ThisTurkish food guide takes you through everything you need to know to plan your food tasting itinerary in Turkey. Turkish people have a passion for eating well. They often prepare meals together with a smorgasbord of options.
For many Turks, dinner is the most important meal of the day. Part of the Turkish food tradition of dining out is going to a restaurant or street vendor specializing in one type food such as kebabs, kofte, grilled fish or pide and sharing the dishes. The cold dishes would be served first, then the hot dishes.
In Istanbul, you’ll find traditional European-style service in some restaurants, but if you’re looking for a traditional Turkish experience, look for restaurants specializing in one type of food.
Eating in Turkey is to be shared with others and not rushed. Take your time to drink your tea or coffee, eat slowly, enjoy conversation, and simply be with your friends and family. One of the beautiful things about Turkey is your eating is not rushed out. Sit, chat, drink and enjoy.
Also, don’t forget to get your tips on planning your first trip to Turkey to use with the food guide.
Planning Your Food Tasting Itinerary
STEP 1: Pre-Trip Planning
When planning your food tour through Turkey, do some pre-trip planning to find out the best restaurants, must try foods, food tours and cooking classes available.
STEP 2: Foodie Themes
When you’re planning your trip, there are several foodie themes to work through as you’re deciding on your food travel itinerary:
- Regional Foods & Favorites
- Famous Restaurants
- Specialty Shops & Eateries
- Food Markets
- Savory Street Foods
- Wineries & co*cktail Lounges
STEP 3: Organizing Your Turkish Food Itinerary
We suggest planning 1-2 specific food stops each day in whichever city you are in. Take advantage of having three meals a day – asking your hotel or locals their favorite places to go. Also, plan for plenty of time to enjoy your meal and the experience.
STEP 4: Where to Find Restaurant Reviews & Recommendations
Find food and restaurant reviews on Adventurefolio. Don’t forget to check our city guides for things to do including our Foodie Guides. Other places we suggest looking for reviews:
- Adventurefolio Instagram Community
- Foodie Blogs
- Trip Advisor
- Lonely Planet
STEP 5: Consider Booking a Food Tour or Cooking Class
Istanbul has a mix of all the regions of Turkey, and you’ll find all the must-try foods in various restaurants in the city. Istanbul has opportunities for cooking classes with a fusion of Turkish history, shopping for the dishes you will cook, and then preparing several courses with a local chef.
In any area you visit to taste the local Turkish cuisine, you can book tours where you eat your way through the city while learning about the history of the area. Tours will include an English-speaking licensed guide to accompany you whether it is a private or small group food tour. Read through the Turkish food guide and plan to come hungry!
Next, learn all about the different food regions in Turkey, including what to try while you’re there!
Food Regions in Turkey
Turkish food is influenced by Central Asia, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine. Modern Turkey is divided into 7 regions each producing and specializing in a specific area of Turkish cuisine. Following is some of the best food in Turkey.
Marmara Region
The Marmara region is where Istanbul, Bursa & Edina. Also, this is where the Ottoman empire’s wealth, industry, and gourmet foods were located. Ultimately, you’ll find regional foods all over Istanbul with any restauranteur jumping at the chance to open a location in the city. Located on the Marmaris, this area is known for small fish, mezes, raki, white wine, and puddings.
Aegean Region
The Aegean region’s largest cities are Izmir, near Ephesusand Bodrum, and have a heavy Greek influence on its cuisine. Subsequently, with the Greek islands a stone’s throw off the coast, and abandoned Greek villages in this region of Turkey, you can imagine the mix of foods and culture. The Aegean region is more liberal in its view of alcohol and is known for its wines, olives, salads, herbs, wild weeds, and seafood.
Mediterranean Region
The Mediterranean region consists of the larger cities of Antalya, Kas, Fethiye and Adana and grows most of the fruits and vegetables in the region. There is nothing like walking down the street and picking an orange straight from the tree and eating it. The Turkish Rivierais known for large fish, salads, oranges, lemons and figs. Also, if you’re looking for the best fish in the area, look for the Balik Evi (Fish House.)
Southeastern Region
The Southeastern region’s largest cities are Gaziantep, Urfa, and Mardin and are influenced by the neighboring countries of Iraq and Syria. The famous cig kofte and isot chili pepper come from this region. This area produces some of the world’s best pistachios, in turn, the most delicious baklava and kunefe. You’ll find an ample supply of kebabs, bulgur wheat, baklava, kunefe and peppers in Southeastern Turkey.
Eastern Region
The Eastern region’s largest cities are Van, Kars, and Malatya. Eastern Turkey is bordered by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia and has a large Kurdish population that all influences the food in this region. Hence, you’ll find delicious cheeses, dried fruits, grains, and lamb.
Central Region
The Central region’s largest cities are Ankara, Konya, Kayseri, and Cappadocia are known as the agricultural heartland of Turkey growing most of its vegetables and grains. This area is unique in cooking most dishes with butter instead of olive oil. This area is known for its borek pastries, lamb casseroles, beef pastirma, and fruit molasses.
Black Sea Region
The Black Sea region’s largest cities are Trabzon and Samsun. This region is famous for a fish called hamsi with over 200 different recipes for it. Also, you’ll also find this region is passionate about hazelnuts, corn, salad greens, tea and pide bread.
Favorite Ingredients in Turkish Food
Do you know the favorite key ingredients that are staples in many of the Turkish dishes you’ll try in Turkey? You’ll notice Turkish food includes many kinds of meat in their dishes. If you’re looking for vegetarian or vegan options, you will find dishes that will fit the bill and taste amazing. Typically, the larger cities like Istanbul & Izmir have restaurants that cater to vegetarian and vegan Turkish cuisine.
Bread is served at every meal. Enjoy!
- Bread
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Bulgar
- Rice
- Eggplant
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Onion & Garlic
- Parsley
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Lamb
- Seafood
- Beef
- Chicken
Next, learn the beginner’s vocabulary of all the favorite foods in Turkish.
Beginner’s Glossary: Turkish Food Guide
If you’re wondering what the names of foods in Turkish are, we have the best beginner’s guide to Turkish food vocabulary to get you started. Additionally, learn how to pronounce the dishes in Turkish and the ingredients used.
Ayran
Pronounced (eye-rahn). The other national drink after raki made with yogurt, salt, and water.
Baklava
A favorite treat made with filo dough layered with pistachios or walnuts and soaked with sugar syrup.
Borek
This is a savory pastry called yufka that is rolled, stuffed, or layered with feta, spinach, or lamb.
Cay
Pronounced (ch-eye). Tea is served at all meals including tea time at 10 am and 2 pm.
Corba
Pronounced (chorba). Soup is served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Dolma
This is anything stuffed, usually with peppers, eggplant, and zucchini.
Dondurma
This is ice cream, the most popular kind being stretchy and called maras, made with mastic gum and salep. (pronounced marash)
Gozleme
Pronounced (goz-lem-eh). A kind of thin savory pancake, usually stuffed with feta, spinach, or lamb. A dessert option is made with Nutella and fruit.
Helva
A sweet flour made with tahini and soapwort root. In shops, it is sold in sticky bricks.
Kahve
Pronounced (kah-veh). Turkish coffee is usually served black or with sugar upon request. Don’t forget to sip the tea as there are coffee grounds in the cup.
Kahvalti
Pronounced (kah-vahl-teh). This is breakfast and literally means ‘after coffee’.
Kaymak
Pronounced (kay-mak). This is delicious, clotted cream made with buffalo, cow, or sheep’s milk.
Kebab
Chargrilled meat is usually on a skewer. You’ll find a wide variety of kebabs throughout Turkey with the doner kebab, iskender kebab, and patlican kebab being a few favorites.
Kofte
Pronounced (kof-teh). Turkish meatballs with ground meat are usually served with bulgur wheat.
Kokorec
Pronounced (koko-rech).
Chargrilled sausage made with lamb, often wrapped in lamb intestines. This would typically be categorized as “street food”.
Lahmahcun
Pronounced (lah-mah-joon). Turkish flatbread topped with minced meat, tomatoes, onion, and garlic.
Lokanta
A casual restaurant is typically an inexpensive lunch where most dishes are displayed and you choose what you want.
Lokum
Turkish Delight is served in many flavors. Favorites are pistachio, rose, lemon, hazelnut, and mint.
Manti
Pronounced (man-tuh). Small dumplings are usually stuffed with minced meat and served with garlic yogurt and pepper sauce.
Meyhane
Pronounced (may-hah-neh). This is a bar that serves appetizers called meze and served with raki.
Peynir
Pronounced (pay-neer). Cheese, with Kasarli and Beyaz Peynir being some of the most popular.
Pide
Pronounced (pee-deh). You may see signs calling this Turkish pizza. It’s a boat-shaped flatbread with different toppings cooked in a wood fire oven.
Restoran
A restaurant is more upscale than a lokonta that is open for lunch and dinner.
Salca
Pronounced (sahl-cha). A paste made with tomatoes and peppers is used to flavor a variety of dishes.
Salep
Pronounced (sah-lep). A hot drink served in winter, made with powdered orchid tubers; thought to be an aphrodisiac.
Sucuk
Pronounced (soo-jook). A spicy dried sausage, usually made of beef and usually fried.
Next, now that you know how the basics of food in Turkish, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about Turkish breakfast.
Turkish Food Traditions: Turkish Breakfast
Breakfast in Turkey is a staple of the cuisine in Turkey. It is like brunch or a feast, any day of the week. Look for breakfast salons to get a taste of many different regional breakfast favorites.
First, breakfast will start with tea; strong or weak, with or without sugar. White bread is always served with breakfast, some will serve different types of grain bread for a healthier option. Also included, are bread and savory pastries such as pogaca, simit, borek, and acma.
Next, the rest of a traditional Turkish breakfast typically comes out on small plates with white cheese (like feta), Kasar peynir, black or green olives, butter, honey, jam, sliced tomatoes, and cucumbers. Your breakfast will include hard-boiled eggs, an omelet, and possibly sucuk with eggs.
Also, Menemen is a classic breakfast dish made with eggs, tomatoes, green bell peppers, and onions; all cooked in one dish and served with bread.
Finally, there are many other dishes served with your Turkish Breakfast depending on what region you are in. In Van, you will find breakfast salons that serve up to 40 different plates. Spanning 2-3 hours, they will eat a huge breakfast and not eat the rest of the day. In the Black Sea region, they dip their bread in cheese fondue. In Istanbul, you’ll find a kahvalti evi that will host large breakfasts that showcase different regions’ breakfast traditions.
Best Turkish Sweets
Turks have an undeniable sweet tooth that has translated into a variety of sweets. There are shops that specialize in different kinds of sweat treats. The key is knowing what you want, and which shop to find it in. So, as you wander through the streets of Turkey these are the signs you’ll be looking for:
Tatlici
Pronounced (tat-li-jeh). Serves helva, Turkish Delight & ice cream.
Sekerci
Pronounced (shek-er-jeh). Serves cakes, doughnuts, scones & cookies.
Muhallebici
Pronounced (moo-hah-le-bee-chee). This is a pudding shop, that serves milk and rice-based desserts.
Pastane
Pronounced (pahs-tah-neh). Serves cookies and syrupy sweets like baklava.
Baklavaci
Pronounced (bak-la-vah-jeh). Specializes in serving different types of baklavas.
Grab a cup of cay and enjoy your afternoon tea with a friend – this is a time to be shared. Next, read the Turkish food guide for the best drinks in Turkey.
Famous Drinks in Turkey
Raki
Raki is the official drink of Turkey. It’s a black licorice liquor that is served with mezes, fish, or oysters. It is poured as a clear liquid and then diluted with water turning it into a cloudy-looking drink. It’s a Turkish favorite!
Cay
Cay is a black tea that Turks enjoy plentifully throughout the day. You’ll start and end each meal with a cup as well as have tea breaks at 10 am & 2 pm. You’ll see the Cayci (Cay Man) walking through the streets with cups of hot cay on silver platters offering tea to shopkeepers and visitors. Don’t be afraid to sit down and chat with a local over a cup of cay.
Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee is an ancient tradition from Ottoman times. You order it with or without sugar. It is served with the coffee grounds in the cup so be sure to only sip the coffee so you don’t end up with a mouthful of black coffee grounds.
Filter coffee has made it’s mark in recent years in Turkey. Read about the best coffee shops in Antalya to try on your visit.
Wine
Wine in this region dates back around 6000 years, with the Hittites making alcohol out of grapes. Over the years, wine became a key component of celebrations. Modern Turkey has many wines that will match the best of America, Australia, Italy, and France.
Look for local white wines made from white grapes called emir and narince from the Central region of Turkey, and misket from the Aegean Coast. Try local red wines made from red grapes called okuzgozu grown in the Eastern region, and bagazkere grown in the Southeast region.
Beer
If you want to try a local Turkish beer, Efes is pretty much anywhere in Turkey.
Next, read the Turkish food guide for the best food for kids.
Best Turkish Food for Kids
When your traveling in Turkey with kids, its always good to prepare and know what are some simple foods that your kids or picky eaters in the family might enjoy. Next, we’ve got a list of a few of our favorite Turkish dishes for your kids:
- Lahmacun
- Lentil Soup
- Pide
- Baklava
- Chicken Shish
- Kofte
We’ve got a full guide of best Turkish food for kids and tips for having a great trip even if you have picky eaters in your family.
Turkish Food Guide Conclusion
In conclusion, the Turkish Food Guide gives you a birds-eye view of all of the best Turkish foods to eat and where to find them. With delicious, food, desserts and drinks, you can’t go wrong on your trip to Turkey.
