Turkish cuisine (Turkish: Türk mutfağı) is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine,
which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and
Balkan cuisines.[1][2] Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other
neighbouring cuisines, including those of western Europe. The Ottomans fused various
culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along
with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia (such as yogurt), creating a vast
array of specialities — many with strong regional associations.
Turkish cuisine varies across the country. The cooking of Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, and
rest of the Aegean region inherits many elements of Ottoman court cuisine, with a
lighter use of spices, a preference for rice over bulgur, and a wider use of seafoods. The
cuisine of the Black Sea Region uses fish extensively, especially the Black Sea anchovy
(hamsi), has been influenced by Balkan and Slavic cuisine, and includes maize dishes.
The cuisine of the southeast — Urfa, Gaziantep and Adana — is famous for its kebabs,
mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, kadayıf and künefe (kanafeh).
Especially in the western parts of Turkey, where olive trees grow abundantly, olive oil
is the major type of oil used for cooking.[3] The cuisines of the Aegean, Marmara and
Mediterranean regions are rich in vegetables, herbs, and fish. Central Anatolia is famous
specialties, such as keşkek (kashkak), mantı (especially from Kayseri) and gözleme.
A specialty's name sometimes includes that of a city or region, either in or outside of
Turkey, and may refer to the specific technique or ingredients used in that area. For
example, the difference between urfa kebab and adana kebab is the thickness of the
skewer and the amount of hot pepper that kebab contains. Urfa kebab is less spicy and
thicker than adana kebab.
Contents
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1 Culinary customs
1.1 Breakfast
1.2 Homemade food
1.3 Restaurants
1.4 Summer cuisine
1.5 Key ingredients
1.6 Oils and fats
1.7 Fruits
1.8 Meats
2 Dairy products
3 Soups
4 Bread
5 Pastries
6 Pilaf and pasta
7 Vegetarian dishes
7.1 Vegetable dishes
7.2 Egg dishes
8 Meze and salads
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9 Dolma and sarma
10 Meat dishes
10.1 Kebabs
11 Fish
12 Desserts
13 Beverages
13.1 Alcoholic beverages
13.2 Non-alcoholic beverages
14 See also
14.1 Related cuisines
15 References
16 Bibliography
17 External links
[edit] Culinary customs
Simit is a circular bread with sesame seeds. Common breakfast item in Turkey.
[edit] Breakfast
Yumurtalı ekmek (French toast)
A typical Turkish breakfast consists of cheese (beyaz peynir, kaşar etc.), butter, olives,
eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey, and kaymak. Sucuk (spicy Turkish sausage),
pastırma, börek, simit, poğaça and soups are eaten as a morning meal in Turkey. A
common Turkish speciality for breakfast is called menemen, which is prepared with
tomatoes, green peppers, onion, olive oil and eggs. Invariably, Turkish tea is served at
breakfast. The Turkish word for breakfast, kahvaltı, means "before coffee" (kahve,
'coffee'; altı, 'under').
[edit] Homemade food
Homemade food is still preferred by Turkish people. Although the newly introduced
way of life pushes the new generation to eat out, Turkish people generally prefer to eat
at home. A typical meal starts with soup (in the winter), followed by a dish made with
vegetables or legumes boiled in a pot (typically with meat or minced meat), then rice or
bulgur pilaf in addition of a salad or cacık (made from diluted yogurt and minced
cucumbers). Another typical meal is dried beans cooked with meat or pastırma mixed or
eaten with rice pilaf and cacık.
[edit] Restaurants
Although fast food is gaining popularity and many major foreign fast food chains have
opened all over Turkey, Turkish people still rely primarily on the rich and extensive
dishes of the Turkish cuisine. In addition, some traditional Turkish foods, especially
köfte, döner, kokoreç, börek and gözleme are often served as fast food in Turkey. Eating
out has always been common in large commercial cities.[4] Esnaf lokantası (meaning
restaurants for shopkeepers and tradesmen) are widespread, serving traditional Turkish
home cooking at affordable prices.
[edit] Summer cuisine
In the hot Turkish summer, a meal often consists of fried vegetables such as eggplant
(aubergine), or potatoes served with yoghurt, tomato sauce, sheep's cheese, cucumbers,
tomatoes, watermelons, melons, or summer helva, which is lighter and less sweet than
regular helva.
[edit] Key ingredients
Frequently used ingredients in Turkish specialties include: lamb, beef, chicken, fish,
eggplants, green peppers, onions, garlic, lentils, beans, and tomatoes. Nuts, especially
pistachios, chestnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, together with spices, have a
special place in Turkish cuisine. Preferred spices and herbs include parsley, cumin,
black pepper, paprika, mint, oregano, pul biber (red pepper), allspice, and thyme.
[edit] Oils and fats
Butter or margarine, olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, and corn oil are widely used for
cooking. Sesame, hazelnut, peanut and walnut oils are used as well. Kuyruk yağı (tail fat
of sheep) is used mainly in kebabs and meat dishes.
[edit] Fruits
In Ottoman cuisine, fruit frequently accompanied meat as a side dish. Plums, apricots,
dates, apples, grapes, and figs are the most frequently used fruits, either fresh or dried,
in Turkish cuisine. For example, komposto (compote) or hoşaf (from Persian khosh âb,
literally meaning "nice water") are among the main side dishes to meat or pilav. Dolma
and pilaf usually contain currants or raisins. Etli yaprak sarma (vine leaves stuffed with
meat and rice) used to be cooked with sour plums in Ottoman cuisine.
Imam Bayildi with Borek
Eggplant (Turkish: patlıcan) has a special place in the Turkish cuisine. It is combined
with -patlıcan reçeli") .
[edit] Meats
In some regions, meat, which was mostly eaten only at wedding ceremonies or during
the Kurban Bayramı (Eid ul-Adha) as etli pilav (pilaf with meat), has become part of the
daily diet since the introduction of industrial production. Veal, formerly shunned, is
now widely consumed. The main use of meat in cooking remains the combination of
ground meat and vegetable, with names such as kıymalı fasulye (beans with ground
meat) or kıymalı ıspanak (spinach with ground meat, which is almost always served
with yogurt). Alternatively, in coastal towns cheap fish such as sardines (sardalya) or
hamsi (anchovies) are widely available, as well as many others with seasonal
availability. Poultry consumption, almost exclusively of chicken and eggs, is common.
Milk-fed lambs, once the most popular source of meat in Turkey, comprise a small part
of contemporary consumption. Kuzu çevirme, cooking milk-fed lamb on a spit, once an
important ceremony, is rarely seen. Because it is a predominantly Islamic country, pork
plays no role in Turkish cuisine.
[edit] Dairy products
A bowl of Cacık, seasoned, diluted yogurt with chopped cucumber, eaten throughout
the former Ottoman world. In Greece it is called tzatziki.
Fresh Ayran with a head of foam
Yoghurt is an important element in Turkish cuisine.[3] In fact, the English word yoghurt
or yogurt derives from the Turkish word yoğurt. Yoghurt can accompany almost all
meat dishes (kebabs, köfte), vegetable dishes (especially fried eggplant, courgette,
spinach with minced meat etc.), meze and a specialty called mantı (folded triangles of
dough containing minced meat). In villages, yoghurt is regularly eaten with rice or
bread. A thicker, higher-fat variety, süzme yoğurt or "strained yoghurt", is made by
straining the yoghurt curds from the whey. One of the most common Turkish drinks,
ayran, is made from yoghurt. Also, yoghurt is often used in the preparation of cakes,
some soups and pastries.
Turkey produces many varieties of cheese, mostly from sheep's milk. In general, these
cheeses are not long matured, with a comparatively low fat content. The production of
many kinds of cheese is local to particular regions.
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Beyaz peynir is a salty cheese taking its name from its white color ("white
cheese"). It is analogous to Greek feta but not as strong. This is produced in styles
ranging from unmatured cheese curds to a quite strong mature version. It is eaten
plain (e.g. as part of the traditional Turkish breakfast), used in salads, and
incorporated into cooked foods such as menemen, börek and pide.
Çökelek is one of two types of unsalted white cheese, made by boiling the whey
left over from making beyaz peynir. There are many regional varieties of çökelek.
Some are eaten fresh while others are preserved, either by storage in goatskin bags
or pottery jars, or by drying in the sun. Kurut and keş are regional names for dried
bricks of yoghurt made from low-fat milk or from çökelek made from buttermilk.[5]
Lor is the other type of unsalted white cheese, similarly made from the whey left
over from kaşar manufacture. Lor is used in traditional desserts made from unsalted
cheese like höşmerim.
Kaşar is Turkey's other ubiquitous cheese, a moderately fatty sheep's cheese
similar to the Greek kasseri, sometimes marketed as "Turkish cheddar", being
closer in consistency and taste to mild cheddar-style cheese than other Turkish
cheeses. Less matured kaşar, called fresh kaşar, is widely consumed as well.
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Kaşkaval is a wheel-shaped yellow sheep's cheese, similar to fresh kaşar. The
name is probably of Italian origin.
Tulum is a sheep's cheese preserved in an animal skin bag (Turkish: tulum,
which is also the word for a traditional bagpipe). There are regional varieties of
tulum peynir in such areas as İzmir, Ödemiş and Erzincan.[5]
Otlu peynir ("herbed cheese") is produced in many areas, chiefly in East
Anatolia. Traditionally sheep's or goat's milk is used, but more recently cow's milk
otlu peynir has been produced. The type of herb used varies by region: in Van wild
garlic[disambiguation needed ] is traditional; Bitlis otlu peynir contains a damp-loving
herb known as sof otu. In other areas horse mint (Mentha longifolia) and Pimpinella
rhodentha are used.[5]
Hellim (Greek: halloumi) is a salty, firm-textured cheese, generally with some
mint added, made in Cyprus. In Turkey, it is common to fry hellim in a pan in some
olive oil.
Gravyer (analogous to Swiss gruyere) is produced in Turkey as well. Among
others, Kars is famous for its graviera.
Mihaliç peyniri or Kelle peyniri is a hard sheep's cheese that can be grated, like
Parmesan cheese. Sometimes goat or cow milk is used. It is a specialty from
Karacabey, a town in Bursa province which was called Mihaliç during Byzantine
and Ottoman period.
Örgü peyniri, "braided cheese", is a specialty from Diyarbakır.
Çerkez peyniri, means "Circassian cheese".
[edit] Soups
A Turkish meal usually starts with a thin soup (çorba). Soups are usually named after
their main ingredient, the most common types being; mercimek (lentil) çorbası, yoghurt,
or wheat (often mashed) called tarhana çorbası. Delicacy soups are the ones that are
usually not the part of the daily diet, like (shkembe) İşkembe soup and paça çorbası,
although the latter also used to be consumed as a nutritious winter meal. Before the
popularisation of the typical Turkish breakfast, soup was the default morning meal for
some people. The most common soups in Turkish cuisine are;
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Buğday aşı/Yoğurt Çorbası/Ayran Çorbası (which can be served hot or cold)
Lahana (cabbage soup)
Bademli tavuk (chicken soup with almond)
Düğün (Wedding soup)
Ekşi Aşı
Ezogelin
Balık
İşkembe(Paunch)
Mercimek (lentil soup)
Mahluta
Paça
Pazı
Şehriye
Sumak Aşı
Tarhana
Domates (tomato soup)
Tutmaç (Lentil dish with noodles)
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Yayla
Yüksük
[edit] Bread
A baker in Istanbul
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Bazlama
Mısır ekmeği (corn bread)
Lavaş
Pide (a broad, round and flat bread made of wheat)
Simit (also known as "gevrek", another type of ring-shaped bread covered with
sesame seeds. Simit is commonly eaten in Turkey, plain or with cheese, butter or
marmalade).
Tandır bread (baked on the inner walls of a round oven called tandır)
[edit] Pastries
Tableside preparation of gözleme in a restaurant near Antalya
Lahmacun ready to be served.
Papara (Popara)
Nokul
Turkish cuisine has a range of savoury and sweet pastries. Dough based specialties form
an integral part of traditional Turkish cuisine.
The use of layered dough is rooted in the nomadic character of early Central Asian
Turks.[6][7][8] The combination of domed metal sač and oklahu/oklava (the Turkish rodstyle rolling pin) enabled the invention of the layered dough style used in börek
(especially in su böreği, or 'water pastry' , a salty baklava-like pastry with cheese
filling), güllaç and baklava.[6][7][8]
Börek is the general name for salty pastries made with yufka (a thicker version of phyllo
dough), which consists of thin layers of dough. Su böreği, made with boiled
yufka/phyllo layers, cheese and parsley, is the most frequently eaten. Çiğ börek (also
known as Tatar böreği) is fried and stuffed with minced meat. Kol böreği is another
well-known type of börek that takes its name from its shape, as do fincan (coffee cup),
muska (talisman), Gül böreği (rose) or Sigara böreği (cigarette). Other traditional
Turkish böreks include Talaş böreği (phyllo dough filled with vegetables and diced
meat), Puf böreği. Laz[disambiguation needed ] böreği is a sweet type of börek, widespread in
the Black Sea region.
Poğaça is the label name for dough based salty pastries. Likewise çörek is another label
name used for both sweet and salty pastries.
Gözleme is a food typical in rural areas, made of lavash bread or phyllo dough folded
around a variety of fillings such as spinach, cheese and parsley, minced meat or potatoes
and cooked on a large griddle (traditionally sač).
Katmer is another traditional rolled out dough. It can be salty or sweet according to the
filling.
Lahmacun (meaning dough with meat in Arabic) is a thin flatbread covered with a layer
of spiced minced meat, tomato, pepper, onion or garlic.
Pide, which can be made with minced meat (together with onion, chopped tomatoes,
parsley and spices), kashar cheese, spinach, white cheese, pieces of meat, braised meat
(kavurma), sucuk, pastırma or/and eggs put on rolled-out dough, is one of the most
common traditional stone-baked Turkish specialities.
Açma is a soft bread found in most parts of Turkey. It is similar to simit in shape, is
covered in a glaze, and is usually eaten as a part of breakfast or as a snack.
[edit] Pilaf and pasta
Mantı with yoghurt and garlic, spiced with red pepper powder and melted butter.
It is a common belief that the taste of pilav comes from the butter and stock used for
cooking it.
Turkish English
Sade pilav
pilaf
Domatesli pilav
Etli pilav
Nohutlu pilav
İç pilav
Definition
ordinary rice, which can accompany almost all dishes.
tomato pilaf
rice containing meat pieces.
rice cooked with chickpeas
rice with liver slices, currants, peanuts, chestnut, cinnamon and a
variety of herbs
rice with eggplant.
Patlıcanlı pilav
Özbek Uzbek
rice with lamb, onion, tomato, carrot.
pilavı
pilavı
Acem
Persian rice with lamb, cooked in meat broth with pistachios, cinnamon
pilavı
pilavı
etc.[9]
a cereal food generally made of durum wheat. Most of the time,
tomato, green pepper and minced meat are mixed with bulgur. The
Bulgur pilavı
Turkish name (bulgur pilavı) indicates that this is a kind of rice but
it is, in fact, wheat.
Perde pilavı
Hamsili pilav
Frik pilavı
Mantı
Erişte
Keşkek
Kuskus
rice with chicken, onion and peanuts enveloped in a thin layer of
dough, topped with almonds.
spiced rice covered with anchovies, cooked in oven. A speciality
from the Black Sea Region.
rice made of burnt wheat. A speciality from Antioch/Antakya.
Turkish pasta that consists of folded triangles of dough filled with
minced meat, often with minced onions and parsley. It is typically
served hot topped with garlic yoghurt and melted butter or warmed
olive oil, and a range of spices such as oregano, dried mint, ground
sumac, and red pepper powder. The combination of meat-filled
dough with yoghurt differentiates it from other dumplings such as
tortellini, ravioli, and Chinese wonton. Mantı is usually eaten as a
main dish. Minced chicken and quail meats are also used to prepare
mantı in some regions of Turkey.
home made pasta is called erişte in Turkey. It can be combined with
vegetables but it can also be used in soups and rice.
a meat and wheat (or barley) stew.
the Turkish version of couscous, which can be served with any meat
dish or stew.
[edit] Vegetarian dishes
[edit] Vegetable dishes
A vegetable dish can be a main course in a Turkish meal. A large variety of vegetables
are used, such as spinach, leek, cauliflower, artichoke, cabbage, celery, eggplant, green
and red bell peppers, string bean and jerusalem artichoke. A typical vegetable dish is
prepared with a base of chopped onions, carrots sautéed first in olive oil and later with
tomatoes or tomato paste. The vegetables and hot water will then be added. Quite
frequently a spoon of rice and lemon juice is also added. Vegetable dishes usually tend
to be served with its own water (the cooking water) thus often called in colloquial
Turkish sulu yemek literally "a dish with juice"). Minced meat can also be added to a
vegetable dish but vegetable dishes that are cooked with olive oil (zeytinyağlılar) are
often served cold and do not contain meat. Spinach, leek, string bean and artichoke with
olive oil are among the most widespread dishes in Turkey.
Dolma is the name used for stuffed vegetables. Like the vegetables cooked with olive
oil as described above dolma with olive oil does not contain meat. Many vegetables are
stuffed, most typically green peppers (biber dolması), eggplants, tomatoes, courgettes,
or Zucchini in the U.S. (kabak dolması), vine leaves (yaprak dolması). If vine leaves are
used, they are first pickled in brine. However, dolma is not limited to these common
types; many other vegetables and fruits are stuffed with a meat and/or rice mixture. For
example, artichoke dolma (enginar dolması) is an Aegean region specialty. Fillings
used in dolma may consist of parts of the vegetable carved out for preparation, rice with
spices and/or minced meat.
Mercimek köfte, although being named köfte, does not contain any meat. Instead, red
lentil is used as the major ingredient together with spring onion, tomato paste etc.
Imam bayildi is a version of karnıyarık with no minced meat inside. It can be served as
a meze as well.
Fried eggplant and pepper is a common summer dish in Turkey. It is served with
yoghurt or tomato sauce and garlic.
Mücver is prepared with grated squash/courgette or potatoes, egg, onion, dill and/or
cheese and flour. It can be either fried or cooked in the oven.
Rice pilaf can be served either as a side dish or main dish but bulgur pilavı (pilav made
of boiled and pounded wheat -bulgur) is also widely eaten. The dishes made with kuru
fasulye (white beans), nohut (chickpeas), mercimek (lentils), börülce (black-eyed peas),
etc., combined with onion, vegetables, minced meat, tomato paste and rice, have always
been common due to being economical and nutritious.
Turşu is pickle made with brine, usually with the addition of garlic. It is often enjoyed
as an appetizer. It is made with a large variety of vegetables, from cucumber to
courgette. In the towns on the Aegean coast, the water of turşu is consumed as a drink.
It comes from the Persian "Torshi", which refers to pickled "Torsh" (sour) vegetables.
[edit] Egg dishes
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Menemen consists of scrambled eggs cooked with tomato, green pepper, and
onion.
Çılbır is another traditional Turkish food made with poached eggs, yoghurt and
oil.
Ispanaklı yumurta consists of eggs with spinach and onion.
Kaygana can be described as something of a cross between the pancake and the
omelet in Ottoman cuisine. It used to be served with cheese, honey, crushed nuts, or
eggplant. However, it is almost forgotten in the big cities of Turkey.
[edit] Meze and salads
A plate of Turkish meze
A plate of piyaz
A plate of kısır decorated with green olive and cucumber pieces
Meze is a selection of food served as the appetizer course with or without drinks. Some
of them can be served as a main course as well.
Aside from olive, mature kaşar kashar cheese, white cheese, various mixed pickles
turşu, frequently eaten Turkish mezes include:
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Acılı ezme – hot spicy freshly mashed tomato with onion and green herbs
Acuka (also known as muhammara) – a spread having both Circassian and
Syrian origins, prepared with from Aleppo pepper paste, ground walnuts, tomato
paste, bread crumbs, garlic, and spices
Ahtapot (octopus) – served as a salad or grilled
Arnavut ciğeri (literally "Albanian liver") – fried liver cubes served with onion,
parsley and hot pepper
Roka (arugula) salad
Patlıcan salatası – eggplant salad
Bakla ezmesi – hummus prepared from broad bean
Barbunya pilaki – borlotti beans cooked with garlic, tomato paste, carrot and
olive oil
Borani
Börek – very thin dough layers staffed with cheese, meat or vegetables
Cacık – cucumber with yoghurt, dried mint and olive oil
Cevizli biber – a meze prepared with walnut, red pepper, pepper paste, onion
and cumin
Çerkez tavuğu (literally "Circassian chicken")
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Çiğ köfte – raw mea patties, similar to steak tartare, prepared with ground beef
(sometimes lamb) and fine-ground bulgur; a vegetarian version using tomato paste
is known as etsiz çiğ köfte (literally "meatless raw meatballs")
Çoban salatası – a mixed salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, green peppers, and
parsley
Deniz börülcesi (Salicornia europaea, also called common glasswort or marsh
samphire)
Dolma – vine leaves, cabbage leaves, chard leaves, peppers, tomato, squash,
pumpkin, eggplant or mussels stuffed with rice and/or meat
Fasulye pilaki – white beans cooked with garlic, tomato paste, carrot and olive
oil
Fava – broad/horse bean puree
Gavurdağı salad
Hardalotu – mustard plant salad
Haydari
Humus (from the Arabic for "chickpea") – a spread prepared from sesame tahini,
chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.
İçli köfte (also known as oruk) – served either as a meze or a main dish;
especially in the east of Turkey, when it is cooked through boiling in a pot, içli köfte
is served as a main dish
Kabak çiçeği dolması – stuffed zucchini blossoms, a kind of dolma
Kalamar (calamari) – fried or grilled, served with tarator sauce
Karides (shrimp) – served as a salad, grilled, or stewed with vegetables in a
güveç (a casserole)
Kısır (also known as 'sarma içi') – a very popular meze or side dish prepared
with fine-ground bulgur, tomato paste, parsley, onion, garlic, sour pomegranate
juice and a lot of spices
Kızartma, various fried vegetables (eggplants, peppers, courgettes) served with
yoghurt or tomato-and-garlic sauce
Köfte – meatballs
Midye (mussels) – fried and served with tarator sauce or as midye dolma:
mussels stuffed with rice filling)
Muhammara: see Acuka
Oruk: see İçli köfte
Piyaz – white bean or potato salad with onion and vinegar
Şakşuka or in another version köpoğlu – fried and chopped eggplants and
peppers served with garlic yogurt or tomato sauce
Semizotu (summer purslane) salad – served with yogurt
Tarama – a spread made with fish roe
Turp otu salad
[edit] Dolma and sarma
Sarma
Turkish yaprak sarma
Dolma is a verbal noun of the Turkish verb dolmak 'to be stuffed(or filled)', and means
simply 'stuffed thing'.[10] Dolma has a special place in Turkish cuisine. It can be eaten
either as a meze or a main dish. It can be cooked either as a vegetable dish or meat dish.
If a meat mixture is put in, it is usually served hot with yoghurt and spices such as
oregano and red pepper powder with oil.
Zeytinyagli dolma (dolma with olive oil) is the dolma made with vine leaves stuffed
with a rice-spice mixture and cooked with olive oil. This type of dolma does not contain
meat, is served cold and also referred to as sarma, which means "wrapping" in Turkish.
If dolma do not contain meat, they are sometimes described as yalancı dolma meaning
"fake" dolma. Dried fruit such as figs or cherries and cinnamon used to be added into
the mixture to sweeten zeytinyağlı dolma in Ottoman cuisine. Vine leaves (yaprak)
could be filled not only with rice and spices but also with meat and rice, etli yaprak
sarma, in which case it was often served hot with yoghurt. The word sarma is also used
for some types of desserts, such as fıstık sarma (wrapped pistachio).
Melon dolma along with quince or apple dolma was one of the palace's specialties (raw
melon stuffed with minced meat, onion, rice, almonds, cooked in an oven). In
contemporary Turkey, a wide variety of dolma is prepared. Although it is not possible
to give an exhaustive list of dolma recipes, courgette ("kabak"), aubergine ("patlıcan"),
tomato ("domates"), pumpkin ("balkabağı"), pepper ("biber"), cabbage ("lahana") (black
or white cabbage), chard ("pazı") and mussel ("midye") dolma constitute the most
common types. Instead of dried cherries in the palace cuisine, currants are usually added
to the filling of dolma cooked in olive oil. A different type of dolma is mumbar dolması,
for which the membrane of intestines of sheep is filled up with a spicy rice-nut mixture.
[edit] Meat dishes
Karnıyarık is a Turkish and Iranian Azeri dish consisting of an eggplant stuffed with a
mix of sautéed chopped onion, garlic, black pepper, tomatoes, parsley and ground meat.
Kokoreç cooking on a spit
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Kuzu Güveç (lamb cooked in casserole)
Kuzu Kapama (spring lamb stewed)
Haşlama (boiled lamb with vegetables and lemon juice)
Kavurma ("kavurma", which means roasting/parching in Turkish, is generally
used for roasted lamb. Çoban kavurma is a variety of it, prepared with diced lamb
with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, peppers and herbs. Kavurma is one of the
favorite dishes of Ramadan.)
Alinazik kebab, a home-style Turkish kebab variety which is a specialty of the
Gaziantep province of Turkey.
Hünkar Beğendi (meaning that the sovereign/sultan liked it, sultan's delight, the
dish consists of the puree of grilled eggplant with cashar cheese topped with cubed
lamb meat)
Türlü (a stew of vegetables and meat cooked in güveç-casserole)
Külbastı
Elbasan tava
Prizren tava
Further information: Cuisine of Kosovo#Tava e Prizrenit
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Tandır (without adding any water, the meat is cooked very slowly with a special
technique)
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İncik (lamb on the bone cooked in the oven)
Boraniye (broad bean/spinach/squash boraniye, vegetables cooked together with
meat, yoghurt and chickpea)
Mahmudiye (a palace speciality consisting of chicken meat mixed with honey,
apricots, almonds, currants and black pepper)
Karnıyarık (split-belly eggplant) (eggplants are cut off and fried. Then they are
filled with minced meat, onion, garlic and tomato paste and cooked in the oven)
Köfte (meatball) is another meat dish in Turkey. The word köfte is sometimes
preceded by the name of a town, which refers to the technique for cooking it or the
ingredients or spices specifically used in that region, for example; İnegöl köftesi,
Sultanahmet köftesi, İzmir köfte, Akçaabat köfte, Bursa köfte, Filibe köfte, Tire
köfte, Islama köfte (mainly in Sakarya province) etc. Its main ingredients are
minced meat, parsley, bread-egg (not necessarily, usually homemade köfte contains
egg yolk and some crumbled bread) and a range of spices: cumin, oregano, mint
powder, red or black pepper powder with onion or garlic. Kadınbudu köfte is
another traditional speciality; minced meat is mixed with cooked rice and fried. Içli
köfte can be described as a shell of "bulgur" filled with onion, minced meat and
nuts. Çiğ köfte is a meze from south-eastern Turkey meaning raw meatballs,
prepared with "bulgur" and raw minced meat. Terbiyeli Sulu Köfte is another
meatball speciality cooked with flour, tomato paste and water in which lemon and
egg sauce is added.
Sujuk (sucuk) is a form of raw sausage (made with beef meat and a range of
spices, especially garlic, slightly similar to Spanish chorizo) commonly eaten with
breakfast. Instead of classical sausages (sosis), sujuk is the most used ingredient for
snacks and fast-food style toasts and sandwiches in Turkey.
Pastırma is another famous beef delicacy (see pastrami). Both pastırma and
sujuk can be put in kuru fasulye (dry beans) to enrich the aroma. Both can be served
as a meze as well. Sucuk or pastırma with scrambled eggs, served in a small pan
called sahan, is eaten at breakfast in Turkey.
Kokoreç (the intestines of sheep) with spices is a traditional low-price fast food
in Turkey.
Liver is fried in Turkish cuisine. "Arnavut ciğeri" (meaning Albanian liver),
served with onion and sumac, is usually eaten as a meze, in combination with other
mezes such as fava. "Edirne ciğeri" is another famous liver dish from Edirne. Liver
is first frozen so that it can be cut into very thin layers. After being cut off, liver
layers are fried.
Kelle (Roasted Sheep's Head) - From the Persian word for "head": "Kaleh".
Kuzu Etli Enginar (artichokes with lamb)
Etli Taze Fasulye (green beans stew with meat)
Pastırmalı Kuru Fasulye (white kidney bean with pastirma)
Etli Bamya (okra with meat or chicken)
İşkembeli Nohut (chickpea with tripe)
Piliç Dolma (stuffed chicken with spice filling)
[edit] Kebabs
Adana kebap on pide flatbread, served with (clockwise) parsley,onion salad, grilled
tomatoes, and peppers.
Alinazik kebab over garlic-eggplant puree with vermicelli rice pilaf, grilled tomato and
green bell pepper.
Main article: Kebab
For a list of kebab variants, see List of kebabs.
Kebab refers to a great variety of meat-based dishes in Turkish cuisine. Kebab in
Turkey encompasses not only grilled or skewered meats, but also stews and casseroles.
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Adana kebap or kıyma kebabı – kebab with hand-minced (zırh) meat mixed with
chili on a flat wide metal skewer (shish); associated with Adana region although
very popular all over Turkey.[11]
Ali Paşa kebabı, "Ali Pasha kebab" – cubed lamb with tomato, onion and
parsley wrapped in phillo.[11]
Alinazik kebab – Ground meat kebab sautéed in a saucepan, with garlic, yogurt
and eggplants added.
Bahçıvan kebabı, 'gardener's kebab' – Boneless lamb shoulder mixed with
chopped onions and tomato paste.
Beykoz kebabı – Tomato and onion flavoured lamb, wrapped in aubergine slices
and garnished with lamb brains.[11]
Beyti kebab – Ground lamb or beef, seasoned and grilled on a skewer, often
served wrapped in lavash and topped with tomato sauce and yoghurt, traced back to
the famous kebab house Beyti in İstanbul and particularly popular in Turkey's larger
cities.
Bostan kebabı – Lamb and aubergine casserole.[11]
Buğu kebabı, "steamed kebap" – cooked in low heat until the meat releases its
moisture and reabsorbs it.
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Cağ kebab, 'spoke kebab' – Cubes of lamb roasted first on a cağ (a horizontal
rotating spit) and then on a skewer, a specialty of Erzurum region with recently
rising popularity.
Ciğerli kağıt kebabı, 'liver paper kebab' – Lamb liver kebab mixed with meat
and marinated with thyme, parsley and dill.
Çardak kebabı, 'arbor kebab' – Stuffed lamb meat in a crêpe.
Çökertme kebabı – Sirloin veal kebap stuffed with yogurt and potatoes.
Çömlek kebabı, 'earthenware bowl kebab' – Meat and vegetable casserole (called
a güveç in Turkish) with eggplant, carrots, shallots, beans, tomatoes and green
pepper.
Çöp şiş, "small skewer kebab" – a specialty of Selçuk and Germencik near
Ephesus, pounded boneless meat with tomatoes and garlic marinated with black
pepper, thyme and oil on wooden skewers.[12]
Döner kebab
Hünkâri kebabı, 'Sultan's kebab' – Sliced lamb meat mixed with patlıcan
beğendi (aubergine purée), basil, thyme and bay leaf.[11]
İskender kebap – döner kebap served with yoghurt, tomato sauce and butter,
originated in Bursa. The kebab was invented by İskender Efendi in 1867. He was
inspired from Cağ kebab and turned it from horizontal to vertical.
İslim kebabı, 'steamed kebab' – Another version of the aubergine kebab without
its skin, marinated in sunflower oil.[11][12]
Kağıt kebabı – Lamb cooked in a paper wrapping.[12]
Kuyu kebabı, 'pit kebab' – Prepared from the goat it is special for Aydın region,
similar to tandır kebabı.
Kuzu incik kebabı, 'lamb shank kebab' – Lamb shanks mixed with peeled
eggplants and chopped tomatoes, cream, salt and pepper.
Kuzu şiş – Shish prepared with marinated milk-fed lamb meat.
Köfte kebap or Shish köfte – minced lamb meatballs with herbs, often including
parsley and mint, on a stick, grilled.
Kılıç şiş – Brochette of swordfish[11]
Manisa kebabı – This Manisa region version of the kebab is smaller and flat size
shish meat on the sliced pide bread, flavored with butter, and stuffed with tomato,
garlic and green pepper.
Orman kebabı, 'forest kebab' – Lamb meat on the bone and cut in large pieces
mixed with carrots, potatoes and peas.[11]
Patates kebabı, 'potato kebab' – Beef or chicken mixed with potatoes, onions,
tomato sauce and bay leaves.
Patlıcan kebabı, 'aubergine kebab' – Special kebap meat marinated in spices and
served with eggplant (aubergine), hot pide bread and a yoghurt sauce.[12]
Ramazan kebabı, 'Ramadan kebab' – Meat mixed with yogurt, tomato and garlic
stuffed with fresh mint or garnish on Pide bread.
Şiş kebabı – Prepared with fish, lamb or chicken meat on thin metal or reed rods,
grilled.[11][12]
Sivas kebabı – Associated with the Sivas region, similar to Tokat kebab but
especially lamb ribs are preferred and it also differs from Tokat kebabı on the point
that there are no potatoes inside.
Susuz kebap, 'waterless kebab' – Cooked after draining excess fluid from the
meat rubbed with salt and cinnamon in saucepan.
Şiş kebab
Şiş tavuk or Tavuk şiş or – Yogurt-marinated chicken grilled on a stick[12]
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Talaş kebabı, 'sawdust kebab' – Diced lamb, mixed with grated onions, brown
meat mixed with flour dough.
Tandır kebabı, 'tandoor kebab' – Lamb pieces (sometimes a whole lamb) baked
in an oven called a tandır, which requires a special way of cooking for hours.
Served with bread and raw onions.[11]
Tas kebabı, 'bowl kebab' – Stewed kebab in a bowl, beginning with the cooking
of the vegetables in butter employing a method called yaga vurmak, ("butter
infusion"), before the meat itself is cooked in the same grease.
Testi kebabı, 'earthenware-jug kebab' – Ingredients are similar to çömlek kebabı,
prepared in a testi instead of a güveç, generally found in Central Anatolia and the
Mid-Western Black Sea region.
Tokat kebabı – Associated with the Tokat region, it is made with veal marinated
in olive oil, aubergine, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, garlic and special pita bread.
Urfa kebabı – from Urfa, similar to Adana kebab, but not spicy
[edit] Fish
Istavrit on display at a fish market.
Turkey is surrounded by seas which contain a large variety of fish. Fish are grilled, fried
or cooked slowly by the buğulama (poaching) method. Buğulama is fish with lemon
and parsley, covered while cooking so that it will be cooked with steam. The term pilâki
is also used for fish cooked with various vegetables, including onion in the oven. In the
Black Sea region, fish are usually fried with thick corn flour. Fish are also eaten cold; as
smoked (isleme) or dried (çiroz), canned, salted or pickled (lâkerda). Fish is also cooked
in salt or in dough in Turkey. Pazıda Levrek is a seafood speciality which consists of
sea bass cooked in chard leaves. In fish restaurants, it is possible to find other fancy fish
varieties like balık dolma (stuffed fish), balık iskender (inspired by Iskender kebab),
fishballs or fish en papillote. Fish soup prepared with vegetables, onion and flour is
common in coastal towns and cities. In Istanbul's Eminönü and other coastal districts,
grilled fish served in bread with tomatoes, herbs and onion is a popular fast food. In the
inner parts of Turkey, trout alabalık is common as it is the main type of freshwater fish.
Popular seafood mezes include stuffed mussels, fried mussel and fried kalamar (squid)
with tarator sauce.
Popular sea fishes in Turkey include: anchovy hamsi, sardine sardalya, bonito palamut,
gilt-head bream çupra or çipura, red mullet barbun(ya), sea bass levrek, whiting mezgit
(allied to the cod fish) or bakalyaro, swordfish kılıç, turbot kalkan, red pandora mercan,
tırança, istavrit and white grouper lagos.[13]
[edit] Desserts
Baklava is prepared on large trays and cut into a variety of shapes
Sütlaç, or rice pudding.
Pumpkin dessert
A display of Turkish delight in Istanbul
One of the world-renowned desserts of Turkish cuisine is baklava. Baklava is made
either with pistachio or walnut. Turkish cuisine has a range of baklava-like desserts
which include şöbiyet, bülbül yuvası, saray sarması, sütlü nuriye, and sarı burma.
Kadaif ('Kadayıf') is a common Turkish dessert that employs shredded yufka. There are
different types of kadaif: tel (wire) or Burma (wring) kadayıf, both of which can be
prepared with either walnut or pistachio.
Although carrying the label "kadayıf", ekmek kadayıfı is totally different from "tel
kadayıf" (see [1]). Künefe and ekmek kadayıfı are rich in syrup and butter, and are
usually served with kaymak (clotted/scrambled butter). Künefe contains wire kadayıf
with a layer of melted cheese in between and it is served hot with pistachio or walnut.
Among milk-based desserts, the most popular ones are muhallebi, su muhallebisi, sütlaç
(rice pudding), keşkül, kazandibi (meaning the bottom of "kazan" because of its burnt
surface), and tavuk göğsü (a sweet, gelatinous, milk pudding dessert quite similar to
kazandibi, to which very thinly peeled chicken breast is added to give a chewy texture).
A speciality from the Mediterranean region is haytalı, which consists of pieces of starch
pudding and ice cream (or crushed ice) put in rose water sweetened with syrup.
Helva (halva): un helvası (flour helva is usually cooked after someone has died), irmik
helvası (cooked with semolina and pine nuts), yaz helvası (made from walnut or
almond[14]), tahin helvası (crushed sesame seeds), kos helva, pişmaniye (floss halva).
Other popular desserts include; Revani (with semolina and starch), şekerpare,
kalburabasma, dilber dudağı, vezir parmağı, hanım göbeği, kemalpaşa, tulumba, zerde,
höşmerim, paluze, irmik tatlısı/peltesi, lokma.
Güllaç is a dessert typically served at Ramadan, which consists of very thin large dough
layers put in the milk and rose water, served with pomegranate seeds and walnut. A
story is told that in the kitchens of the Palace, those extra thin dough layers were
prepared with "prayers", as it was believed that if one did not pray while opening phyllo
dough, it would never be possible to obtain such thin layers.
Aşure can be described as a sweet soup containing boiled beans, wheat and dried fruits.
Sometimes cinnamon and rose water is added when being served. According to legend,
it was first cooked on Noah's Ark and contained seven different ingredients in one dish.
All the Anatolian peoples have cooked and are still cooking aşure especially during the
month of Muharrem.
Some traditional Turkish desserts are fruit-based: ayva tatlısı (quince), incir tatlısı (fig),
kabak tatlısı (pumpkin), elma tatlısı (apple) and armut tatlısı (pear). Fruits are cooked in
a pot or in the oven with sugar, carnation and cinnamon (without adding water). After
being chilled, they are served with walnut or pistachio and kaymak.
Homemade cookies are commonly called kurabiye in Turkish. The most common types
are acıbadem kurabiyesi (prepared only with egg, sugar and almond), un kurabiyesi
(flour kurabiye) and cevizli kurabiye (kurabiye with walnut). Another dough based
dessert is ay çöreği.
Tahin-pekmez is a traditional combination especially in rural areas. Tahin is sesame
paste and pekmez is grape syrup. These are sold separately and mixed before
consumption.
Lokum (Turkish delight), which was eaten for digestion after meals and called "rahat
hulkum" in the Ottoman era, is another well-known sweet/candy with a range of
varieties.
Cezerye, cevizli (walnut) sucuk (named after its sucuk/sujuk like shape, also known as
Churchkhela in Circassian region) and pestil (fruit pestils) are among other common
sweets.
Marzipan badem ezmesi or fıstık ezmesi (made of ground pistachio) is another common
confection in Turkey.
Another jelly like Turkish sweet is macun. Mesir macunu of Manisa/İzmir (which was
also called "nevruziye" as this macun was distributed on the first day of spring in the
Ottoman Palace) contains 41 different spices. It is still believed that "mesir macunu" is
good for health and has healing effects. As with lokum, nane macunu (prepared with
mint) used to be eaten as a digestive after heavy meals. Herbs and flowers having
curative effects were grown in the gardens of Topkapı under the control of the chief
doctor "hekimbaşı" and pharmacists of the Palace who used those herbs for preparing
special types of macun and sherbet.[15]
There are also several types of ice creams based salep powder or Cornstarch with Rose
water such as Dondurma (Turkish gum ice cream), dried fruit ice cream, ice cream rose
petals.
Dried fruit, used in dolma, pilav, meat dishes and other desserts is also eaten with
almonds or walnuts as a dessert. Figs, grapes, apricots are the most widespread dried
fruits.
Kaymak (clotted cream-butter) is often served with desserts to cut the sweetness.
Tea or Turkish coffee, with or without sugar, is usually served after dinner or more
rarely together with desserts.
[edit] Beverages
[edit] Alcoholic beverages
See also: Turkish wine
Turkish rakı
Although the majority of Turks profess the Islamic religion, alcoholic beverages are as
widely available as in Europe. However, some Turks abstain from drinking alcohol
during the holy month of Ramadan. There are a few local brands of lager such as
Bomonti, Marmara34 and Efes Pilsen and a large variety of international beers that are
produced in Turkey such as Skol, Beck's, Miller, Foster's, Carlsberg and Tuborg.
There are a variety of local wines produced by Turkish brands such as Kavaklıdere,
Doluca, Corvus, Kayra, Pamukkale and Diren which are getting more popular with the
change of climatic conditions that affect the production of wine. A range of grape
varieties are grown in Turkey. For the production of red wine, the following types of
grapes are mainly used; in Marmara Region, Pinot Noir, Adakarası, Papazkarası,
Semillion, Kuntra, Gamay, Cinsault; in Aegean Region, Carignane, Çalkarası, Merlot,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet; in Black Sea Region and eastern part of the
country, Öküzgözü, Boğazkere; in Central Anatolia, Kalecik Karası, Papazkarası,
Dimrit; in Mediterranean Region, Sergi Karası, Dimrit. As for white wine, the grapes
can be listed as follows; in Marmara Region, Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillion,
Beylerce, Yapıncak; in Aegean Region, muscat and semillion; in Black Sea Region,
Narince; in Central Anatolia, Emir, Hasandede (for further info
http://www.hayyam.com/uzumler/index.php). In addition to mass production, it is quite
popular to produce wine in private farms and sell them in the locality. Visitors can find
different "home made" wines in Central Anatolia (Kapadokya/Cappadocia region Nevşehir), Aegean coast (Selçuk and Bozcaada (an island in the Aegean Sea)).
[edit] Non-alcoholic beverages
Turkish tea; Çay
At breakfast and all day long Turkish people drink black tea. Tea is made with two
teapots in Turkey. Strong bitter tea made in the upper pot is diluted by adding boiling
water from the lower.
Ayran (salty yoghurt drink) is the most common cold beverage, which may accompany
almost all dishes in Turkey and Iran.
Kefir is prepared with kefir grains and milk.
Şalgam suyu (mild or hot turnip juice) is another important non-alcoholic beverage
which is usually combined with kebabs or served together with rakı.
Boza is a traditional winter drink, which is also known as millet wine (served cold with
cinnamon and sometimes with leblebi).
Sahlep is another favorite in winter (served hot with cinnamon). Sahlep is extracted
from the roots of wild orchids and may be used in Turkish ice cream as well. This was a
popular drink in western Europe before poope was brought from Africa and came to be
known.
Sherbet (Turkish şerbet, pronounced [ʃeɾˈbet]) is a syrup which can be made from any
of a wide variety of ingredients, especially fruits, flowers, or herbs. Examples include
pear, quince, strawberry, apple, cornelian cherry, pomegranate, orange, rose petals, rose
hips, or licorice and spices. Some contemporary adaptations can be found at
http://www.lezzet.com.tr/dosyalar/01205/. Sherbet is drunk diluted with cold water.
In classical Turkish cuisine, hoşaf (from the Persian "Khosh-ab", meaning "fresh
water") alternatively accompanies meat dishes and pilav (pilaf).