Turkey is full of delectable foods and is one of my top foodie destinations. Here are my top 15 foods and drinks to have in this beautiful country.
1. Turkish Breakfast
Usually composed of bread along with a variety of olives, cheese, vegetables, and spreads. If you are lucky, you will be able to try the tasty buffalo clotted cream with honey. Keep your eye out for memnon too. Memnon is made with fried eggs, pepper, and tomato.
2. Simit
You will see many vendors in Istanbul selling this sesame covered bread.
3. Iskender Kebab
Thinly sliced lamb usually served with pita, tomatoes, and lettuce. I ate mine from the oldest iskender kebab restaurant in Istanbul named Kebapçı İskender. They topped the meat with melted butter and provided some creamy yoghurt alongside it.
4. Ayran
Traditional drink made from yoghurt, water, and salt. It is quite sour.
5. Fish Sandwich
There are several stalls beside the Bosphorus river selling these simple sandwiches comprised of fresh fish, a soft white bun, onions, and lettuce. These sandwiches are very popular amongst the locals. Do beware of the tiny bones in the fish.
6. Head and Shoulder Cow Soup
There are many soups you should try while in Turkey. I enjoyed the head and shoulder cow soup. The name suggests what it is made out of. The meat is very tender, and I recommend squeezing in some lemon. The other 2 soups I have pictured are also delicious. One is made from lentils while the other is made from the neck of a sheep.
7. Tantuni
The meat in this dish (typically beef, chicken, or lamb) is cut up in small pieces and cooked on a big iron frying pan. Then the meat is wrapped up in a bread alongside some vegetables such as tomato, lettuce, onion, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
8. Pickle juice
Another popular drink in Turkey. It is rich in minerals and helps with hydration.
9. Pottery Kebab
A must try in Cappadocia. It is meat and vegetables prepared in a clay pot typically in a tandoor. When it is served to you, the waiter will crack it open and release all the steaming aromas and juices of this classic dish.
10. Pide
An oval shaped flat bread which includes the popular fillings of cheese, ground meat, egg, spinach, or a combination of multiple flavors. Some people call it the Turkish pizza.
11. Midye
Mussels stuffed with rice and different spices and herbs. I tried the Thai pepper powder and the curry spiced mussel.
12. Kokoretsi
Cooked on a rotating rotisserie on an open fire, lamb intestines are full of flavor. Give it a try.
12. Baklava
Personally, this is my favorite dessert in Turkey. It is made with a flaky crust called filo, which is then filled with chopped nuts (most commonly pistachios) and sweetened with syrup or honey. If you are a chocolate fan like me, I suggest trying the chocolate one with walnuts.
13. Turkish Delights
Remember that scene in Narnia when Edmond asks the White Queen for Turkish delights and pretty much betrays his whole family to continue eating them? There might be a good reason for that. Turkish delights are chewy and flavored with pretty much any combination that you can think of. Some have nuts, while others are simple flavors such as rose water and orange blossom.
14. Turkish Icecream
Made from goat’s milk. Consistency is stickier and chewier than ice-cream as I know it in America. A lot of vendors selling this delight will try to make you catch the ice-cream while they perform maneuvers.
15. Turkish Tea/ Coffee
This tea is served everywhere and usually as a formality. It is a black tea made from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Turkish coffee is brewed by boiling it inside of a cezve. This coffee is known for being made with finely roasted dark beans and for tasting strong.
I hope this list will help you make the most of your trip to Turkey.
I took a guided food tour the first day I was in Istanbul. We had 10 food stops on the continents of Europe and Asia. I highly recommend it for the hungry.
I also have a guide to Turkey, if you want to check out activities you should do.