What To Eat In Turkey

Food in Turkey isn’t terribly diverse. Some people may not agree with me, but there it is. In actual fact, as a whole, I was quite underwhelmed with the food in Turkey, especially after having travelled to places like Malaysia and Mexico, where the flavours and food combinations can blow your mind.

The most important thing to remember in Turkey is that meat is king. I imagine vegetarians would have a pretty hard time travelling here, as most dishes revolve around one type of meat or other. It is also good to remember that lamb is the most popular and widely-used ingredient in many dishes. Sometimes I would think I was ordering chicken, and lamb would turn up at the table. As long as you are ok with eating lamb and taking a few risks with your choices, you’ll be fine.

Here is my list of what to eat in Turkey, based on some of the best meals I ate there (minus the delicious breakfast I already talked about).

Pottery Kebab

I saw this speciality in abundance in Cappadocia, and is mainly sold in the Anatolia region. Meat and vegetables are cooked in a sealed clay pot over fire for several hours. The pot is sealed with bread or foil, which is broken right before serving. The result is a deliciously flavourful stew-like dish, with very tender meat. Pottery kebab is usually served with rice and pickled cabbage, among other things.

Pottery kebabs need to be ordered in advance as they take several hours to cook. If your restaurant doesn’t request this, they probably aren’t making them in the traditional way and you should be wary. A pottery kebab is fairly expensive, usually costing around $14-$15.

Fishy Bread (Balik Ekmek)

When I first heard the phrase “fishy bread” I have to say that I wasn’t exactly excited to try it. Fishy-tasting bread? Um, no thanks. But in actual fact, balik ekmek is a grilled fish sandwich. Much more delicious than what I was imagining.

You tend to find balik ekmek sellers down by the ports in Istanbul, around the Galata Bridge (although this sandwich can be found througout coastal or river areas in Turkey). Vendors will have white fish lined up on a grill and will stuff it into a crusty white roll and top it with lettuce, tomato, onion and seasonings. Balik ekmek tends to cost around $3 and is delicious with a cup of tea and a seat by the Bosphorous.

Pide

Pides (pronounced “pee-day”) can be found everywhere in Turkey and are a perfect snack or lunch meal. They are an oval-shaped dough stuffed with a variety of things – most traditionally egg, cheese and meat, although vegetarian options are usually always available.

They are cheap – a really good one filled with a variety of toppings will cost around $4, although that is at the top end of the scale and could be shared between two people. You can find basic, smaller pides for as cheap as $2 in some parts of the country.

Baklava

Most of us have heard of or tried baklava at some point in our lives, but Turkey lives for its sticky sweet treats, flavoured with honey and syrup.

I lost count of the amount of baklava I consumed, mainly in smaller towns and cities where it is cheaper. In Istanbul you will pay a hefty price for baklava as it is charged by the weight and all of that sticky sauce makes it quite heavy. In Konya and Goreme, for example, we found baklava for as cheap as 50 cents or $1 a piece, which is much more reasonable (although not good for my waistline!)

Aside from the traditional baklava made with flaky filo pastry, another variety which is very popular is “birds nest” baklava, made of thin, spun noodles and baked until crispy.

Durum

Durum is basically the name for a kebab wrapped in a durum wheat wrap. We visited Durumzade in Istanbul (made famous by Bourdain) which seem to honestly make some of the tastiest durum wraps we came across.

Dururm kebabs usually contain either minced lamb, meat (which is the Turkish name for minced lamb and minced beef combined) or chicken, all cooked on an extremely hot grill and served with tomato and onion (optional). A good durum should only set you back around $2.50.

Meatballs (Kofte)

Kofte is as Turkish as tea. You will find meatballs on almost every menu you peruse, some offering better quality than others. Kofte will traditionally be served on their own with a large portion of crusty bread and some tomatoes and onions (can you tell they love their tomatoes and onions in Turkey?) but some restaurants will offer meatballs with chips or other side dishes.

A well-respected restaurant which specialise in kofte will probably charge around $5 for a plate with bread.

Lahmacun

Lahmacun is essentially a Turkish pizza, although one with very few toppings. It is a thin, stretched round dough topped with seasoned lamb and then cooked in a wood-fired oven until hot and crispy.

Lahmacum is much like pide in that you will see it everywhere, typically served in cafes or bakeries as a snack or lunch meal and shouldn’t cost you more than $2 or $3.

Photo credit: lahmacun