Turkish cuisine first course recipes. Turkish national cuisine - what dishes to try. cold street food

Turkish cuisine is diverse and very bright, it is not for nothing that it is one of the three most popular and delicious cuisines in the world. Stunning combinations of different tastes, an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits, methods of heat treatment in which products do not lose their beneficial qualities, make Turkish cuisine dishes not only incredibly tasty, but also beneficial to our body.
We present you the top 10 Turkish dishes that you should definitely try when you come to Turkey. Without tasting these products of national cuisine, acquaintance with Turkey will be incomplete, because cooking traditions are just as important for understanding the essence of the country as its historical sights.

Kebab

Let's start our acquaintance with Turkish cuisine with kebabs. This is a traditional oriental kebab made from minced meat. The main meat in the preparation of kebab is lamb. A prerequisite will be the addition of fat tail fat, which gives the kebab a characteristic taste, and also makes the minced meat fatter. One of the most famous kebabs in Turkey is Adana kebab. In this dish, minced meat is strung on special wide skewers and fried over an open fire. Adana kebab is served with pickled onion and herb salad, thin pita bread and a slice of lemon.

Doner kebab is no less popular. This is a peculiar way of cooking meat, in which large pieces of beef are strung on a vertical skewer, slowly rotating around its axis. The fried meat is cut into very thin strips and served in freshly baked bread. A variant of Doner kebab is Iskender doner - a favorite dish of both the Turks themselves and numerous tourists. For Iskender doner, strips of meat are placed on pre-prepared bread, soaked in oil and fat flowing from the prepared doner. The dish is topped with tomato sauce and served with Turkish yogurt.

Kefta.

Another very common meat dish in Turkey is kefte. These are national cutlets made from a mixture of lamb and ground beef. In addition to meat, ground onion and a large amount of spices are added to minced meat for kefte. Minced meat is formed into small flat cutlets, which are fried on the grill. Kefte is served with a salad of pickled sweet onions and herbs.

Borek

A pastry dish often served for breakfast. The thinnest layers of dough are stacked in layers, and minced meat from salted cottage cheese, spinach or fried meat is added between them. All this is poured with a sauce of milk and eggs. Borek is baked in the oven until crispy and served hot. A sweet version of the borek is also possible, when ordinary sugar is placed inside instead of the filling. Sweet borek is especially loved by children, eating crispy cakes with pleasure. A variant of this dish called Cigara Borek is very popular. In this case, the dough is rolled up in the form of cigars, putting the filling inside: feta cheese, potatoes or minced meat. Borek cigar is fried in a pan in olive oil.

Simit and lahmacun

Flour dishes, without which the Turks cannot imagine their life. Simit is the most common street food and a must for Turkish breakfast. Early in the morning in any city you can hear the calls of the seller of Turkish simit bagels, offering his goods. Fresh hot simit sprinkled with sesame is sold right on the street from special wagons. Here, they offer melted cheese and tea.
Lahmacun is a kind of Turkish pizza. The main difference between this dish and traditional pizza is the thinly rolled dough. As a filling for lahmacun, minced meat with tomatoes, herbs and bell peppers is used. Lahmacun is served with lots of parsley and lemon. The product is so thin that it can be rolled up, putting greens and sweet onion salad in the middle.

Turkish pilaf

Unlike the traditional pilaf in our understanding, in Turkey, pilaf (or pilyav, as it is called here) is prepared not from rice, but from wheat groats. Often, chickpeas are added to the dish, and then you get Knowlu Pilyav; eggplant - Patlyjan Pilyav; tomatoes - Domates Pilyav and even fish - Hamsi Pilyav. Basically, pilaf in Turkish cuisine serves as a side dish to the main course. Pilaf is usually served with yogurt.

Kuru beans

Bean stew is a dish that is eaten with equal pleasure in the homes of the rich and in the poorest families. The beans are soaked overnight and then stewed with tomato paste, onions and spices for about two hours. Chicken beans are served most often with boiled rice and yogurt.

Manti

Turkish manti, unlike the Central Asian ones we are used to, are small lumps of dough with minced meat. The size of Turkish manti should not exceed the size of a fingernail. Now manti is made with the help of machinery, and earlier the entire female part of the family gathered to sculpt this dish. Up to a thousand small dumplings were prepared at one time! Manti is served with yoghurt sauce with garlic, and topped with melted butter and spices.

Sarma

One of the most popular and delicious Turkish snacks. Minced rice and meat are wrapped in grape leaves. The shape of the sarma is remarkable - in the form of female fingers. As they say in Turkey, the thickness of the sarma should not exceed the size of the "little finger of a young girl." Sarma is a rather spicy and spicy dish, as befits an appetizer, the main purpose of which is to stimulate a good appetite.

Baklava

Baklava is the calling card of the East. It is impossible to leave Turkey without taking a box of this amazingly delicious sweet with you. The thinnest weightless dough is stacked in numerous layers, sprinkled with various types of nuts and poured with sweet syrup. The calorie content of this dish is simply off the charts, but there is no way to resist tasting at least a piece of dessert that melts in your mouth.

Künefe

Another dessert that belongs to the category of the most delicious dishes of Turkish cuisine. Soft goat cheese is placed between layers of special dough in the form of vermicelli. All this is fried in a large amount of oil and served hot.

Turkish recipes can be found

The national cuisine of Turkey is very multifaceted and original. Its formation was influenced by the fact that Turks, Armenians, Persians, Greeks, Assyrians and many other peoples lived on the territory of this country, each of which left its own unique mark on the culinary history of the state. The list includes such popular delicacies as plov, kebab and baklava. You will find their recipes in today's article.

Main nuances

Indigenous Turks turn every meal into a kind of ritual. All dishes are served in a specific order. Any meal begins with snacks, which include stuffed vegetables, olives and various pickles. After them, soups, fish or meat dishes and dessert appear on the table.

Vegetables are often used for cooking. Eggplants are especially popular. They are served marinated, stuffed, baked, stewed, steamed or fried. Also, the local population likes to generously add it not only to side dishes, but also to various sauces.

Meat is highly valued in Turkey. It is consumed in any form, but most often it is grilled or fried in a pan. Milk occupies a special place in the national cuisine of this state. It is used to make amazing cheeses, delicious desserts and incredibly healthy yogurts.

Turkish eggs

This interesting dish is vaguely reminiscent of a traditional omelette. It has an extraordinary taste and is ideal for a family breakfast. Before preparing one of the many Turkish national dishes, check in advance if your kitchen has everything you need. In this case, you will need:

• 8 chicken eggs.
• 100 grams of butter.
• 100 milliliters of broth.
• 150 grams of chicken liver.
• A couple of tomatoes.
• Salt and spices.

Washed and dried chicken liver is fried in butter. As soon as it acquires a golden hue, it is poured with broth, pre-mixed with chopped tomatoes. Beaten salted eggs are also added there. The future omelet is baked in the oven at standard temperature. Before serving, the finished dish can be poured with tomato sauce.

Lentil soup

This is one of the most popular Turkish national dishes. It is prepared from simple budget ingredients sold in any supermarket. To pamper your family with such a soup, stock up on everything you need in advance. This time you will need:

• 3 liters of drinking water.
• A couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.
• 1.5 cups red lentils
• A tablespoon of flour and ground paprika.
• Salt, aromatic spices and vegetable oil.

Washed lentils are poured with cold water and sent to the stove. As soon as the liquid boils, the resulting foam is removed from its surface and left to cook on minimal heat.

Pour a little vegetable oil into a separate saucepan, heat it up and fry wheat flour there. After a few minutes, tomato paste, a little water, basil and oregano are added there. All mix well and leave on the stove. After a couple of minutes, a little more water is added there and the resulting frying is sent to a pan with lentils. All this is salted, seasoned with mint and removed from the burner almost immediately. The finished soup is ground through a sieve and poured into bowls. Squeeze a little lemon juice into each serving.

Baklava

This dessert is very popular not only among the local population, but also among numerous tourists. Like all other recipes for Turkish national dishes, this option requires a certain set of components. Therefore, before starting work with the test, check if you have at hand:

• 250 grams of butter.
• Egg.
• 300 grams of powdered sugar.
• Half a kilo of wheat flour.
• 200 milliliters of milk.
• Cinnamon, salt and walnuts.
• A glass of water and sugar.
• Tablespoon of honey.

Like many other national Turkish dishes, photos of which can be seen in today's publication, baklava is prepared using the simplest technology. In a bowl filled with sifted wheat flour, a pinch of salt, melted butter and warmed milk are added in turn. Everything is well kneaded until a fairly steep, but at the same time elastic mass is obtained. The finished dough is placed in a plastic bag and left for half an hour.

In the meantime, you can work on the rest of the products. Nuts are crushed with a meat grinder and combined with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The infused dough is divided into twelve approximately identical balls. Each of them is rolled out in a thin layer, greased with butter, sprinkled with nut filling and rolled up, tucking the edges inward. The resulting blanks are laid out on a baking sheet. Their surface is smeared with yolk. Bake products at two hundred degrees for about a quarter of an hour. Then the temperature is reduced to 160 0 C. The baklava is smeared with butter and returned to the oven. After fifty minutes, it is transferred to a deep bowl, poured with syrup consisting of water, sugar and honey, and left for six hours.

Pilaf

This is one of the simplest and most satisfying Turkish national dishes. It is prepared from inexpensive and readily available ingredients. To create it you will need:

• 700 grams of chicken.
• 1.5 cups long rice
• A couple of tablespoons of pine nuts.
• Half a kilo of tomatoes.
• 3 tablespoons of butter.
• Onion bulb.
• A handful of parsley, basil and dried cranberries.
• Salt and spices.

Washed and dried chicken is laid out in a thick-bottomed frying pan, in which there is already butter. As soon as it is browned, onion half rings are added to it and continue to fry. A few minutes later, pine nuts and tomatoes rubbed through a sieve are sent there. Almost immediately, washed cranberries, chopped greens and rice are placed in the pan. All this is poured with water, covered with a lid and cooked until the liquid is completely absorbed. Before serving, pilaf is decorated with basil.

Lula kebab

This is one of the many culinary masterpieces that Turkish cuisine is famous for. The national dishes of this country are known far beyond its borders. Therefore, to try a kebab, it is not at all necessary to go to Turkey. You can also prepare it in your own kitchen. For this you will need:

• A kilo of lean lamb.
• 100 grams of bell pepper.
• 200 g fat tail fat.
• 25 grams of wheat flour.
• 75 g of garlic.
• 100 grams of parsley.
• 150 g tomatoes.
• 0.25 kg of onions.

The flour is soaked in a small amount of hot water and squeezed out. Lamb, pepper and tail fat are ground in a meat grinder and sent to the refrigerator. After an hour, the minced meat is salted, seasoned with spices and carefully strung on skewers. They fry the kebab on smoldering coals, not forgetting to periodically turn it over. It is served with a sauce made from chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley.

Turkish coffee

This fragrant invigorating drink leaves a pleasant aftertaste. It is prepared according to several different recipes (photos of Turkish national dishes can be found in the process of reading this article). To make real strong coffee, you will need:

• A couple of teaspoons of sugar.
• Ground coffee.
• A teaspoon of cinnamon and vanilla.
• A pod of cardamom.
• Carnation.
• 200 milliliters of water.

Ground coffee is poured into the preheated cezve. Cold water is poured there and the vessel is placed on the stove. The drink is kept on minimum heat for half an hour, not allowing it to boil. In the process of cooking, sugar, spices and spices are added to the cezva. Ready coffee is poured into cups and served at the table.

Revani

This delicious dessert also belongs to Turkish national dishes. It is a tender cake soaked in lemon syrup. To prepare it you will need:

• 3 eggs.
• A glass of flour, semolina and sugar.
• 200 milliliters of vegetable oil and yogurt.
• A pack of baking powder.

In order to cook the syrup, prepare in advance:

• 3 glasses of water.
• Juice of half a lemon.
• 3 cups of sugar.

Eggs are combined with yogurt and sugar, and then beaten, gradually adding semolina, flour, baking powder and vegetable oil. The finished dough is poured into a mold with high sides and sent to the oven. Dessert is baked at one hundred and fifty degrees for at least forty minutes. The cooled cake is cut into portions and poured with hot syrup consisting of water, sugar and lemon juice.

Eggplant in Istanbul

This savory snack also belongs to the national dishes of Turkish cuisine. It is prepared so simply that even a novice cook can make it without any problems. Its composition includes:

• 3 large eggplants.
• Medium head of onion.
• 3 fresh tomatoes.
• Medium carrot.
• 150 grams of celery root.
• Sweet bell pepper.
• A clove of garlic.
• A bunch of parsley.
• A pinch of ground dried thyme.
• Salt, spices and vegetable oil.

Eggplants are cut lengthwise and soaked in cold salt water. After half an hour, they are washed, dried and fried on the inside in vegetable oil. The browned pulp is separated from the skin and crushed.

Peeled carrots and celery are boiled until half cooked and cut into small cubes. Peppers are baked in the oven, separated from the peel and the seed and crushed. All this is combined in one vessel. Fried onions, chopped tomatoes, salt, aromatic herbs and chopped garlic are also added there. The resulting mass is laid out in eggplant boats and baked at standard temperature.

It so happened that on my first visit to Turkey, I made many unexpected discoveries about this country, including the variety of delicious food that surprised me. What dishes immediately come to mind when you think of Turkey? Kebabs, baklava, Turkish delight, and from coffee drinks, of course. In general, you don’t think of any balanced and wholesome food when talking about this eastern country. But in reality, it's not like that at all.

Turkish cuisine is very diverse, and even vegetarians do not have to worry about their diet when going there on vacation. I always say that food is an important part of any tourist trip. Of course, new places, culture and attractions are more important than cafes and restaurants, but the local cuisine kind of reinforces the overall impression. Yes, and through food you can learn a lot about any nation. What distinguishes Turkish cuisine?

Features of Turkish cuisine

It is clear that traditions in everything, including food, are formed over time. The culinary preferences of the Turks are rooted in the customs of the Turkic tribes. So it turns out that the traditional cuisine of Turkey has a lot from the Arab, Balkan, Mediterranean and Caucasian diets. To be honest, I never thought about how close the western coast of Turkey is to Greece, and therefore I was very surprised at the numerous attributes of primordially Greek cuisine in Turkish food.

And the diet of most Turks is influenced by the traditions of Islam. Turkey is a Muslim country and there are special regulations for food preparation. There are permitted foods - halal, there are forbidden - haram. The most famous example is the ban on Muslims eating pork, which is why this meat is rarely found on the menu. Plus, some holidays and holy days have additional regulations. In the holy month of Ramadan for every Muslim, believers fast until nightfall and do not eat meat.

But do not worry, because the laws of Islam apply only to Muslims (and not all of them strictly adhere to them), and in the tourism business they understand that guests want to taste everything at any time, so you can find ordinary Turkish dishes on the menu even in fasting .

And a few words about people who do not eat meat and think that in Turkey they will have to live with baklava. I also strongly associated Turkey with a meat country, where there are a million varieties of kebabs. But there is where even strict vegetarians can roam - fresh fruits and vegetables, pastries, snacks and main dishes of eggplant, chickpeas, nuts, lentils, mushrooms. And baklava with Turkish delight, of course.

Turkish breakfast can also be included in the cuisine of this country. And you must try it, because Turkish breakfast is a real feast for the whole world. Turkish breakfast is very substantial, and in many cafes/restaurants/hotels you get the traditional set in the morning: scrambled eggs, toast, homemade cheese, several types of olives, fried sausages, jam, sometimes vegetables and unlimited tea.

So, there are a lot of different foods in Turkey, and now I will tell you about the traditional and most delicious.

Vegetables and fruits

Oh, what juicy, fresh and tasty vegetables, fruits, greens are there! And it's all year round! I confess, and here I underestimated the beautiful Turkey.

There you can absorb vitamins in fresh local tomatoes (several types of cherry tomatoes), peppers (very often used in Turkish cuisine), cucumbers (looking like some kind of plastic, but tasty), eggplant, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, herbs, oranges, bananas, strawberries, apricots, watermelons…

Everything has its season, of course. And it is right. In Turkey, at the legislative level, the addition of pesticides and other poisons when growing fruits and vegetables is prohibited, so they are only natural and healthy here.

I was honestly shocked by amazingly juicy oranges in February! It turns out that they are available there at any time, except for summer (and even then you can find them somewhere in the gardens). You can also find these fruits on the trees in one of the walks around Antalya.

Along with oranges, lemons and avocados ripen. We also met them just near the road.

In April-May comes strawberry season. The price starts from a few dollars per kilogram and gradually decreases to one. Large berries melt in your mouth.

Summer is the time for cherries, medlars (a very interesting fruit, which is called the "Japanese apple", ripe fruits taste like quince and pears), mulberries, apricots, watermelons. In early autumn, pomegranates and figs ripen. Well, the oranges are starting to slowly fill with flavor.

Bananas are available almost any time of the year. I didn’t know that their huge bunches are first removed from the trees green. Then the fruits lie for some time and ripen. So they were filmed at the end of winter.

Do not miss a trip to the Turkish market, especially if you are in the country for a long time. It's cheaper, more colorful and more choice. But you can also buy good fruits and vegetables in supermarkets.

Appetizers, salads and pastries

Turkey definitely loves meat, but to get to this main dish, you still need to master the indispensable attributes of the beginning of the Turkish meal - meze, appetizers, salads and all kinds of bread.

Meze and other snacks

Turkish mezes are cold or hot appetizers served with drinks before meals.

Cold ones are most often made from yogurt, adding finely chopped carrots, pepperoni, and pickles to the sauce. Often lemon juice with olive oil is also used in this sauce. I liked Jajik the most. In addition to yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice and olive oil, mint and sometimes garlic are added there.

There are also hot snacks. These are, for example, baked shrimp or something like julienne (baked mushrooms with cheese).

According to my observations, an ordinary Turkish family often has one type of meze on the table, but there are more other snacks. These are, for example, delicious dried olives (there are a lot of varieties of them in Turkey), pickles (gherkins and pepperoni are popular), several types of cheese (often feta cheese or homemade cheese), cherry tomatoes.

Sarma, popular in Greece, is often found - rice wrapped in grape leaves with vegetables or minced meat.

One of my discoveries is various, so to speak, “spreads” on bread.

In Turkey, delicious hummus with various additives was often found. And the best is a paste made from grated sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, nuts and spices.

Salads

I am not a big fan of salads and always prefer fresh cut vegetables to them. As I said, vegetables in Turkey are fresh and tasty, so salads from them are excellent.

Salads in Turkish cuisine are usually unpretentious: cucumber, tomato, onion, sweet pepper, cheese (or without it). All this is almost always seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil.

Bakery products

In Turkey, bread is served with almost any dish. Sometimes in their restaurants and cafes they even bring a whole bread basket for free. Such an edible "aperitif".

I really love all Turkish pastries - they just melt in your mouth. Yes, and some of its species will pass for a full meal or at least a good snack.

Here's what you should definitely try:

Soups

In Turkey, soups are held in high esteem, although it seems to me that they are not perceived as a full meal. That is, you don’t really get enough of one meal - Turkish soups are not very satisfying.

I will highlight three of the best:

Main dishes

And here we will talk about what Turkish cuisine is known for outside the country - about kebabs. Also in Turkey, different types of pilaf, meatballs, stews are popular. On the Mediterranean Sea you will find a large selection of seafood dishes.

But first, about kebabs. There are a lot of them in Turkey. Of course, there are several main ones, but the fact is that in many regions of the country, different chefs have their own differences in the preparation of each type of kebab. It's basically fried meat.

Here is the basic information about the form in which meat is served in different kebabs:

Now I will tell you about one of my discoveries in Turkey - kofte. These are meatballs that have a lot of variations and tastes. They are made from different types of meat (mainly lamb). But I was impressed not by these ordinary meatballs, but by their special kind - chi kofte.

Chi kofte looks like compressed minced meat, which is why vegetarians are afraid to try this dish. But in fact, these are the most non-meat cutlets in the world. This stuffing consists of bulgur, tomato paste, nuts and many spices (they say that there are almost 100 of them). This “minced meat” is prepared in an unusual way: the chef first mixes all the ingredients, and then for a long time (from an hour to 3–5 hours) kneads the mass with his hands. Bulgur is made with the warmth of your hands! Previously, minced meat dishes were prepared in the same way, if there were difficulties with fire. They say that the chefs were supported by dances and songs.

In general, the thing is very tasty. It is served in pita bread or separately on a plate. Vegetables, herbs, lemon, tomato sauce (special for these meatballs) and delicious viscous pomegranate sauce are sure to go with chi kofte. This dish is especially popular during Ramadan.

I am not a big specialist in fish cuisine, but I can say with confidence that there is no shortage of fresh seafood on the Mediterranean coast. Try the local dorado.

Turkish sweets

Oh, and I love this theme! Not only do I really love sweet treats, but in Turkey they just melt in your mouth. Each sweet is a bouquet of flavors. Juicy baklava with pistachios, sesame halva, the most delicate threads of writing ... and I have not yet mentioned Turkish delight with its variety of flavors!

In general, something, but I tasted Turkish sweets. Here is a list of those not to be missed:

As you understand, there are enough delicious sweets in Turkey.

One tip: don't take too much at once, rather enjoy and savor each sweet oriental delicacy.

Popular drinks

And even here the Turks can offer something special and interesting.

Soft drinks

I'll start with the most popular and very unusual drink for me - ayran. There is no analogue in our kitchen. Some people say that it is something like carbonated kefir. But it's not. Please do not confuse all these Tans and Airans, which are present on the shelves of domestic stores, with the original drink from Turkey! We have some kind of carbonated and not at all like the one they drink in cafes and sell in Turkish stores.

Airan is a fermented milk drink. It is based on yogurt, water and salt. They use a special sourdough, the consistency of the drink is very different. Surprisingly, ayran is the best accompaniment to shawarma, and to many other dishes. At first, I was very surprised that instead of the usual cola in places like McDonald's, people are more willing to take airan. The drink is sold everywhere: there are entire refrigerators in supermarkets, shelves in stores and home-made options in cafes / restaurants. Airan is refreshing and energizing. Drink ayran in Turkey!

And now about Turkish tea. I read that it has been grown on the Black Sea coast of Turkey for a long time. But I never tried local tea there.

Surprisingly, it is a fact: the Turks are jamming the usual bagged or packaged black Lipton in huge quantities. In stores it is sold in really huge packs.

Whatever tea the locals use, they brew it in a special way. At the same time, tea leaves are similar to fine dust, which I personally am not used to calling tea. So, in Turkey, there are special two-story teapots: in the large lower one, water constantly boils, heating the upper small one with water and tea leaves.

Tea leaves are poured into small glass glasses (a signature attribute of tea gatherings in Turkey) and boiling water is added. The tea is strong and very sweet. The taste is really something special. The glasses are small, they drink five or six at a time. The tea is always hot because the kettle is always boiling. Now in Turkey there are even electric kettles with such a two-part system.

I fell in love with this strong and sweet tea, I even brew Lipton sometimes at home, which I have never done before.

Turkish coffee. This drink is loved by both locals and tourists. The main secret is the method of preparation. Traditionally, coffee is brewed in a Turk (cezve). When cooking, sugar is added immediately, so specify the amount in advance if you order coffee in a cafe. The portions are very small, but incredibly tasty. To some, such coffee seems strong ... And yes, there is a lot of thick at the bottom of the cup (Turks use finely ground coffee), which is considered a very important part of the drink.

Salep- a traditional hot drink for the Turkish winter. It is prepared from milk and sugar with the addition of salep powder. It's hard to believe, but this powder is made from the roots of orchids of the same name. These flowers grow in Anatolia. They take only a couple of teaspoons of salep per liter of milk, add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla to taste. The drink is wonderful and nutritious. The Turks believe that they can cure a whole bunch of diseases.

In stores, you can find ready-made salep, which you just need to warm up or add water. But for an original taste, go to pastry shops and cafes.

Alcoholic drinks

Probably almost every country has its own traditional strong alcoholic drink. In Turkey it crayfish. The strength of the drink can be from 40 to 70 degrees. Basically, it's aniseed vodka. Only use it, diluting it into three parts with water. If the raki is good, then the glass will contain a milky-white liquid. After dilution, you can add ice. It is better to drink from thin glasses.

In general, you can safely take crayfish as a gift to connoisseurs of alcoholic beverages. In Duty Free, for example, it will definitely be of good quality.

There are several brands in Turkey beer, but the most popular is EFES. There are different types and containers. The beer is delicious. Unfortunately, the Russian-style EFES is no match for the Turkish one. By the way, bottled beer will be a little more expensive than cans, but glass containers can be given away in large and small stores, getting some money for it. It's good for the environment, and you can buy yourself an extra bottle of beer.

Another interesting drink in Turkey - bose. I would say that it is only conditionally alcoholic, because there are only a few percent of it in Bose. This is a fermented drink, which is obtained by fermenting cereals and adding sourdough with sugar to them.

Before another trip to Istanbul, I read Orhan Pamuk's book “Istanbul. City of memories. It describes the fate of the Bozo street vendor, who were numerous before the modernization of the city. The book is very atmospheric and helps to better understand the spirit of Istanbul, I recommend it. But now the bosa in the city is no longer so popular.

Where to taste traditional cuisine

I talked about all the very best dishes and drinks in Turkey, and now I want to tell you where to look for and try them. I am sure that you will appreciate the authentic cuisine of this country in any case if you walk around the city and go to restaurants, cafes for locals, try sweets from street vendors, buy something in supermarket chains. Food in Turkey is very high quality. The only thing is that many guests of all inclusive hotels complain about the monotonous food, but it has its own specifics, and no one promises true Turkish cuisine. Keep this in mind. So, where to get acquainted with purely Turkish food.

On the streets of Turkish cities

Yes, Turkey is definitely the place where you can and should buy snacks on the street. You can still meet street vendors of roasted chestnuts, fresh pastries, and seafood there.

My choice is crispy simit with a cup of strong Turkish tea. That's just the main thing that the bread was fresh! Tray guys often carry small cups of tea in public places like train stations and docks. Tea costs a penny (or rather, Turkish kurush), for a cup you get less than 0.5 USD.

Of course, among the street food is full of "shawarma". You will most likely take a good doner where there is a constant flow of buyers, including from local ones. The average price is 3–4 USD.

On the coast, a popular street delicacy is huge mussels with lemon juice. You can easily detect them by the pungent smell of the sea. Rice and spices are added to the shells. Before you start eating, sprinkle the filling with lemon juice. By the way, the seller lays out the clams on a tray strictly in size: the larger, the more expensive the mussel, of course. The size of the portion itself depends only on you, for 5–7 USD you can eat well for one person.

There are other sweets on the streets of cities. You can't try them all at once. Some look very interesting, for example, a lollipop that is made right in front of you.

Cafes and restaurants in Turkey

I liked the large selection of all kinds of cafes and restaurants in this country. Let's say that in popular tourist places the prices are too high, and sometimes the food does not pull at all for the indicated price. But such places are designed for inexperienced tourists.

Top tip: look at the number of people in the establishment. If the restaurant hall is empty, and you are persuaded by all means to stay, then most likely something is wrong here. On the other hand, the tourism industry in Turkey is going through hard times now, and many good establishments are really empty. I always try to get a block or two away from the main tourist street and find a place to eat there. Experience has shown that prices are reduced significantly, and you can find something truly authentic.

In general, good restaurants and remarkable cafes are often included in the TOP lists on various resources. It is better to write down the addresses of several of them, going to a new city.

Portions are often large and filling. One main dish was always enough for me to fill up. Often, before serving your order, they bring a fresh tortilla with sauces / spices / snacks for free.

The Mediterranean region is famous for its fish establishments. And in Istanbul there is a place where fish restaurants stand one after another. You will find it under the Galata Bridge.

I love to taste delicious food overlooking the sea. And this place also has a funny zest: fishing lines from fishing rods will hang from the upper tier of the bridge. This is because the Galata Bridge has been a favorite place for Istanbul fishermen for many generations in a row.

In the markets of Turkey

The bazaar is the focus of local life, and in Turkey this type of trade has been popular since ancient times. In Istanbul, some bazaars from the Ottoman Empire are still functioning and have become recognizable landmarks of the city. I advise you to read more about the bazaars of Istanbul on our site.

As for buying food at the bazaar, locals often go there for the freshest and most delicious goods.

First of all, we are talking about fruits, vegetables, greens. I was struck by just a huge selection for quite acceptable, but what really there, little money.

I have been to Turkish markets both in winter and summer, the choice has always been pleasing to the eye. And the quality! No chemicals, everything is fresh and juicy. In general, an ideal option for home shopping. Yes, the same bananas, oranges, cherry tomatoes can be bought at the hotel. That's just such food markets often work only a couple of times a week.

By the way, not only fruits and vegetables are bought there. There is cheese and other homemade dairy products. And also fresh Turkish delight, halva. Sometimes sweet souvenirs are also sold, but they seemed not so fresh to me. But popular spice gift sets can be bought at such local markets, where it is much cheaper.

In Turkish stores

It is unlikely that you will go to the markets if the trip to the country is short and you want to do everything. But most likely you will go to the shops.

It's also interesting there. There are a lot of chain supermarkets and small shops in Turkey. In the latter, the choice is not very large: bread, chips, juices / water, chocolates, cookies and the like. But in supermarkets there is where to roam. Most popular: Migros, Şok, 101, Bim. Usually, each of them presents products from different manufacturers. My favorite is the Migros network. Their prices are a bit more expensive, but the food is delicious.

In supermarkets, you can buy everything for a delicious picnic or breakfast. I always take sun-dried olives (several types by weight), hummus/pate of grated nuts with sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, soft cheese, fresh bread. It is also worth buying Turkish delight and halva. Well, don't forget about ayran in cups.

Dictionary of food-tourist

To make communication in cafes and shopping in shops and markets easier, I will write some useful phrases and names.

Of course, don't forget to say hello. Merhaba(hello, "merhaaaba") and an expression of gratitude Teşekkür ederim(thank you, "teshekur ederim"), as well as about universal Evet(yes, "evet") and Hayir(no, "khayir"). In Turkish, ç sounds like "h" and ş like "sh".

And now popular foods and drinks:

• ekmek (ekmek) - bread;
• şeker (shaker) - sugar;
• biber (biber) - pepper;
• tuz (ace) - salt;
• dondurma (dondurma) - ice cream;
• yumurta (yamurta) - an egg;
• eti (these) - meat;
• mercimek (merdzhimek) - lentils;
• bal (bal) - honey;
• tavuk (tavuk) - chicken;
• peynir (peynir) - cheese;
• balk (balyk) - fish;
• süt (sut) - milk;
• su (su) - water;
• çay (tea) - tea;
• kahve (kahve) - coffee;
• bira (bira) - beer;
• Sharap (sharap) - wine.

• elma (elma) - apple;
• çilek (chilek) - strawberry;
• karpuz (karpuz) - watermelon;
• kavun (kavun) - melon;
• kiraz (kiraz) - cherry;
• portakal (portakal) - orange.

• biber (biber) - pepper;
• domates (domates) - tomatoes;
• mısır (mysyr) - corn;
• patates (patates) - potatoes;
• salatalık (salatlyk) - cucumber;
• zeytin (zeytyn) - olives;
• mantar (mantar) - mushroom.

The dishes are as follows:

• çorba (chorba) - soup;
• salata (salad) - lettuce;
• tatlı (tatly) - dessert;
• kebab (kebab) - barbecue.

The following words will also work:

• çok (chok) - very much;
• sıcak (sidzhak) - hot;
• soğuk (sojuk) - cold;
• iyi (yy) - good;
• tatlı (tatly) - sweet;
• acı (aji) - sharp;
• tuzlu (tuzlu) - salty;
• take (taze) - fresh;
• büyük (buyuk) - big;
• küçük (kuchuk) - small;
• tamam (tamam) - well, everything is in order.

What to try in Turkey: my TOP 5

1. Lentil soup. Hearty, spicy, with a rich balanced taste.
2. Kebab. Grab a doner on the street and an adana kebab at a restaurant.
3. Chi kofte. Be sure to try these non-meat patties with amazing pomegranate sauce.
4. Gözleme/lahmacun/simit. Let these flour products be in one point. You have already understood everything about my attitude to simit, but do not deprive other delicious pastries of your attention.
5. Writing. And yet, halva and Turkish delight are not in the lead in my list of sweets. These sweet, melt-in-your-mouth pistachio threads will always be my favorite.

Finally

Oh, and I wrote a lot about Turkish cuisine! At the same time, I am sure that I have not tried everything and not in all Turkish regions.

Traditional Turkish cuisine is bright, juicy, rich and at the same time balanced and healthy in an oriental way. This country has a large selection of both meat and vegetable dishes. Appetizers, soups, main dishes, desserts - everything is interesting, tasty and nutritious. The Turks skillfully use spices, emphasizing the taste of each dish.

Also aggregation of prices from all distributors, all in one place, let's go!

Have something to add?

Turkish cuisine is very different and contains many different delicacies: first courses, second courses, salads, hot and cold appetizers with spicy sauces, drinks, sweet dough products - all this has incomparable taste qualities, prepared according to the traditional recipes of the country, and therefore is unique food and drink.

The basis of the national cuisine of Turkey is vegetables and cereals, mostly wheat and rice. Meat dishes have an equally important place. Turks do not fill their dishes with spices and spices in large quantities, but put seasonings in moderation, believing that the true taste of delicacies should not be interrupted. People love stewed and stuffed vegetables. Cooks use minced meat as a filling, sometimes it is mixed with rice and other cereals. From vegetables, eggplants, sweet peppers are very popular. National Turkish dishes are very famous: pilaf, boreki (bereki), dolma with minced rice, manti, shish kebab - all these delicacies are served in Europe, clearly following the classic recipes.

Fish dishes in Turkey are not known. The chefs are very careful in cooking and are kind to their work, and therefore they use exclusively fresh fish and seafood. For this reason, dishes from these products are served only in establishments located near the sea.

Turkish residents bake a lot of different breads, pastries from plain and puff pastry.

This eastern country is famous for its abundance of sweets: a lot of delicious pies, stuffed cakes, Turkish delight, baklava, halva, puddings. Among drinks, Turks prefer coffee, which must be freshly brewed.

Turkish meat dishes are nutritious, vegetables are always very tender, sweet desserts will turn everyone's head. Sharpness, piquancy, sophistication, softness, sweetness - all this is about traditional Turkish dishes.

It is not so difficult to get acquainted with the nuances of cooking oriental dishes of this country, especially using the step-by-step recipes with photos offered on our website, after mastering which you yourself will be able to give master classes in cooking Turkish dishes.

Turkish cuisine recipes with step by step photos

• Baklava from puff pastry
• Imam Bayaldy
• Turkish baklava
• Lavash roll with minced meat
• Lahmacun
• Chicken tabaka with potatoes
• Shish kebab
• Lamb with potatoes in a slow cooker
• Turkish shawarma
• Turkish eggplant with minced meat
• Sautéed chicken
• Phyllo dough baklava

Characteristics of the features of the national cuisine of Turkey

The characteristics of the national cuisine of Turkey are very interesting: the inhabitants of the country make excellent dishes from meat, vegetables, fruits, without abusing spices and spices, their unique sweets do not leave indifferent anyone who has once tasted a delicacy, and the recipes of traditional drinks because of their excellent taste popular outside of their homeland.

If we turn to the history of Turkish cuisine, it is worth noting: it is ancient. Its formation was influenced by Greek, Armenian, Egyptian, Arabic, French, Italian. Today there is assimilation with Russian, Uzbek cuisine. However, the culinary region of Turkey has its own characteristics. Chefs replenish the menus of cafes and restaurants with original dishes, and housewives experiment with ingredients at home, slightly deviating from classic recipes, creating new unique dishes.

The eastern country is the owner of the Mediterranean cuisine. That is why residents give their preference to vegetables, fruits, nuts and spices. Regarding the latter, Turkish wives, aunts, professional chefs and everyone involved in cooking have one very important rule: you can’t overdo it with seasonings, because the real taste of the dish should remain that way, you can’t hide or saturate it with sauces and seasonings . That is, lamb should be felt in lamb food, pepper in pepper, and beans in beans, and so on.

Almost all dishes are dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and fermented milk products, often yogurt without additives. Since Turkey is an eastern country in which it is very hot, breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared very quickly, for one meal.

Turkish breakfast has its own characteristics. At this time, the table is served as if for a holiday, they serve a lot of various treats: bread, flat cakes, hard cheese and feta cheese, butter, jam, cut vegetables, fresh fruits, eggs. For breakfast in Turkey, it is customary to drink exclusively freshly brewed tea. Here coffee is inferior to him. Morning meal should be very satisfying, unhurried, energize for the whole day. Family members gather at the table and share plans, slowly discussing business.

Breakfasts are quite common in cafes and restaurants. In order to raise the mood, these establishments are located on the embankments, by the sea, in nature, where the view of incredible beauty opens up to the eyes. A person with an average income can afford a breakfast of a pie with minced meat, cheese or spinach, buns where olives, olives, potatoes, cheese are used as fillings, and a sesame bagel, which is called "simit".

There are a lot of dishes on the table for lunch or dinner. The most popular dish is Turkish shish kebab. This is meat that is cooked over an open fire. They use not only sheep meat, lamb, but also poultry - chicken, in rare cases, fish. Today, there are several varieties of barbecue: for example, if according to the classic recipe that we are used to, meat is strung on a skewer and fried over a fire, then this is a shish kebab, but if a whole lamb carcass is baked in the ground, then it turns out to be a tandoor kebab .

It is interesting that all the ingredients for the first, second course or snacks are cooked in one bowl. Thanks to this, the food turns out to be more aromatic, and the taste seems even richer.

Residents of Antalya attach great importance to preparations for the winter. They also canned fruits and vegetables. It can be your favorite eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, pears, apples. Products are prepared in different ways. Sometimes they just dry in the sun. This applies more often to fruits. By the way, Antalyans love to refresh themselves with street food. Kokorich (or as it is also called, kokorech) are lamb giblets covered with intestines. It does not sound very appetizing, but it is tasty and adored by the Turks.

The most popular products that are used to prepare almost all dishes are meat, vegetables, olives (also olives), cereals, dairy, legumes. The meat for the Turks is very valuable, and therefore they eat it, subjecting it to various heat treatments. However, most often it is fried on the grill, over an open fire or at home on the stove using a regular frying pan.

Among the vegetables, the place of honor goes to eggplant, because they are bought at any time of the year. Eggplant can be boiled, stewed, fried, stuffed, baked, pickled, salted. It is pickled and salted vegetables that are served as a snack on the table. Turkey also loves tomatoes, which chefs use in the preparation of sauces, pasta, and various side dishes. Olives and olives, like tomatoes, are also an integral part of the Turkish diet. They are put in the main dishes, side dishes or put on the table as an appetizer.

You can't do without cereals while cooking. They serve as one of the main ingredients for first and second courses. This product is essential for baking the famous Turkish bread. Rice is perhaps the most common cereal. Traditional pilaf is cooked on its basis, adding vegetables, meat, fish.

Using dairy products, Turkey makes incredible desserts and "signature" yogurts. There are many kinds of cheeses in this eastern country. Turks like to marinate cheese in brine and enjoy the incredible taste of cheese, feta. Such products are often stuffed into baked goods.

As we have already said, fish is not used so often, however, the dishes are very tasty. It is important that it is not difficult to cook fish at home, since the recipes are very simple. Turks cook from popular varieties - red mullet, stingray, mullet, swordfish. A lot of crabs, shrimps, octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, mussels, lobsters and other seafood. Such a wide choice allows the Turks to cook a lot of all kinds of "sea" dishes.

Now let's recap:

One main traditional dish in oriental cuisine is missing. All dishes are equally important on the table and all create the overall picture of Turkish cooking.

Turkey is the owner of almost all products: it has meat, vegetables, fruits, berries, seafood and fish. That is why there are a lot of various dishes - the ingredients are alternated, changed, supplemented with spices, spices and something new, original is obtained.

Turkish dishes bring great benefits to the body, because healthy products are used in the cooking process. For heat treatment choose cooking, stewing, baking. They don't fry as often. Dishes are rarely too greasy.

There is always a wide selection of foods on the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner, because you don’t need to snack, but eat plentifully, satisfyingly in order to get energy and strength.

With the design of dishes, the Turks are all at the highest level: the dishes always look very beautiful, appetizing, bright, emit a pleasant aroma that awakens the desire to try it sooner.

There are traditions regarding the presentation of dishes on the table. Appetizers are served first. In Turkey they are called "meze". These are stuffed vegetables, olives, salted and pickled foods. Next are the main dishes. The main thing is the soup. After it, dishes of meat, fish and side dishes are already served. Finally, they are backed up with desserts.

Eating is a long process, because the Turks eat slowly, chew their food thoroughly. In addition, you need to try every dish from the table. All this takes time. Conversations are going on at the same time.

It is not customary to eat alone in Turkey. You always need to get together with family, friends, colleagues and eat together.

So, now you know what Turkish cuisine is. We will tell you about the varieties of all dishes further.

Main dishes

The main dishes in Turkey are quite diverse: initially it is customary to eat snacks, then vegetable, meat, chicken, fish soups and stews, pilaf (with a lot of secondary ingredients in addition to cereals), meat and vegetable dishes, without which every meal is not complete.

Traditionally, the meal begins with appetizers. They are most often prepared from eggplants, adored by the Turks.

Famous vegetable dishes are moussaka and karnyyaryk. Moussaka is obtained by baking eggplants in the oven with stuffing in the form of minced meat seasoned with spices. Karnyyaryk is different in that eggplants are cut into halves, laid out on a baking sheet, minced meat is laid on them and baked in this way. The main dishes are also made from eggplant: the vegetable is baked whole, then cut and spread on lightly toasted bread. Pieces of fried meat are placed on eggplant, and all this is seasoned with yogurt.

In addition to eggplant snacks, they are also made from other vegetables. Kyzartma is a simple but very tasty dish. Vegetables are fried in butter in deep fat (it can be zucchini, the same eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers), then served on a plate with fresh bread.

One of the most popular snacks is sarma - these are original cabbage rolls, but instead of minced meat, pilaf is used as a filling for cabbage leaves. Other cold snacks are also famous. For example, haidari is made from cheese, mint, sugar and yogurt; karidesh povech is made from shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, all this is baked and spices are added; firinda mantar - champignons baked in a sauce with cheese.

A wide selection of Turkish first courses. Soups and stews are prepared with different products and in different ways. For example, stew is hot and cold. The first, that is, hot, is known as "chorbu" and is prepared with tomatoes, lentils and other vegetables. The second, jajik, is made with cucumbers, garlic, ayran, and spicy herbs. Soups also come in several types, depending on the products used:

merdzhimek chorbasy - boiled on red lentils;

tarkhana chorbasy - consists of dry and crushed products - peppers, onions, tomatoes, yeast in combination with flour;

Chorbasy yogurt - made on the basis of yogurt;

imkembe chorbasy - they speak with offal, vinegar and garlic heads.

They also cook shurpa (or shorpa) - rice soup with potatoes.

The most famous second course is plov. It is often boiled with rice, but it is no less famous with wheat. Less often they make pilaf from achma.

1. Rice pilaf. According to the traditional recipe, a meal is prepared from, of course, cereals, tomatoes, nuts, meat (often chicken fillet), butter, herbs (parsley and basil), berries (cranberry or cherry). Making classic Turkish pilaf at home is not difficult at all. The recipe is no different. Pine nuts are fried in an empty pan, the onion is cut into half rings, the greens are washed and chopped. Tomatoes are peeled and grated, turning into gruel. The meat, cut into pieces, is fried in a cauldron or a frying pan with high walls in butter. Then nuts, tomato paste, herbs, berries and spices are added. After that, washed rice is poured and everything is poured with boiling water, and when ready, it is infused under a closed lid.
2. Wheat pilaf. During cooking, the cereal must be stewed together with vegetables - onions, peppers (red or green - to the taste of the cook), tomatoes, meat. Pilaf is being prepared in a cauldron. First, onion, chopped in half rings, is fried in oil, then chopped peppers are added, and after a while, tomatoes. Further, wheat, called “bulgur” in Turkey, and chopped greens are sent to the cauldron. After frying, the composition is poured with water, seasoned with seasonings and stewed under a closed lid until the cereal absorbs boiling water and the pilaf is ready.

The basis of the meal also includes meat dishes, which can be served as a separate dish, or can go as a side dish or snack. The usual shish kebab fried on skewers in Turkey is called “shish kebab”, Turkish shawarma is “dener kebab”, “tandoor kebab” is the name of the kebab, which is baked in the ground. Side dishes are served with the second course. For example, dolma, known in many countries, is a kind of cabbage rolls, when minced meat or meat is wrapped in cabbage leaves, grapes. The dishes are complemented with kyufte - small round-shaped cutlets of minced meat, kuzu pyrzola - lamb ribs straight from the grill, menemen - scrambled eggs with vegetables.

There are many appetizers, first and second courses, side dishes in Turkish cuisine, and all of them are magnificent and truly unique in their own way.

Turkish salads and sauces

There are a lot of Turkish salads: they are cooked with vegetables (eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli), meat, olives and olives, mushrooms, seafood, beans and many others.

One of the best salads in Turkey is Piyaz, where the main ingredient is dry beans. She is boiled. The same is done with eggs. Onions are pickled in vinegar. Tomatoes and eggs are cut, mixed with boiled beans, then onions are added and all this is seasoned with a special sauce of lemon juice, grape vinegar, sesame paste, zira, garlic, mushy beans, olive oil. As a result, the ingredients are mixed, decorated with parsley, olives and served at the table.

A popular Turkish eggplant salad is Patlyjan. Vegetables are baked in the oven, peeled, then the excess liquid is decanted and the eggplants are cut into small pieces. Next, they are mixed with minced garlic, a mixture of olive oil, yogurt and lemon juice. In addition to such an unusual sauce, the taste of the salad is very rich due to ground black and cayenne pepper.

There is also a vegetable salad with croutons. Ingredients (baked sweet peppers, fried bread, tomatoes, onions, lettuce) are cut, broken or torn, mixed and seasoned. The sauce, again, is unusual because it consists of lemon juice, olive oil and pomegranate syrup. The salad is topped with chopped herbs.

Delicious and common in Turkey salad with wheat, that is, with bulgur - "Kysyr". Groats are boiled and cooled in tomato paste. Pine nuts are roasted in a pan. Cucumbers, tomatoes, onions are cut. Mint and parsley are chopped. The whole composition is mixed and seasoned with a classic lemon-olive sauce with chili flakes and sumac.

Turkish salads are easy to prepare, sometimes with minimal ingredients, yet satisfying the needs of the pickiest gourmets. The sauces in the dishes are unique, unusual, and in almost every dish there is a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice.

Traditional pastries and sweets

Traditional Turkish pastries and sweets are very original and created for every taste: there are flour products with and without filling, a variety of bagels and bagels, there are also sweet delicacies that melt in your mouth.

In Turkey, bagels are called "simit", they are sprinkled with sesame seeds on top. They also eat soft cakes called "pita" with yeast or "gozleme" with filling. Berek bagels are practically a visiting card of Turkish cuisine. We have already noted the fact that the Turks bake their own national bread: black - somun and white - ekmek. They also make lahmajun - pizza with sausage, meat and vegetable filling.

As for sweets, Turkey is famous for them all over the world. Ready-made delicacies of the cook are filled with sugar, syrups, and therefore the already sweet food turns out to be rather cloying. This is exactly the style of the Turks, since these people are avid lovers of sweets.

The key role is played by the Turkish baklava, known to us under the name "baklava". This is not just a sweet, a symbol of respect and some kind of tribute. Guests who are dear to the owner are treated to such a dish; baklava is also indispensable during matchmaking, as well as in the process of celebrating the birth of a child. On the eve of religious festivities, baklava is an obligatory decoration of every table.

There are also traditional desserts that are prepared only in Turkey, and therefore they are typical only for this eastern country. There are simply no similar ones in Russian and other cuisines. These milky sweets are reminiscent of mannik and soufflé at the same time. We are talking here about sutlach, muhallebi and kazandibi. They are a must-try when visiting Turkey.

Indicative, but already widespread far beyond the historical homeland, are other goodies - Turkish delight, halva, candied fruits.

Beverages

Drinks in Turkey have great fame: people do not live a day without coffee, tea, milk drink, while alcohol is not in demand because of the faith of the inhabitants of the country - Islam.

Turks drink coffee daily and at every meal, in addition to breakfast. In the morning it is customary to drink only tea. All sorts of drink are common. Equally common, along with black and green, are red, white, fruit (apple, pear), citrus (orange, lemon, grapefruit), berry (strawberry, strawberry, raspberry) drinks. In Turkey, merchants walk right along the streets and sell tea in cups. In addition, there are special stalls and shops in the markets where tea leaves are sold by weight so that you can feel the aroma and only after that buy.

Turks also quench their thirst with ayran - their national milk drink, which is made from yogurt.

As for alcohol, in Turkey it is not as popular as the same tea or coffee, because the country is Muslim. Only semi-sweet or dry wines are found here, which are consumed exclusively on holidays, and raki - Turkish vodka diluted with water.

Names of popular Turkish dishes

We will share the names of popular Turkish dishes with you and give them a brief description so that when you meet them in the menu of restaurants or cafes, you will already be aware of whose dish is in front of you. Perhaps after that you also decide to try to cook these dishes at home.

Name	Description
First meal
Arabashi Chorbasy	This is a soup made with meat chicken broth, the peculiarity of which is that it is served not with ordinary bread, but with a special dough that must be eaten with the dish itself with a spoon.
Ishkembe Chorbasy	A dish based on offal of beef or lamb. Put garlic with onions, if desired, season with citrus juice (lemon or orange) or diluted vinegar essence.
Merdzhimek Chorbasy	Soup, which is boiled with red lentils, herbs and peppers (also supplemented with other vegetable products).
Tarkhana Chorbasy	The dish, the basis of which is tarkhana - dried and chopped tomatoes together with peppers and onions, combined with yeast and flour.
Shekhrieli Yesil Merjimek Chorbasy	Lentil vermicelli soup.
Ezogelin Chorbasy	The dish is prepared with tomatoes, bulgur (wheat), red lentils, rice groats, tomatoes or pasta. Also called "Bride's Soup".
Yayla Chorbasy	The peculiarity is that the dish is seasoned with yogurt. Ingredients: rice groats, butter, mint.
Meat dishes
adana kebab	Minced meat, which is fried on skewers along with hot chili peppers.
Dener kebab	Grilled meat stuffed with vegetables and spices.
Iskender kebab	This is lamb meat with flatbread. As a sauce, a mixture of tomato paste, olive oil, yogurt is used.
	Cutlets or meatballs of small sizes from any meat product.
	This is meat pilaf with vegetables from rice, wheat, achma or other cereals, which is stewed in a cauldron.
	Meat and vegetable cubes that are baked in the oven.
Shish kebab	Meat with tomatoes and peppers, which is fried on the grill or on the fire. Kebab.
Antep ezmesi	Chopped onion with pepper, parsley and mint, dressed with lemon-olive sauce with tomato paste, red pepper paste.
	Appetizer of cucumbers, garlic, pepper, mint, seasoned with yoghurt sauce with lemon juice, olive oil.
Karidesh guvech	A dish that consists of oven-baked shrimp, tomatoes and chopped garlic.
Berek cigar	Fried or baked dough sausages stuffed with cheese and parsley.
Fyrynda mantar	Mushrooms baked in sauce stuffed with different types of cheeses.
Havuch ezmesi	Carrot-pepper cream seasoned with yogurt mixture with olive oil, lemon juice.
	Creamy snack consisting of brynza, yogurt, sugar and mint.
	Vegetable (tomatoes, onions, cucumbers) with bulgur (wheat) and nuts.
Patlydzhan	Eggplant salad with garlic dressed with chopped parsley olive oil.
	From beans, tomatoes, eggs, onions. Sauce - olive oil, sesame paste, lemon juice, grape vinegar, bean paste.
	Arugula, which is fried together with meat (chicken).
	Tomato-cucumber with onion, cheese and pepper.
	Bagels stuffed with a mixture of cheese, herbs and spices.
	Flatbread with different fillings (cheese-spinach, meat, vegetable, cottage cheese).
Lahmacun	Thin flatbread sprinkled with minced meat, vegetable slices, seasonings. It's similar to pizza.
	"Boat" with cheese filling and onions, tomatoes, herbs.
	Yeast-baked tortilla with meat, vegetable, cheese filling.
	Sesame bagels.
	Turkish analogue of the usual white bread.
Sweets
Quince tatlysy	Boiled quince in syrup served with cream.
	Puff pastry, where chopped nuts are placed between each layer, and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds on top.
Jeserie	Fruit and pomegranate juice jelly, carrot syrup and pistachios.
Tatlysy Tavern	Candied pumpkin, boiled in pieces.
	Cookies with jam or jam inside. Can be baked without filling.
	Dough balls fried in butter or cream and drizzled with sweet syrup.
	Sugar-honey cubes with pistachios, dried fruits, coconut or nuts.
	Nut or pistachio flour sweetness in syrup.
	A delicacy in the form of grape juice syrup.
	Pie with semolina in syrup.
	Rice porridge cooked in milk with vanilla.
	Sweetness from dough in syrup without filling in the form of a cylinder.
	Sugar paste made from sesame seeds with cocoa powder.
	Yogurt-based drink.
	A mass of yeast, sugar and millet that ferments to form a sweet drink.
	A drink that is obtained by brewing ground coffee or beans. With or without sugar.
	This is the alcoholic drink of the Turkish nation. "Vodka" from anise, which is diluted with mineral water.
Salgam (shalgam)	Bitter-sour drink based on turnip.
Salep (salip)	A milk drink that is consumed hot.
	Drinking from different varieties of tea, which is brewed fresh.
	Grape juice.
	Turkish wine.

Now you know what Turkish cuisine is like, what are the features of such foods and drinks. You can safely try to cook or enjoy in restaurants, cafes. Everyone is satisfied with the taste, so be sure to reproduce at home one of the step-by-step photo recipes given on this page.

Do not limit yourself to eating in restaurants (especially hotel and / or tourist ones). Try street food in small cafes and food stalls.

1. Turkish breakfast (kahvalti)

Turkish bread or toast, butter, jam, chocolate and/or honey, olives and black olives, hard-boiled eggs, the world's most delicious tomatoes, cucumbers, several types of cheeses, and, of course, coffee or tea. Turkish breakfast (kahvalti) is considered one of the best in the world and is served in many restaurants, cafes, hotels and pensions. There are no restrictions for kahwalti, so each owner brings something of his own to this wonderful tradition.

Turkish breakfast (Kahvaltı). Photo credit: mincelik, Flick

2. Menemen

The Turkish version of scrambled eggs for breakfast is an omelet mixed with stewed vegetables. Very tasty with warm lavash) Menemen can be easily found on the menu of cafes and small restaurants, often offered as an addition to a Turkish breakfast.

Menemen. Photo credit: Serious Eats

3. Simit

The most popular pastry that is sold everywhere in Turkey. Known since the 16th century. Probably, the popularity of this sesame bun is due to the fact that it can be a full breakfast or snack.

Simit. Photo credit: abdulah Tırınk, Flick

4. Chorba

Usually Turkish soups (chorba) are thick and rich, based on lentils or tomatoes. Try traditional lentil and rice chorba (ezogelin çorbası, ezo-gelin) or just lentils (mercimek çorbası, mermesik - chorbasi), chicken soup (tavuk suyu çorbası, tavuk-sayu), fish soup (balık çorbası, balyk chorbasi) or sour milk soup with mint (Yayla çorbası, yayla chorbasi).

Mermesik - Chorbasi. Photo credit: yemek

5. Manti

Manti (manti) is a Turkish version of dumplings that are cooked with lamb or beef meat and either boiled or fried. Served with a spicy sauce based on natural Turkish yogurt. It is considered the national dish of Turkey.

Turkish Manti. Photo credit: frodnesor, Flick

6. Meze

Cold Turkish appetizers - salads, stuffed peppers and tomatoes, pickles, olives, dolma and sarma, small seafood such as squid mussels, hummus, sauces, etc., etc. Appetizers are usually served before the main courses.

Meze. Photo credit: Jenny Guo, Flick

7. Dolma and Sarma

Dolma and sarma are two dishes based on spicy rice with onions. Dolma - vegetables (pepper, zucchini or eggplant) stuffed with a mixture of rice, currants, spices, cinnamon, nuts and minced veal (optional). Salma is a more ascetic version, grape leaves stuffed with spicy rice. Both dishes are often served as meze (cold appetizers).

Yaprak Sarma. Photo credit: Waseem Asmar, Flick

8. Kebab

Kebab in Turkey is called meat cooked over an open fire, which is served with vegetables and sauces. In every region of Turkey, kebabs are cooked in their own way. Kebabs often bear the name of the area in which they are cooked. Be sure to try the kebab, which is cooked in clay pots.

The most popular kebab option that you should definitely try is shish kebab (Şiş Kebap) - lamb fried on skewers, served with vegetables and pita bread (practically our kebab)

The real gastronomic pride of Turkey is Iskander kebab, a variant invented in Bursa in the 19th century by Iskander Efendi. In this version, lamb is cut into thin slices, stewed with tomato sauce and served with yogurt and pita bread.

Adana - kebab - also, a classic. Prepared from minced lamb, grilled and served, again with vegetables and pita bread.

Shish Kebab. Photo credit: Matt Holden F, Flick

Photo credit: Brian Hammonds, Flick

9. Kefte and Chi Kefte

Along with kebab, köfte is a traditional and favorite dish in Turkey, which is prepared almost everywhere. In fact, these are meat balls. They are served on street stalls in the company of pita and salad.

Chi Kefte (Çiğ köfte) is a vegetarian version of kefte that looks very much like regular meat kefte but is made with bulgur, tomato paste and spices.

Chi Kefte. Photo credit: jechstra, Flick

10. Imam Baildi

The history of this dish goes back to the times of the Ottomans. The name Imam Bayildi (Imam Bayildi) is translated very funny - stupefied imam. The subject of swoon is an eggplant stuffed with a vegetable mixture of onions, garlic and tomatoes. There are also already modern variations with meat fillings. Delicious with traditional pilaf butter rice.

Imam Baildi. Photo credit: Steel Wool, Flick

11. Lahmacun and Pide

Lahmacun (lahmacun) and pide (pide) are two versions of "Turkish pizza". Lahmacun is a flat crispy flatbread stuffed with meat and spices. Pide is a more advanced version with various toppings and twisted edges. Both options are quite popular as local fast food.

Lahmacun. Photo credit: Ahmet Tanju, Flick

Photo credit: a dash of zest, Flick

12. Borek and Gozleme

These sweets are most often stuffed with meat or a mixture of spinach and cheese. The basis for the borek (börek) is puff pastry Borek is baked in different ways - in portions, in a large piece, roll. The basis for gozlemek (Gözleme) is a lean dough in the form of a flatbread. A special chic is borek or gozlemek, cooked in traditional ovens or over an open fire. Very Turkish pastry, must try!

Gozlem. Photo credit: Jamie / droolworthy, Flick

13. Balik Ekmek

Balik Ekmek - literally translated as a fish sandwich. Baguette, fried or grilled fish fillet, onion, lettuce. Simple, cheap, colorful and very tasty. For the best fish sandwiches, look for street restaurants under the Galata Bridge.

Fish sandwich. Photo credit: Dormiveglia, Flick

14. Mussels Dolma

Mussels Dolma (Midye Dolma) - a popular street food on the streets of Bodrum and. It is mussels with spicy rice. Often stuffed right at the tray with mussels. The seller stuffs and serves mussels before the stop sign from the buyer)

Mussels Dolma. Photo credit: JuliaInTurkey, Flick

15. Kumpir

Kumpir - baked potatoes in uniforms, with butter and cheese and a variety of toppings to choose from.

Potato Kumpir. Photo credit: Jason Wong, Flick