Turkish Food is world food. Delicious, healthy and tempting

This entry is part 12 of 14 in the series Food and wine trips around the world

Turkish Food: Delicious, healthy and tempting

Turkish food is arguably among the top 4-5 cuisines in the world joining French, Italian and Chinese on a short list. There are countless Turkish specialties, as well as traditional European everyday dishes.

Some of the most popular dishes and beverages are:

Menemen Tyrkisk morgenmad med æg tomater og peberfrugter. Hav en god dag!

Menemen

A very popular Turkish breakfast with eggs, peppers, onions, tomatoes and potato. Healthy, nutritious, and a good start to the day.

Turkish Food: Meze. Everyday and party food. Delicious and healthy.

Meze

Turkish appetizers are called Mezer. They are a variety of cold and hot dishes served in small bowls. At some restaurants, the waiter comes in with a tray full of appetizers, and you can choose the ones you want to try. At other restaurants you must order these from the menu card. The Turks usually put the starters in the middle of the table, so everyone can taste them.

Lavas

One of the many Turkish starters, this white airy lava bread is often served directly from the stove and placed on the table. This distinctive bread contains sesame seeds.

Suppe

Turks love to eat soup, especially at night. This is why there are many soup restaurants, also known as soup halls. You’ll discover that eating soup with sheep hair, sheep eyes and the like is fairly ordinary, but, the more common ones are tomato, chicken, and lentil-based.

Döner-kebab

In Turkey, a sandwich or a burger is not as common as the Döner kebab. Small stalls in the streets cut beef, lamb or chicken meat with a special knife and put in french bread or rolled into dürüm (a distinct kind of sandwich wrap) with salad, tomato, cucumber, onions, and spices.

Adana-kebab

Turkish food contains many variations of a dish theme from one region to another. Adana originates from the Turkish million city Adana, east of Alanya. The kebab consists of well-spiced, chopped beef squeezed around a spear and then grilled.

Turkish Food. Shish kebab on the way

Shish-kebab

This Turkish dish is especially known as large pieces of beef, lamb or chicken meat grilled on spears. Yummy!

Iskender-kebab

Similar to a döner-kebab, but served on a plate of bread pieces at the bottom and the meat on top of yogurt and tomato sauce.

Aubergine-kebab

Meat and eggplant grilled on spears.

Osmanisk pande

The dish consists of beef, onions, garlic, a variety of vegetables and a delicious sauce. Often served in a clay dish over an open fire.

Köfte. Turkish food, meatballs

Köfte

Turkish meatballs, made of minced beef mixed with onions, parsley, and spices.

Fish

Fish is not a common dish in Turkish cuisine, although the Mediterranean is right outside Alanya. Fish at restaurants is an expensive viand. So always ask what you get for your money before ordering, as it may vary a lot. Along the rivers, freshwater fish is widely enjoyed.

Turkish food, Simit

Simit

The special form of bread roll, which is usually eaten for breakfast. Sold for loose change by street vendors from small wagons.

Dessert

It is very common to eat fruit for dessert in Turkey. The fruits are always fresh and delicious because they are often picked right behind one’s backyard. It is also possible to get cakes, such as baklava, which is glazed by honey or syrup and very sweet.

Turkish beverages

Beer

You can find Tuborg and Carlsberg at restaurants and supermarkets, but get the local beer, Efes, if you can.

Wine

The shelves in the supermarket are abundant with wine, but there is are great disparities in price and quality. One of the most famous brands, Doluca, is available in three varieties.

Raki Turkey, reminiscent of Sambuca and Ouzo.

Raki

Raki – otherwise known as Lion’s Milk – is the Turkish national drink. It is an anise liqueur similar to other types of liqueurs like pastis, sambuca, arak, ouzo, tsikoudia, tsipouro, and mastica, which, like raki, are popular in the Mediterranean and parts of the Balkans.