10 Most Popular Foods in Turkey

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Rich and delicious, but not excessively hot — Turkish delights can be found on restaurant menus everywhere around the globe. Ottoman culinary heritage, a traditional food menu of Turkey, is notable for its meat-filled skewers, but there is further to go.

Whether they are kebabs, appetizers, pizzas, pasta, or soups, Turkish delicacies will leave you astonished and make you desire more. Turkish cuisine boasts more than just donors, kebabs, and meatballs. As a result, we have put together a comprehensive assortment of Turkish cuisine for your delight.

1. Borek

Börek, often referred to as Burek, originated in Central Asia. It is a phyllo pastry filled with cheese or meat, and the Ottoman Turks embraced it and expanded it across their military realm. The variants of Burek can be found throughout North Africa, specifically Algiers and Tunisia.

Recipe for Borek

2. Corba

Mercimek corbasi, Corba, or Turkish red lentil soup is amongst the most realized soups in Turkish dishes. It’s a basic recipe with a few items that have a fresh flavor owing to the lemon. Cumin and Aleppo pepper are used to season this soup. Mercimek corbasi is a famous appetizer or light evening meal served in Turkish restaurants.

Recipe for Corba

3. Döner

The Turkish food, Döner kebabs, is much like the Arab Shawarma or the Greek gyro prepared with seasoned meat sliced from a vertical rotisserie, which traces its origins to the Ottomans. They are well-known across most parts of Europe as a quick meal or a late-night snack.

Recipe for Doner

4. İskender Kebab

Iskender Kebab is one of the well-known cuisines of Turkey’s Bursa region. Iskender Kebab is prepared with doner kebab that needs a vertical rotisserie, stacking finely sliced layers of chicken, veal, beef, or lamb.

Recipe for İskender Kebab

5. Köfte

Köfte is a ground beef cuisine in the shape of a ball. In a basic kofta recipe, Lamb, ground beef, or both are blended with spices, garlic, onion, and breadcrumbs. Different variations are available across the region, including one that is spicy kofta kebab.

Recipe for Köfte

6. Lahmacum

Lahmacun, usually pronounced lahma’joun, originates from the Arabic phrase “lahma bi’ajeen,” which means “dough with meat.” Imagine lahmacun as a flatbread or crispier and thin pizza sprinkled with a spicy minced beef combination. It is prominent in Turkey and other areas of the Levant in which the Ottoman Empire formerly existed.

Recipe for Lahmacum

7. Manti

One of the traditional dishes of Turkey, Manti, is often referred to as Turkish ravioli with yogurt. Manti is a meat dumpling meal popular in Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Armenia. Taking many shapes depending on where it is served, the dumplings are often prepared with ground meat enveloped in the dough, though alternative fillings such as pumpkin or spinach can be used. They can be prepared with different methods, such as baking, boiling, and steaming. This Turkish delicacy is usually served with butter and yogurt sauce.

Recipe for Manti

8. Menemen

Turkish Menemen is a delicious dinner, lunch, and breakfast delicacy. Green peppers and summer tomatoes blend with eggs in a pan to form this quick, easy, and delicious supper. This Turkish omelet is prepared for anything cooked or blended with whisked eggs. Many variations are available, including cheese omelet, mushroom omelet, potato omelet, and so on.

Recipe for Menemen

9. Pide

Pide or Turkish pizza, the popular baked Turkish flatbread, is usually stuffed with toppings, such as spinach, spiced meat, sausage, and cheese. The fillings are sealed completely in the bread and are often prepared in a stone oven.

Recipe for Pide

10. Şiş Kebap

Shish kebab is a delicacy prepared from small chunks of threaded and grilled lamb on skewers on an open flame. Its term originated from the Turkish şiş, a skewer or spit, and kebab, either lamb or mutton. This delicacy is found all across the Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Balkans.

Recipe for Şiş Kebap

Sources:

CNN Travel

Travel Triangle

Trip 101