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Europe Turkey Food & Drink

10 Mouthwatering Dishes To Try From

Turkey

JAMES SAWYER
UPDATED: 30 MAY 2018

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For those who move beyond the initiation of döner kebab, Turkish cuisine
rewards curiosity with time-honed flavors and some of the tastiest street
foods in the Mediterranean. Here are 10 Turkish dishes you must try.
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Peynirli Menemen © Robyn Lee/Flickr

Menemen

Think all the ways to serve eggs for breakfast have been exhausted? Think again.
Somewhat similar to shakshuka, menemen is a cross between scrambled eggs
and a vegetable stew. Tomatoes, onions and peppers are cooked down to a
savory broth, then eggs are quickly whisked in and broiled by the simmering
tomato juice to form this filling, yet light breakfast staple. Additionally, cheese or
sucuk, a spicy sausage, are ingredients often added to enrich the flavor. Any
breakfast-goer would be remiss not to use liberal amounts of bread to dip and
spoon out this goopy goodness.

Stuffed Peppers © Martin/Flickr

Stu ed eppe s © at / c

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Dolma a city

Dolma simply means, “stuffed,” but there are limitless possibilities when it comes
to stuffing, a common technique in Anatolian cuisine. Dolma often uses a rice-
based mixture of spices, pine nuts, and even small dried fruits to stuff vegetables
such as flavorful peppers or courgettes. The streets of coastal towns and
downtown Istanbul, however, feature a different kind of dolma: midye dolma, or
stuffed mussels are a delicacy relished by night owls. Midye dolma come packed
in their shells and arranged on large circular platters, equipped with fresh lemons
to squeeze onto the salty sea-dwellers – a Turkish street food staple.

Shish Kebab © Martin/Flickr

Kebap

Most fast food connoisseurs will know kebap in its most basic form – döner,
meaning ‘turning’, is the open-faced sandwich stuffed with greens and thinly
shaved slices from a massive, vertically rotating skewer of meat from which it
takes its name. However, those more familiar with Turkish cuisine will recognize
kebap as a sprawling family tree of all kinds of skewered meats, seasoned and
served with different accompaniments. Some of the most famous types of kebap
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are identified by their city or region of provenance, such as the spicy Adana
a city

kebap or the milder Urfa kebap. These are both from the southeast of Turkey. A
particularly famous form of kebap is known as the Iskender Kebap. It is prepared
over a bed of pita bread and drenched slices of meat and tomato juice and
served with heaps of yogurt.

Lentil Soup © Jun Seita/Flickr

Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi)

Mercimek çorbasi, literally lentil soup, is an ubiquitous dish in Turkish cuisine. Its
deliciousness is matched only by its simplicity. It is a simple puree of lentils and
spices, garnished with cilantro and the juice of a freshly cut lemon slice, always
served alongside the soup. Additional garnish can comprise any variety of tursu,
or pickled vegetables, from cabbage to carrots and olives. Accompanied with a
few piping hot slices of pita bread, mercimek çorbasi is an inexpensive, filling and
soul-warming feature of nearly any menu, from upscale restaurants to the
neighborhood cafeteria.
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Cig Kofte from Develi on the Asian Side © Leyla A./Flickr

Çig Köfte

Pronounced “chee,” this variant of köfte literally means “raw meatballs.” As

unappetizing as the name might appear, çig köfte is said to have originated within
the geography of modern-day Turkey as early as the time of Abraham. At this
time, a shortage of firewood prompted the innovation of this original version of
steak tartare. Traditionally an amalgam of kneaded bulgur, scallions, spices and
fresh raw meat, the çig köfte served nowadays is a bit easier to stomach. This is
due to legislature in 2009, after Turkey’s accession to the European Union,
banning raw meat. The çig köfte lives on as a delicious, savory ball of kneaded
bulgur and spices. In the style of çig köfte past, these balls of bulgur are served
with all kinds of green garnishes, lemon juice and wrapped in lettuce or thin
flatbread, making this dish a quick and delicious snack to eat on the go.
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Lahmacun © Dominik Schwind/Flickr

Lahmacun

Occasionally translated on restaurant menus as “Turkish Pizza,” lahmacun

(pronounced lah-mah-joon) actually has more in common with a savory pie rolled
out flat. Essentially a flatbread topped with any variety of minced meat and
seasoning, lahmacun is always served freshly baked and often consumed in twos
or threes as a meal on its own. Onions and cilantro add a bit of zing to the
heavenly sensation of freshly baked flatbread seasoned with minced lamb or
beef. More creative varieties are spiced with the addition of ground nuts or sour
pomegranate syrup. A cousin of the lahmacun, the pide actually resembles pizza
much more than the former: essentially a boat of thick dough inundated with
cheese, vegetables and all kinds of meat, the pide is like the pizza’s older,
stockier brother hailing from Turkey’s Black Sea region.

Manti

Described occasionally as a Turkish form of ravioli, manti comes in many shapes

and forms, but most often as bits of meat folded into small, angular pouches of
dough. While size and content can vary immensely, manti is set apart from its
Italian cousin by an important Turkish distinction: a scoop of yogurt to soften the
savory flavor of the dish and add a fresh counterpoint to the meaty taste. Another
tasty variation of manti is stuffed with coal-grilled eggplant, retaining all the rich
flavor of the meat-laden variant, but as a distinctively Turkish alternative.
 Discover
Imam Bayildi a city

In Turkish cuisine, eggplant has undisputed reign. However, the name of this dish
suggests something even more extraordinary, as it literally means, “the imam
fainted”. The name suggests the extremity of a reaction to this flavorsome dish of
eggplant braised and simmered in oil and stuffed with tomatoes and onions.
Relatively uncomplicated in terms of ingredients, imam bayildi marries two
essential elements of Turkish cuisine: eggplant and olive oil into a tasty staple. A
variation of this dish known as karniyarik contains beef, but only as a supplement,
as the real meat of this dish – and many Turkish dishes – is that notorious purple
vegetable.

Börek

Covering a wide range of phyllo dough-based pastries, both sweet and savory,
the geographic distribution of börek is a sign of the expansive culinary culture
propagated by the Ottoman Empire. Börek comes in all shapes and sizes. Some
are named after cigars while others bear the namesake of roses or arms,
reflecting the pastry’s shape and its folded patterns. While many börek come in
individual portions and are served and eaten like other pastry, there are also
whole restaurants dedicated to a different kind of börek. These are prepared in
massive trays and sliced up masterfully at the counter for customers who come to
buy the treat. Try the savory options, stuffed with anything from meat to cheese
and spinach, or a slice of the sweet variety of börek sprinkled with powdered
sugar for an enticing breakfast or afternoon snack.

Nohutlu Pilav

Nohutlu Pilav, or “rice with chickpeas” is another staple of Turkish street food,
elegant in its simplicity and well rounded in flavor and nutrition. Prepared in large
glass boxes on wheels that are insulated to retain heat, nohutlu pilav is layers of
rice and chickpeas piled high with roasted chicken stacked on top so that their
juices saturate through for a delicious seasoning. Diners can either request rice
and chickpeas for a filling alternative to a sit down meal. Or, they can up the
quality of their meal with some slices of chicken for a couple more lira. Who knew
street food could be so nutritious?
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