Turkish cuisine is famous for its traditional, lip-smacking dishes, whoever has visited Turkey and Istanbul has heaps of praise for the Turkish foods. The ultimate blend of different cultures and unique spices makes Turkish cuisine quite diverse.
Food-wise, the country has plenty to offer that makes any mouth salivate like a waterfall. If you are visiting Turkey, this guide will help you try out the best dishes in the country.
7 Turkish Dishes to Try
Turkish cuisine has something for everyone, no matter what you prefer, spicy, sweet, or savory.
Pide
Pide has many Americans spellbound with its pizza-like appearance and delicious taste. This boat-shaped, open-faced flatbread is baked in a brick or stone oven.
The bold flavor is further enhanced with a wide range of toppings like cheese, onion, pepper, tomato, sausage, and egg. This crispy, textured bread is found everywhere, in high-end restaurants and on street food carts.
Baklava
Like its taste, this honey-glazed dessert has a rich history and first originated in Ottoman Palace kitchens. Made from filo dough filled with chopped nuts and honey syrup poured all over the content.
This traditional pastry is baked until golden and has a flaky texture. There are different Baklava varieties with attractive names like lady’s lips, nightingale’s nest, and palace baklava.
Doner Kebab
This lamb turkish kebab meat recipe is unique to Turkish cuisine, made from thinly sliced meat from lamb, beef, or chicken. The seasoned meat is cooked on a rotisserie or vertical spit.
This is a popular street food found on every block and goes well with mayonnaise or ketchup. Though it is quite tasty, doner kebabs are loaded with animal fats, therefore, not very healthy.
Manti
Manti or ‘Turkish dumplings’ is a tasty dish made from dough with meat filling. Usually, lamb meat is used for filling and flavored with different succulent sauces. Served with melted butter, mint, and tomato paste, it is rather easy to cook at home.
Kofte
Kofte or meatballs is another popular Turkish meat dish that every local and foreigner loves. This specific recipe has hundreds of different variations and each one is cooked differently.
Depending on the recipe, koftes are made from either ground beef or lamb meat with different spices.
Menemen
Menemen is a popular form of Turkish omelet that Turks love to serve in breakfast and sometimes lunch and dinner as well. This easy-to-make scrambled egg recipe is tweaked with tomatoes, onion, herbs, and green peppers.
Gullac
It is one of the most frequently cooked traditional desserts in the holy month of Ramadan. It is light, easy to make, and refreshes you instantly after a long day of fasting.
Gullac sheets made from corn starch, wheat flour, and water are soaked in sweetened milk and then chilled.
In Summary
Turkey is home to delicious traditional dishes, giving you hundreds of options to try when you visit the beautiful country. While exploring, do not hesitate to ask locals about the delicious Turkish foods. Likely, you will discover many delicious recipes not mentioned in this list.