origin. Take the cusine of Turkey’s southeastern Antep region, for example, which you can taste in Köyiçi, a neighbourhood nicknamed Little Antep.
As well as street-food carts selling cheap and tasty bites, you’ll find grillhouses serving skewers of kebab, and meyhane (traditional taverns) offering an array of meze served alongside glasses of raki, Turkey’s aniseed-flavoured spirit of choice. There are also neighbourhood tradesmen’s cafeterias dishing up affordable, comforting food for those on the go, plus some of the most highly regarded fine-dining restaurants in the world.
It’s not all traditional cuisine, either. Once considered slightly behind other global cities in terms of trends — both culinary and otherwise — Istanbul is catching up faster than ever, with a new wave of hip restaurants offering food and drink that’s as photogenic as it is delicious. There are third-wave coffeeshops and edgy bars serving locally made craft beer and American-style barbecue, which were nowhere to be found a decade ago. There’s even a place selling experimental takes on poutine. You’ll never be short of opportunities to eat — so come hungry.
A day in Kadiköy
Grab a fresh simit, the ubiquitous sesame seed-studded bread ring sold at stands everywhere in Turkey, and join the commuters on the ferry. It will take you from Karaköy in Beyoğlu, on the European side, to the district of Kadıköy, over in Asia. And while aboard, order a tulip-shaped glass of black tea — which actually has a seductive red hue — to enjoy with your simit.
The half-hour journey gives you the chance to see both sides of the city from the Bosphorus. While passing the ‘Historical Peninsula’, catch glimpses of some of the old city’s best-known attractions, such as the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapı Palace .
Disembark at the pier, a few minutes’ walk from Kadıköy proper. In recent years, this has become many locals’ favourite district, with an eye-popping number of bars and restaurants opening on what seems to be a daily basis. Many visitors don’t make it across to this side of the water, so it’s a great way of experiencing the energy of the city with the Istanbulites.
Head to the lovely residential area of Moda, in central Kadıköy, to visit Moda Coastal Park . It’s a popular hangout during the warmer months, when young people come to sip beer, eat sunflower seeds and enjoy the view.
Stay in Moda to have lunch at Korkmaz Büfe , a small restaurant with just a few tables, which serves arguably the best doner kebab in the city. So highly regarded is this spot that it runs out of its glorious spit-roasted meat, without fail, by late afternoon every day. Get there early and order it as sandwich in a half-loaf of fresh bread, or as a portion atop a bed of rice.
Come afternoon, explore the busy streets of Kadıköy, stopping off at Kadıköy Fish Market and the Rexx Cinema , one of the few-remaining old-school movie theatres in Istanbul, which screens the latest domestic and international films. It even has a terrace, should you fancy a breath of fresh air during the intermission that’s common during Turkish films.
Sit down for dinner in the heart of the district at Çiya , one of the city’s most famous restaurants. It’s helmed by Musa Dağdeviren, one of Turkey’s foremost food historians, who endeavours to preserve regionally specific recipes that are at risk of being forgotten.
A day in Beyoğlu
The heart of European Istanbul, Beyoğlu is home to the city’s famous Taksim Square, as well as Istiklal Avenue, a mile-long pedestrianised stretch. Though the street itself has become rather commercialised, its beautiful architecture retains plenty of charm.
Step off Istiklal and into Beyoğlu’s maze of backstreets, which are home to hundreds of bars, cafes and restaurants housed in historic buildings. Lades 2 serves menemen, a classic Turkish breakfast dish of lightly scrambled eggs with chopped peppers and tomatoes to which toppings such as shredded chicken, sucuk (beef garlic sausage) or beyaz peynir, a sharp, white sheep’s cheese not unlike feta, can be added. You could spend days just exploring Beyoğlu’s backstreets, but if you don’t have that kind of time, allow at least a few hours after breakfast. Stop by the Şen Deri leather shop for handcrafted bags, before taking a quick break at Hazzo Pulo Passage , a courtyard of quaint shops surrounding a tea garden.
A short walk from Hazzo Pulo is Dürümzade , a hole-in-the-wall that dishes up grilled kebab wraps in the style of the southern province of Antalya, one of the country’s top food destinations. The expertly grilled meat is served inside flatbread that’s just slightly crunchy. Dürümzade was among the late Anthony Bourdain’s favourite Istanbul restaurants — he visited the city twice on his travels for TV — and his photos are plastered on its walls, which today function as something of a memorial.
Spend the afternoon in a traditional hammam, such as the 15th-century Ağa Hamamı , which is much more relaxed (not to mention reasonably priced) than the hammams in the old city.
After your brisk scrubdown, head for dinner at Eleos , one of the city’s best and most lavish taverns, where the the meze is delicious and the seafood is fresh and perfectly cooked — don’t miss the calamari. The best tables have views of the Bosphorus, and while it’s on the pricey side, the food and scenery are well worth it as are the excellent service and the free plates of food that are regularly brought out throughout the meal. Reservations several days in advance are necessary.
A day in Meyhane
Istanbul is synonymous with meyhane, traditional taverns popularised during Ottoman rule as places to enjoy alcohol with your meze. Drinking was prohibited at various points over the centuries, but these taverns stood firm and today, while some things (the decor) have changed, others (raki as the beverage of choice) remain.
One local institution is Safa , on the edge of the old city in the Yedikule neighbourhood, close to the 1,500-year-old walls of Constantinople. Open since 1948, Safa features a simple menu of meze in an elaborately decorated setting — the walls are lined with empty raki bottles and photographs of Istanbul from decades past. It’s run by the charming Arif Kızıltay whose his father Süleyman opened the meyhane more than 70 years ago.
Another great option is Cibalikapı , which has an outpost by the Golden Horn, as well as a branch in Kadıköy (the former being rather more homely). It’s not cheap, but its meze is the best in town, made by expert hands from the best seasonal ingredients. Eat outside if you can — the terrace offers views of the Golden Horn and is perfect for warm nights.
In Beyoğlu, you’ll find plenty of meyhane, their tables spilling out onto the street, but one metro stop away, in Kurtuluş, is Astek . A cosy local favourite, it recently added a second floor to cater to its rising popularity. The meze is always fresh and delicious, and head waiter and manager Mehmet often treats guests to extra plates, Turkish coffee and glasses of mint liqueur.
Three food markets to visit in Istanbul
1. Tarlabaşı Sunday Market Tarlabaşı, in Beyoğlu, is a hilly quarter filled with grand old buildings (some restored, some left to decay) constructed by the Greeks and Armenians who lived here in the first half of the 20th century. This market remains one of the most lively and extensive in the city, with regionally specific produce on offer, including cheese, vine leaves, hazelnuts and more.
2. Feriköy markets Two weekend markets are held in a large, covered space in the hip Bomonti neighborhood. On Saturdays, Feriköy Organic Market offers locally produced organic goods, from yoghurt to avocados. On Sundays, the space is given over to Ferıköy Antique Bazaar, the most expansive in the city, at which you can haggle over old records, jewellery and china. Don’t miss the gözleme stand at the entrance, which sells freshly made pastries stuffed with potatoes or cheese and parsley, lightly grilled until the edges are crisp.
3. Kadıköy Fish Market Here you’ll find rows of sellers exuberantly hawking fresh seafood (above), while the nearby shops sell numerous varieties of pickled fruits and vegetables. Need a caffeine fix? Look out for the row of cafes serving strong Turkish coffee.
Three bars to visit in Istanbul
1. Marlen This sixth-floor establishment overlooking a strip of Beyoğlu bars is a chic, low-lit space with leather sofas, low prices and friendly service. It’s a great place for draft beer or red wine, and the excellent menu includes a particularly tasty chicken schnitzel.
2. Papillon This is a favourite with the younger crowd, though it hasn’t changed in at least a decade, so expect disco balls and a soundtrack of the pop hits of yore. During happy hour, it’s one of the cheapest places for an afternoon drink, while its kitsch vibe makes it an ideal late-night destination.
3. Asmaaltı Serving dependably cold beer on tap (just what’s needed during the hot summer months), Asmaaltı is an ideal spot for taking in Beyoğlu’s raucous atmosphere on the street-side tables. Alternatively, take your drink up to the pretty terrace for excellent views of the district.
Getting there Istanbul is typically served by Turkish Airlines , British Airways and Pegasus Airlines .
Where to stay Some rooms at Büyük Londra (formerly the Grand Hotel de Londres) feature views of the Golden Horn, and the lobby bar and terrace bar are well worth a visit. B & B doubles from £50 in 2021.
Published in Issue 9 (summer 2020) of National Geographic Traveller Food
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Discover the rich and diverse world of Turkish cuisine with Food Travel Türkiye. Explore must-visit gastronomic capitals, hidden culinary gems, food trails, traditional cuisines, and unique delicacies. Plan your trip to beautiful cities like Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Gaziantep, Adana, and beyond, with premier travel accommodations. Celebrate the flavors of Turkey with us.
Turkish flatbread topped with minced meat, tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Lokanta. A casual restaurant is typically an inexpensive lunch where most dishes are displayed and you choose what you want. Lokum. Turkish Delight is served in many flavors. Favorites are pistachio, rose, lemon, hazelnut, and mint.
LOCATION: Kadıköy. check prices on Viator. Enjoy the best of Istanbul on the 10 Tastings Private Food Tour! This half-day tour, which focuses on the Asian side, specifically Kadikoy, is perfect for those looking to get in a bit of sightseeing and explore local neighborhoods without taking up too much time.
2. Mercimek Corbasi. Mercimek çorbası, or lentil soup, is a beloved classic in Turkish cuisine. This hearty and nourishing soup is made primarily from red lentils, cooked until tender and blended with sautéed onions, garlic, and spices such as cumin and paprika to create a smooth and velvety texture.
Türkiye. Food Tours. Enter dates. Filters • 1. Sort. Calling all the foodies out there, find & book the top-rated and best-reviewed food tours on Tripadvisor today. Eat your way through the food scene of Türkiye. Your tastebuds will be thanking you later! Book effortlessly online with Tripadvisor.
I was born in Izmir in 1986 and fell in love with the beauties of nearby Ephesus ancient city during a school trip when I was around 9. Today I hold a nationwide tour guide license which gives me the chance to lead tours not just to Ephesus but to attractions all around Turkey. So far I have toured with 1000+ guests and also 35.000+ visitors ...
Cheeses, eggs, börek, bread, olives, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, different pastes for eating with bread, Nutella, honey, and cream (bal ve kaymak), sausages, and often french fries. honey and cream. Typically if you get a good restaurant you will even have unlimited Turkish tea as well.
A: The best Food Tours in Turkey according to Viator travelers are: Taste of Two Continents: Istanbul Food Tour. The Award-Winning PRIVATE Food Tour of Istanbul: The 10 Tastings. Private and guided Istanbul food tour - Taste of Istanbul. Istanbul Evening Sightseeing and Food Tasting Tour.
Duration: 4.5 Hours. Includes: Professional guide, Tastings, Public transportation (Bus, ferry, subway etc.) Price: €63.02. This small group tour gives you a taste of some of the best food in Istanbul. It's a comprehensive five-hour tour of Istanbul's street food scene covering everything from pide to simit.
Tour Fees. Per person, shared room: Euro 3390. SINGLE OCCUPANCY SUPPLEMENT: Euro 550. Price includes all food, beverages (not wine), taxes, service charges, domestic transportation and 5 nights of accommodation. Price does not include airfare to and from Istanbul, and any travel or medical insurance.
Kofte is an important dish in Turkish cuisine. You can find almost 300 varieties of kofte in Turkey, some of the most well-known being kuru kofte (dry), sulu kofte (soup), cig kofte (raw), and sis kofte (skewered). 16. Lamb. Lamb is the most popular type of meat used in Turkish food.
Secret Food Tours: Istanbul explores some of Turkey's most traditional and historic cuisine. On our evening Secret Food Tour: Istanbul - Karakoy, you'll enjoy a variety of classic Turkish foods. Secret Food Tours Turkey - We are local people, who have a deep passion for our food, history and culture.
13. Baklava. 14. Kuru Fasulye. 15. Çiğ Köfte. Must-Try Foods in Turkey: FAQs. In Conclusion. I lived in Turkey for several years, and I still visit frequently now. My husband is Turkish and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have opened my culinary mind and tried as many delicious types of Turkish food as I have.
The core of Turkey's culinary marvels consists of a wide variety of ingredients. Generally, Turkish cuisine consists of vegetables, legumes, meats, spices, grains, nuts, and oils. Nuts typically consist of chestnuts, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios. Legumes include chickpeas, lentils, beans, and broad beans.
All in the detail: "Every detail exudes this philosophy, from the fabric to the colors, the plates to the food, the staff to the music played, the glasses to the wine list," Uğurtaş says ...
10. Hamsi. Hamsi is a type of fish, a black sea anchovy, to be more precise. Several anchovies are slightly dipped in cornflour and then fried in this dish. They're served in a circle, with fresh lemon squeezed over the top and a salad on the side. Of course, you eat with bread as with most food to try in Turkey.
Su (water) borek. If there's one thing Turkey loves, it's savory pastries with fillings or toppings. Borek is just that: basically, a savory pie made of phyllo dough that's often stuffed with spinach and cheese (but can also be made with minced beef, and / or potato). Borek also comes in many varieties.
After graduating from MSA, a highly regarded culinary arts academy in Istanbul, Uğurtaş climbed the restaurant career ladder, becoming kitchen chef at 7Bilgeler, a renowned vineyard in the ...
The Russian president is set to break his silence after last night's attack on a concert hall near Moscow. He is due to start speaking at 12.30pm local time (3.30pm in Moscow.
Turkey may be famous for its kebabs, but the popular dish is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Turkish cuisine.. Covering over 300,000 square miles, the European destination's rich ...
This Kadikoy street food tour is one of the best Istanbul food tours for night owls looking for an exciting culinary adventure in a hip and trendy neighborhood. Cost: $85. Time and Length of Tour: Approximately 3.5 hours. From 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm.
Istanbul. Food Tours. Enter dates. Filters • 1. Sort. Calling all the foodies out there, find & book the top-rated and best-reviewed food tours on Tripadvisor today. Eat your way through the food scene of Istanbul. Your tastebuds will be thanking you later! Book effortlessly online with Tripadvisor.
Embark on unforgettable food and wine tours in Turkey, where you can indulge in the best gastronomic experiences this country has to offer. Explore the bustling streets of Istanbul, a city that seamlessly blends tradition and modernity. Sample mouthwatering local delicacies such as kebabs, baklava, and Turkish tea, paired with exquisite wines ...
Yummy Istanbul operates food tours in Istanbul, Turkey. Yummy Istanbul's licensed local tour guides are experts on Istanbul and Turkish food and have received over 2,000 five-star reviews. Yummy Istanbul has been running the best food tours in Istanbul since 2013.
Here's a list of the best food tours in Istanbul, Turkey. Read Also: 15 Best Hotels In Istanbul With Views Of The Bosphorus - Updated 2024; 10 Best Gay-Friendly Hotels In Istanbul, Turkey; 12 Best Hotels With A View Of The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey - Updated 2024; 1. Take a peek at Istanbul's Asian side (from USD 36.0)
Three food markets to visit in Istanbul. 1. Tarlabaşı Sunday Market. Tarlabaşı, in Beyoğlu, is a hilly quarter filled with grand old buildings (some restored, some left to decay) constructed ...
Some others to check out include Kaden Golf, which won Türkiye's Best Inbound Tour Operator at the World Golf Awards, Belek's Golf Mad Travel, Visit Antalya, and Golf Turkey, all of which ...