Turkish cuisine for beginners. Turkish national dishes: names, photos. The most famous national dishes of Turkish cuisine

National dishes when traveling help you get acquainted with a new culture. Food in Turkey is varied. From sweet baklava and ayran to delicious pickles and Turkish coffee.

Turkish cuisine is known for its endless breadth of flavors that come from herbs and spices. Such as: mint, parsley, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, dill. What’s remarkable is that even with a lot of seasoning, Turks are able to maintain balance.

Don't know what you should definitely try in Turkey? Check out our selection of national dishes. Remember the names and type from the photo.

Worried about gaining extra weight while traveling? Burn calories by walking around the city and admiring its magnificent sights.

Turkish breakfast

Kahvaltı | Kahvalty

A Turkish breakfast will turn even an avid night owl into a cheerful person. Freshly baked bread with honey and Turkish clotted cream (or kaymak), rose and fig marmalade, sheep's milk, tomatoes and cucumbers drizzled with olive oil are a standard morning dish.

Menemen | Menemen

Turkish omelette or menemen. In this dish, eggs are lightly beaten in butter with onions, tomatoes and green peppers. Tomatoes are boiled into porridge to give the omelette a piquant taste.

Top 5 main dishes

Kebab | Kebab

Kebab, the cornerstone of modern Turkish cuisine. Means "cooked over coals" and includes a variety of dishes. For example, kestan kebab - roasted chestnuts sold in paper bags by street vendors.

- the most famous, invented by Iskender Efendi from Bursa in 1867. Razor-thin slices of lamb are braised in yogurt, tomato sauce and butter.

Adana kebab- named after the city of Adana, one of the famous “kebab cities” of Turkey. Traditional adana kebab is made from young lamb, carefully minced and mixed with fat tail and red pepper. Tail fat keeps the meat from drying out while cooking. Spicy due to red pepper.

Döner kebab— translated as “rotating kebab.” A giant piece of meat, fried vertically with rotation.

The most popular option in Istanbul is a mixture of lamb and beef.

There are several ways to serve doner kebab - on a plate with onions, tomatoes, pickles and yogurt; rolled into a flat cake; and by itself, without side dishes.

Shish kebab— Shish kebab, a dish of small pieces of lamb, sliced on a spit and cooked over an open fire. The name comes from the Turkish SİŞ - skewer or skewer, + kebab - mutton or lamb.

Karnıyarık | Karnyyaryk

Juicy, baked eggplants stuffed with chopped beef, fried onions, garlic, tomatoes, and fresh parsley. Seasoned with an aromatic mixture of Turkish spices.

Karnıyarık literally translates to "split belly". Because small purple eggplants are divided in half and then stuffed.

Kofte | Kofte

Kofte consists of meat, onions and spices. The meat can be anything - beef, lamb, pork, chicken. The meat balls are fried over coals to retain the smoky flavor.

Çiğ köfte| GIF sweater

Çiğ köfte - spicy balls made from bulgur, onions, peppers, tomato paste, spices and herbs. Served on a lettuce leaf.

Nohut pilav | Pilaf with chickpeas

Delicious and buttery! In Turkish, ordinary rice cooked in water with oil is pilaf. It is also prepared with eggplant, chickpeas, meat or liver pieces with thyme, pepper, cinnamon and almonds.

The best soups

Mercimek çorbası | Lentil soup

A simple but delicious Turkish lentil soup, or "Mercimek Corbasi" as it is called locally, is a puree of lentils and spices. Garnished with cilantro and a slice of lemon.

Inexpensive, filling dish. Widely available in most restaurants and eateries.

Yayla çorbası | Yogurt soup

Translated into Russian it sounds like mountain soup. Very nutritious. Everyone will love it, especially children. Main ingredients: yogurt and eggs.

Tarhana çorbasi | Tarhana soup

Tarhana soup has many variations in preparation. It is considered the most delicious with the addition of garlic.

Rumor has it that the Sultan was once a guest in a villager's house, and the poor family offered their soup to the Sultan. He was delighted with the soup and called it: “Dar soup - homemade soup.” The soup henceforth decorated the table of the sultans. They began to call him “Darkhan”, and over time “Tarkhan”. Very nutritious.

Delicious pastries

Simit | Simit

Simit is a loop-shaped bread covered with sesame seeds.

The bun appeared in the early 16th century. Today it is a breakfast staple and a popular, cheap street food.

Lahmacun | Turkish pizza

The base is a thin flatbread to which minced beef or lamb, vegetables, herbs and spices are added. Lahmacun is good as a snack - at any time of the day.

There are several variations of lamakun on the gourmet market, but among the favorites is the garlicky, red chili flakes, crispy one.

Pide | Pide | Pete

Pide is a flat bread baked with filling in a stone oven.

Pide must be baked in a brick or stone oven. Filling includes: cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, minced beef, parsley. You can buy it on the street.

Gozleme | Gözleme

Gözleme is a thin dough filled with cheese, meat or vegetables. Grilled on a convex grill.

Turkish fast food Gözleme is the perfect snack on the go. The savory Turkish flatbread is made from hand-rolled dough and filled with a variety of fillings. This is something you should definitely try in Turkey.

Snacks and salads

Hummus | Hummus

A creamy, thick paste made primarily from chickpea puree and a few other healthy ingredients that has become popular all over the world.

Ev Acıkası | Ev askasi

In Russian it is adjika. Made from red pepper and walnuts. Usually consumed for breakfast and has the consistency of tomato paste.

Patlıcan Salatası | Eggplant salad

Colorful and tasty salad. Combines the flavors of red pepper and eggplant. Prepared by baking, slicing and mixing all the ingredients.

Mezze | Meze

Mezes are small plates of appetizers served hot or cold, often with fish.

The variety of meze is endless. Vegetarian, meat, fish. Served hot or cold. One of the most famous mezes is dolma (stuffed grape leaves). Popular - cheese, peppers, fresh green beans cooked in olive oil.

Piyaz | Piyaz

Piyaz is a cold white bean salad with onions, tomatoes and olive oil.

This refreshing salad is usually served with grilled Turkish meatballs called Köfte. It refreshes your mouth after sizzling meat.

Street food

Közde Mısır | Roasted corn

You can't miss the rising smoke and smell of freshly cooked corn in Istanbul. Classic street food. Turkish sellers really know how to fry corn on the cob to perfection.

Kestane | Roasted chestnuts

Kestane - roasted chestnuts. Sold on the street on mobile frying carts.

A popular snack among people wandering the streets of Istanbul. Wherever you live, walking along the streets, you are sure to meet them.

Balik ekmek | Balyk ekmek

Balık ekmek, or fish in bread, is a grilled fish fillet sandwich often served as street food in Istanbul.

Crispy bun or thin pita bread with freshly fried mackerel. The sandwich is complemented with: Onion, lettuce, tomato, parsley leaf. The sauce is lemon juice and salt.

In Istanbul, look for street vendors near any ferry station. Or in Sirkeci to the left of the Galata Bridge. There are a number of vendors who grill and sell fresh fish bread every day.

Kokoreç | Kokorec

Kokoreç is lamb or goat intestines roasted on a spit with herbs and spices.

Considered "street food", you will find it in many busy shopping areas.

The intestines are naturally chewy, so Kokorec cut into small pieces and mix with thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, fresh tomatoes and parsley. The mixture is then added to a bun to form a sandwich.

Kumpir | Potato

A huge baked potato is cut down the middle. Lubricated generously with butter and cheese. Stuffed with a variety of salads, vegetables and meat products.

Potatoes are used as takeaway food in a small plastic box. Great for dinner by the sea.

Döner dürüm | Doner durum

Dürüm is a Turkish word meaning wrapper. The dish consists of meat with vegetables, wrapped in pita bread.

Unusual desserts

Baklava | Baklava

Baklava is a Turkish dessert made from thin dough with nuts and thick sugar syrup.

Sweet, rich, too good! Layers of puff pastry are complemented with finely chopped nuts and held together with syrup. The dessert originates from the Ottoman Empire. You can find it on almost every corner of Turkey. This is a classic and definitely one of the foods you must try in Turkey.

Dondurma | Dondurma

Looks like regular ice cream. But Dondurma has a texture unlike any other ice cream in the world. The ingredients used make it melt resistant and give it a chewy consistency. Dondurma vendors are known for putting on spectacular shows, spinning giant masses of ice cream on long sticks and playfully turning cups upside down.

Tavuk göğsü | Tavuk-goksu

Translated from Turkish it means “chicken breast”.

The bird is indeed the signature ingredient of this sweet white pudding, which was a delicacy in the palaces of the Ottoman Empire. According to legend, it originated when the Sultan asked for something sweet in the middle of the night, and the palace chefs, not wanting to disappoint, used the only thing they had in the kitchen: chicken.

Tavuk goksu is prepared by boiling white chicken breast until it is shredded into small threads. It is then mixed with milk, sugar and thickener. The finished mixture is cut into rectangles or rolled into a log, sprinkled with cinnamon.

The flavor is sweet and rich, with a creamy, fibrous texture. It is noteworthy that the dish does not taste like chicken.

Sutlaç | Sutlach

Sütlaç is a Turkish serving of rice pudding. Each portion is baked separately in the oven.

The milk is boiled with rice, sugar and vanilla to create a thick broth, which is placed in bowls and baked until brown on top. Serve chilled as a dessert.

This sweet rice pudding has remained virtually unchanged for many centuries and remains a favorite in Turkish sweets.

Künefe | Kunefe

Kunefe is an ancient dessert with a history dating back to the 10th century.

Warm, crispy, sweet, cheesy, thick, doughy and a little savory. Sprinkled with chopped pistachio nuts. This delicious Turkish dessert is reminiscent of a cheese pie.

Tulumba tatlısı | Dessert Tulumba

Fried unleavened dough soaked in syrup. It has an egg shape with protrusions 3-4 cm long. The dough contains starch and semolina, which makes it light and crispy.

This is a popular street food. Prepared by sellers right on the spot and served warm. You will also find it in many restaurants.

Beverages

Ayran | Ayran

Ayran is a salty drink made from diluted yogurt and salt.

This is a very simple and very tasty drink that is served everywhere throughout Turkey.

A drink that is uniform in texture and foamy on top is called Achik Ayran. The variety sold in individual containers is called drip ayran.

The Turks love ayran, producing a million tons of white every year.

Salep | Salep

Winter drink. Consists of hot milk combined with spices and rare orchid flour, which thickens the milk and gives it a soothing effect.

Salep flour is made from the tubers of the purple orchid and is used in many Turkish dishes. One of its most popular uses is in Turkish dondurma ice cream.

Wild orchid tubers are washed, boiled, dried and finally ground into flour. The healing power of salep comes from glucomannan, which treats respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and cough. It strengthens the heart and mind, stops diarrhea and warms the body. Especially if consumed with ginger or cinnamon.

Boza

Bosa is one of the oldest Turkish drinks. Made from fermented grains. In Turkey, durum wheat is mainly used, while in other countries, corn, barley, rye, oats, wheat, buckwheat... Contains nutrients such as protein, calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.

Bosa has a thick consistency and low alcohol content (usually about 1%). The taste is slightly sour and sweet. Served with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas, especially during the winter months.

Elma Çayı | Apple tea

Apple tea, the most amazing. There is no shortage of this warm, sweet nectar of the Gods. You will find it in almost every cafe and restaurant. Tea is a big part of Turkish hospitality. Even shop owners sit down to have a cup of tea with their customers. This is a good sales technique.)

We hope our selection with names and photos of dishes will help make your gastronomic tour memorable.

Many historians of world cuisine say that there are only three great cuisines in the world: Chinese, French and Turkish. Indeed, Turkish national cuisine is a real culinary masterpiece and one of the most important elements of the rich Turkish culture.

Modern Turkish cuisine is very diverse, since it was formed under the influence of the culinary traditions of various peoples. Thus, Turkish cuisine has a lot in common with the cuisines of other Islamic nations, with Caucasian and Balkan cuisines. Many features of Turkish cuisine are also characteristic of Greek cuisine. The peak of development of Turkish cuisine was during the times of the Ottoman Empire: the Ottomans paid great attention to cooking, more than a thousand cooks worked in the Sultan’s palace at the same time, and the national cuisine absorbed all the best from the cuisines of the peoples who inhabited the territories that were part of the Ottoman Empire - North Africa, Middle East, Balkans. Many Turkish dishes spread throughout the world during the wars between the Turks and other nations - in particular, it was during the Russian-Turkish War that Russia learned to cook the well-known cabbage rolls.

In the twentieth century, after the formation of the Turkish Republic, the Ottoman culinary heritage evolved into the Turkish national cuisine.

Turks traditionally eat a variety of grains, the most popular of which is wheat. Turks use wheat to bake bread (baslama, pita, katmer) and all kinds of flour products. One of the most important types of pastry is burek – filled pastry. Thus, the word “cheburek” is translated from Turkish as “minced meat pie.” Other popular dough dishes are gozleme (filled flatbread), lahmakun (Turkish pizza), manti (Turkish dumplings).

Grains are also used as cereals from which bulgur is prepared. Rice and couscous are also popular. The Turks also pay great attention to all kinds of legumes - they cook peas, chickpeas, lentils, and white beans. As in other Islamic countries, hummus is very popular.

Turkish traditional cuisine is famous for its wide selection of dairy products - this tradition has been preserved since the times of the nomadic Turks. Turkish yogurt is served with many dishes, and it is also used to make ayran (a cold, salty drink made from a mixture of yogurt and water) and cold cucumber soup tzatzik (tzatzik). Cheeses made from sheep's milk are popular.

Turkish cuisine, like many others, is distinguished by its seasonality. Thus, in the hot season, Turks can do well without meat and eat mainly fresh vegetables. The most important vegetables in Turkish cuisine are onion, garlic, tomato, pepper and eggplant. Turks prepare both fresh salads and hot dishes from vegetables. A separate category of dishes is dolma - a dish considered to be the ancestor of the well-known cabbage rolls. However, the Turks are not limited to rolling the filling into cabbage leaves - they also stuff zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, pumpkin, paprika, beet and grape leaves. Interestingly, minced meat is usually not added to the filling - the correct dolma should be stuffed with rice, spices, nuts and dried fruits.

In the winter season, Turks with great pleasure prepare various meat and fish dishes of Turkish national cuisine. Pork is traditionally not eaten here, but lamb and chicken are popular. Minced meat is most often used, but there are other groups of dishes that differ little from dishes from other Islamic cuisines - in particular, kebab and kofta.

The stereotype that Turks do not eat soups is not true. On the contrary, soups are an important element of the diet of every Turk. However, liquid soups are really unpopular here - thicker puree soups are usually prepared from legumes, dairy products, and cereals.

The pride of Turkish cuisine is confectionery. In terms of variety of confectionery products, hardly anyone can compare with the Turks - there are hundreds of varieties of cookies, sweets and other sweets. For their preparation, mainly sugar, honey, dried fruits, nuts and various spices are used.

Any Turkish meal is impossible without drinks. In summer, the number one drink is refreshing ayran, compotes and sherbets, and in winter – warm and high-calorie drinks boza and sahlep. In addition, Turks drink tea and coffee all year round and around the clock - the culture of drinking both of these drinks is very developed in this country. Alcoholic drinks are unpopular (Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol), but traditional Turkish alcoholic drinks still exist - these are various fruit and berry wines, as well as the strong alcoholic drink rakia.

When you come to Turkey, forget about fast food chains. National Turkish cuisine is tasty and varied. On the Turkish cuisine menu you will find a mixture of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan culinary traditions.

That’s why it’s so difficult to narrow down all the variety to a short list of must-try food items in Turkey. But I still tried to highlight the main and most delicious dishes that Turks cook and eat at home and in restaurants.

Turkish breakfasts

Turkish breakfast food is a little different from European food. Instead of coffee, it is customary to drink tea in the morning. Often a vegetable plate with chopped tomatoes and/or cucumbers is served for breakfast. People eat white bread, but recently trends in healthy eating have reached Turkey; now you can choose grain bread made from rye or other grains for breakfast.

White cheese similar to feta, old cheese ( kaş ar peyniri), olives or black olives ( zeytin), butter, honey, jam, omelette or boiled eggs ( yumurta) are the main components of a Turkish breakfast.

You can also eat for tomorrow sucuklu yumurta And bö rek. Sucuklu yumurta is a dried beef sausage with garlic and spices (red pepper, cumin and sumac). Sujuklu fried in a frying pan along with eggs, it turns out greasy, but very tasty. Bö rek(burek or burek) – it is a thin sheet of dough stuffed with cheese, minced meat and/or vegetables, fried or baked.

Miniman/menimen (Menemen) - very tasty Turkish omelette. Fried onions and peppers are stewed with tomatoes, and then poured with eggs, sprinkled with herbs and ground pepper.

National Turkish vegetable food

Turkey grows a lot of vegetables, which is noticeably reflected in local dishes. If you are a vegetarian, then it is important for you to know that Turkish dishes that do not contain meat are called zeytin yağ lı , cooked in olive oil. As a rule, these dishes are served cold. Here are the best vegetable dishes in Turkey:

Sarma (Yaprak Sarma) - grape leaves stuffed with rice, onions and spices (mint, currants, pepper and cinnamon).
Dolma (Dolma) - Fresh or dried eggplants, peppers, tomatoes or zucchini stuffed with rice, onions and spices.
Taze Fasulye- beans or chickpeas (chickpeas) stewed with tomatoes or tomato paste and onions.
Dzhadzhik (Cacı k) - refreshing Turkish soup. It is prepared from finely chopped cucumbers, sour cream, garlic and mint. On a hot summer day it is served with ice cubes.

Turks love meat very much, and therefore all the dishes listed above, except for the last soup, can also be found in a meat version.

Turkish meat dishes

Karniyaryk (Karnı yarı k) - fried eggplants with minced meat, onions, parsley, garlic and tomato filling. This dish is definitely worth trying. To make sure it's of good quality, look for eggplants. The dark color of the skin should not be transferred to the peeled pulp, and the meat should not be dark and dry.
Lahmajun (Lahmacun) - Turkish pizza with meat, onions and spices on thin puff pastry. Served with tomatoes and salad. Many people prefer to squeeze lemon juice onto the lahmacun, roll it up and eat it like a Mexican taco. Authentic Turkish street food.
Kuru Fasulye (Kurufasulye) - dry beans. Turks simply love legumes. This national dish of Turkey is usually served with slices of dried beef ( pastı rma), rice (sade pilav), pickles and sauerkraut turş u.

The most famous national dishes of Turkish cuisine

Kebab (Kebap) - this is meat skewered and grilled over coals - a familiar shish kebab. Usually lamb, beef or chicken are fried. There are a huge number of varieties of kebab in Turkey, I advise you to try the popular Iskander kebab.
Dener (Dö ner) - shawarma or shawarma. This is meat roasted on a spit with salad, local herbs and spices.
Kofte (Kö fte) - cutlets or meatballs of various shapes and sizes. Minced meat is lamb or mutton with boiled bread, onions and spices. The most popular dish with cutlets is Izgara Köfte. In it, the meat is grilled along with green pepper, parsley and dry red pepper and served with rice or bread.
Manta rays (Mantı ) – very tasty Turkish dumplings. The ingredients are simple dough, meat (beef or lamb), onion, salt and pepper.

Popular Turkish side dishes

Pilav (Pilav) - There are many options for preparing pilaf in national Turkish cuisine. This is not quite pilaf, although it is based on rice, and these two words are consonant. The most popular pilaf in Turkish cuisine is sade pilav. It's just rice boiled in water with vegetable oil and small şehriye noodles. Typically, rice is mixed with eggplant, chickpeas, meat or pieces of liver and, of course, spices: cinnamon, pepper, thyme, cumin and even almonds.

Bulgur pilaf (Bulgur Pilavı) – at first glance it seems that this Turkish dish is just a plate of boiled rice, but in fact it is wheat. Most often it is prepared with fried onions, green peppers, tomato paste and mint.

Fried vegetables– fried eggplant, green peppers and zucchini with tomato sauce or sour cream is one of the best dishes. There are a lot of options for Turkish food made from fried vegetables, choose any combination to suit your taste.

Mujver (Mü cver) - zucchini, eggs and flour - this is the whole composition of very tasty Turkish potato pancakes. Mujver is prepared with white cheese, green onions and mint, lightly fried in olive oil and served as a side dish.

Meze (Meze) - a set of snacks that are often served along with raki or other alcoholic drinks. Restaurants that specialize in serving meze are called meyhane. Most often, the waiter comes to the table and presents all the meze options on a large platter, and you can choose according to your taste.

Sweet Turkish desserts

Kunefe (Kü nefe) - This is a traditional Arabic cheese pastry. Unsalted cheese is placed between two layers of dough made from a simple mixture of water and flour. Kunefe is served warm and soaked in syrup. The dessert is sprinkled with pistachios on top. The sensations and taste are very unusual. On one side there is crispy dough, on the other there is soft cheese soaked in sweet syrup.

Baklava (Baklava) - another Turkish dessert with a simple set of ingredients (dough, nuts and syrup), but very tasty. The decisive factor is how thin the layers of dough are. Whether walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios will be in your baklava depends on the region where you try it.

Street food in Turkey

Street food culture is very common in Turkey. In Istanbul, small street food stalls can be found on every corner. Most often these are national dishes of Turkey, which you are already familiar with from this article. I decided to once again list the names separately so that you know what you can eat inexpensively while exploring Turkey.

Hot food

Kebab and doner(kebabs and shawarma) are the main representatives of Turkish street food.

Borek– flatbread with various fillings: ı spanaklı bö rek(with spinach), peynirli bö rek(with cheese), kı ymalı bö rek(with minced meat) and patatesli bö rek(with potato).

Pide ( Pide ) - stuffed dough boat. Kaş arlı Pide(with cheese) and Sucuklu Pide(with cheese and hot sauce) are the most popular types of pide.

Pizza Lahmajun (Lahmacun)

Mizir (Mısır )– Boiled or grilled corn on the cob. It is salted or sprinkled with spices and sold during the summer months.

Chestnuts ( Kestane )– and in winter, instead of corn, trays of roasted chestnuts appear everywhere.

Balyk ekmek ( Bal ı k ekmek ) – literally translated as “fish in bread”, which is exactly what it is. Before your eyes, the seller fries the fish and stuffs it into a large bun.

Cold street food

Simit ( Simit ) – a crispy, round salty bagel covered with sesame seeds. There are 2 main variants of simit: sokak simit– sold on the streets, very crispy and pastane simit– sold in stores, softer.

Achma ( A ç ma )– a round bun, one might say, a donut. Very tasty, but oily.

Pogača ( Po ğ a ç a ) - delicious crumbly cookies. There are options without filling - sade, or with filling: peynirli – cheese, kı ymalı - chopped meat, zeytinli– olives cut into pieces.

Carefully

While you wander the streets of Istanbul or other cities, you will come across these two Turkish dishes more than once. They are very tasty, but should be purchased with caution on sunlit streets.

Dolma from mussels (Midye dolma) – stuffed mussels. They are very tasty, I recommend eating them in restaurants.

Kokorec ( Kokore ç )– grilled sheep's offal (guts, heart, etc.) with a bunch of spices. A very popular snack after a stormy night or with alcohol. From the outside, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish which is shawarma and which is kokorech. Fortunately, shawarma is cooked on a vertical spit, and kokorech on a horizontal one.

The national cuisine of Turkey is very diverse and original. Its formation was influenced by the fact that Turks, Armenians, Persians, Greeks, Assyrians and many other peoples lived on the territory of this country, each of which left its own unique mark on the culinary history of the state. The list includes such popular delicacies as pilaf, kebab and baklava. You will find their recipes in today's article.

Main nuances

Native Turks turn every meal into a kind of ritual. All dishes are served in a certain sequence. Any meal begins with snacks, which include stuffed vegetables, olives and various pickles. After them, soups, fish or meat dishes and dessert appear on the table.

Vegetables are often used for cooking. Eggplants are especially popular. They are served marinated, stuffed, baked, stewed, steamed or fried. Also, the local population likes to generously add it not only to side dishes, but also to various sauces.

Meat is highly valued in Turkey. It is consumed in any form, but most often it is grilled or fried in a frying pan. Milk occupies a special place in the national cuisine of this state. It is used to make amazing cheeses, delicious desserts and incredibly healthy yoghurts.

Turkish eggs

This interesting dish vaguely resembles a traditional omelette. It has an extraordinary taste and is ideal for a family breakfast. Before preparing one of the many Turkish national dishes, check in advance that your kitchen has everything you need. In this case you will need:

8 chicken eggs.
100 grams of butter.
100 milliliters of broth.
150 grams of chicken liver.
A couple of tomatoes.
Salt and spices.

Washed and dried chicken liver is fried in butter. As soon as it acquires a golden hue, it is poured with broth, pre-mixed with chopped tomatoes. Beaten salted eggs are also added there. The future omelette is baked in the oven at standard temperature. Before serving, the finished dish can be topped with tomato sauce.

Lentil soup

This is one of the most popular Turkish national dishes. It is prepared from simple budget ingredients sold in any supermarket. To pamper your family with this soup, stock up on everything you need in advance. This time you will need:

3 liters of drinking water.
A couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.
1.5 cups red lentils.
A tablespoon of flour and ground paprika.
Salt, aromatic spices and vegetable oil.

The washed lentils are poured with cold water and placed on the stove. As soon as the liquid boils, remove the foam that appears from its surface and leave to simmer over minimal heat.

Pour a little vegetable oil into a separate saucepan, heat it and fry the wheat flour there. After a few minutes, add tomato paste, a little water, basil and oregano. Mix everything well and leave on the stove. After a couple of minutes, add a little more water and send the resulting frying to the pan with lentils. All this is salted, seasoned with mint and almost immediately removed from the burner. The finished soup is ground through a sieve and poured into plates. Squeeze a little lemon juice into each serving.

Baklava

This dessert is very popular not only among the local population, but also among numerous tourists. Like all other recipes for Turkish national dishes, this option requires the presence of a certain set of components. Therefore, before starting to work with the test, check whether you have at hand:

250 grams of butter.
Egg.
300 grams of powdered sugar.
Half a kilo of wheat flour.
200 milliliters of milk.
Cinnamon, salt and walnuts.
A glass of water and sugar.
A tablespoon of honey.

Like many other national Turkish dishes, photos of which can be seen in today’s publication, baklava is prepared using the simplest technology possible. In a bowl filled with sifted wheat flour, add a pinch of salt, melted butter and warmed milk one by one. Knead everything well until a fairly stiff, but at the same time elastic mass is obtained. The finished dough is placed in a plastic bag and left for half an hour.

In the meantime, you can work on the rest of the products. The nuts are crushed using a meat grinder and combined with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The present dough is divided into twelve approximately identical balls. Each of them is rolled out into a thin layer, greased with butter, sprinkled with nut filling and rolled into a roll, tucking the edges inward. The resulting pieces are placed on a baking sheet. Their surface is greased with yolk. The products are baked at two hundred degrees for about a quarter of an hour. Then the temperature is reduced to 160 0 C. The baklava is coated with butter and returned to the oven. After fifty minutes, it is transferred to a deep vessel, filled with syrup consisting of water, sugar and honey, and left for six hours.

Pilaf

This is one of the simplest and most satisfying Turkish national dishes. It is prepared from inexpensive and easily available ingredients. To create it you will need:

700 grams of chicken.
1.5 cups long rice.
A couple of tablespoons of pine nuts.
Half a kilo of tomatoes.
3 tablespoons butter.
Onion.
A handful of parsley, basil and dried cranberries.
Salt and spices.

Place the washed and dried chicken in a thick-bottomed frying pan that already contains butter. As soon as it is browned, add onion half rings to it and continue to fry. A few minutes later, pine nuts and tomatoes rubbed through a sieve are sent there. Almost immediately, washed cranberries, chopped herbs and rice are placed in the pan. All this is filled with water, covered with a lid and cooked until the liquid is completely absorbed. Before serving, pilaf is decorated with basil.

Lula kebab

This is one of the many culinary masterpieces for which Turkish cuisine is famous. The national dishes of this country are known far beyond its borders. Therefore, you don’t have to go to Turkey to try lula kebab. You can prepare it in your own kitchen. To do this you will need:

A kilo of lean lamb.
100 grams of bell pepper.
200 g fat tail fat.
25 grams of wheat flour.
75 g garlic.
100 grams of parsley.
150 g tomatoes.
0.25 kg of onions.

The flour is soaked in a small amount of hot water and squeezed out. Lamb, pepper and fat tail fat are ground in a meat grinder and sent to the refrigerator. After an hour, the minced meat is salted, seasoned with spices and carefully threaded onto skewers. Fry lula kebab on smoldering coals, not forgetting to turn it over periodically. It is served with a sauce made from chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley.

Turkish coffee

This aromatic invigorating drink leaves a pleasant aftertaste. It is prepared according to several different recipes (photos of Turkish national dishes can be found while reading this article). To brew real strong coffee, you will need:

A couple of teaspoons of sugar.
Ground coffee.
A teaspoon each of cinnamon and vanilla.
Cardamom pod.
Carnation.
200 milliliters of water.

Ground coffee is poured into a preheated cezve. Cold water is poured there and the vessel is placed on the stove. The drink is kept on low heat for half an hour, without allowing it to boil. During the cooking process, sugar, herbs and spices are added to the cezve. The finished coffee is poured into cups and served to the table.

Revani

This delicious dessert is also one of the Turkish national dishes. It is a delicate pie soaked in lemon syrup. To prepare it you will need:

3 eggs.
A glass of flour, semolina and sugar.
200 milliliters each of vegetable oil and yogurt.
A packet of baking powder.

To prepare the syrup, prepare in advance:

3 glasses of water.
Juice of half a lemon.
3 cups sugar.

The eggs are combined with yogurt and sugar, and then beaten, gradually adding semolina, flour, baking powder and vegetable oil. The finished dough is poured into a mold with high sides and sent to the oven. Bake the dessert at one hundred and fifty degrees for at least forty minutes. The cooled pie is cut into portions and poured with hot syrup consisting of water, sugar and lemon juice.

Eggplant Istanbul style

This savory snack is also one of the national dishes of Turkish cuisine. It is so easy to prepare that even a novice cook can make it without any problems. It contains:

3 large eggplants.
Medium head of onion.
3 fresh tomatoes.
Medium carrot.
150 grams of celery root.
Sweet bell pepper.
A clove of garlic.
A bunch of parsley.
A pinch of ground dried thyme.
Salt, spices and vegetable oil.

Eggplants are cut lengthwise and soaked in cold salted water. After half an hour, they are washed, dried and fried on the inside in vegetable oil. The browned pulp is separated from the skin and crushed.

Peeled carrots and celery are boiled until half cooked and cut into small cubes. The pepper is baked in the oven, the skin and seeds are separated and crushed. All this is combined in one vessel. Fried onions, chopped tomatoes, salt, aromatic herbs and chopped garlic are also added there. The resulting mass is placed in eggplant boats and baked at standard temperature.

Turkish cuisine is known for its endless breadth of flavors provided by herbs and spices. It is a legacy of Ottoman cuisine.

The Ottomans combined the culinary traditions of their kingdom with those of the Levantine and Turkic ones. Turkish national dishes are diverse. Each has a unique taste that can satisfy or even surprise any gourmet.

What to try in Turkey from food: the best dishes of Turkish cuisine

It is believed that there are only 3 types of cuisine in the world: French, Chinese and Turkish. The latter has long and deservedly enjoyed worldwide recognition. The country is located between Europe and Asia, this is reflected in its gastronomy. Thanks to the rich fauna and flora, the cuisine is very diverse.

The food is balanced, most dishes, even desserts, include vegetables and herbs. The variety and simplicity of the recipes, as well as the quality of the products, guarantee a satisfying meal.

Turkish national vegetable dishes

Lentil cutlets

Vegetable stews are the pride of oriental cuisine. A wide variety of crops are used: cabbage, eggplant, green and red peppers, tomatoes, leeks. A spoonful of tomato paste, rice or lemon juice is often added to vegetables. The stew is usually cooked in its own juice; colloquially it is called sulu yemek, which translates as “food with juice.”

Dolma– stuffed leaves of grapes, chard (a subspecies of beets), cabbage. Eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, and rice are used as fillings.
Mercimek köfte (Marchmek kofte)– lentil cutlets or meatballs. Cooking does not require much effort. Cutlets are made from minced lentils with the addition of bulgur or couscous. Serve wrapped in lettuce leaves and sprinkled with lemon juice.
Murjver- pancakes made from zucchini, herbs and cheese. Zucchini can replace other vegetables. The pancakes have a delicate milky taste, which is given to them by cheese.
. The name itself is interesting, translated as “the imam fainted.” The oriental appetizer is baked eggplants stuffed with tomatoes, bell peppers, and garlic.
Piyaz– a salad of boiled white beans, fresh tomatoes, bell peppers and seasoned with salt and sumac. Season the salad with lemon juice or vegetable oil.

Vegetarian food, in addition to vegetables, contains cereals, seafood, mushrooms, and fish.

Turkish meat dishes

Eastern people love meat - the vast majority of soups, stews, and salads include this product.

Kebab– shish kebab or fried (usually grilled) meat. There are many varieties, the most famous döner kebab is sliced lamb, beef or chicken fried on a vertically rotating spit.
Shepherd– air-dried beef jerky. The preparation process takes about 1.5 months.
Kokorec– roasted (traditionally on a spit) sausages made from offal. They are served sliced and sprinkled with oregano. As a garnish there are pickled peppers or cucumbers.
Pilaf- the basis of the oriental table. It is made from rice, bulgur, shehriye (vermicelli) and, of course, lamb or chicken.
Kuru kefte– meatballs made from minced or minced beef, chicken, lamb. The meat is mixed with rice, bulgur, eggs are fried and baked. Steamed.

The aromatic smells of meat food provoke even the most incorrigible vegetarians to taste it.

Sweet popular Turkish dessert dishes

Türkiye has always been famous for its sweets. Desserts are endowed with a special taste. The recipes, at first glance, are simple, but rarely does anyone manage to prepare even approximately similar delicacies at home.

Many sweets have long been prepared in different countries on an industrial scale. Often all that remains of a real dessert is the name. At home, desserts are also prepared in confectionery factories, but products made by housewives or in small private bakeries are in great demand.

Baklava– one of the world famous desserts. The classic version is several layers of sweet phyto dough, generously sprinkled with pistachios or walnuts, sealed with sugar syrup and honey. The city of Gaziantep is famous for its pistachio baklava. The recipe is believed to have been brought by Lebelebi Güllü from Damascus in 1871.
Halva. There are several types of this dessert, but only two are well known. The first is prepared from grain flour or semolina with the addition of ghee and sugar. The second is crumbly halva made from tahini (sesame paste), nut and sunflower oil and sugar. Beans, pumpkin, yams, and lentils can also be used as ingredients.
Gyullac. The dessert resembles baklava. Thin layers of dough made from cornstarch and wheat flour, sprinkled with pomegranate, walnuts, and soaked in milk.
Caeserie– rectangular sweet products made from caramelized carrots, grated coconut, fried nuts, hazelnuts. Instead of carrots there can be figs and dates. The province of Mersin is considered to be its homeland. Caeserie is served only on special occasions.

There are so many sweet recipes, it’s impossible to try them all.

TOP 10 Turkish dishes you should definitely try

There are so many different oriental recipes that it’s hard to single out just one. I'll tell you about the most popular ones.

Gözleme- a flatbread with a filling, usually with white cheese and parsley. They are eaten with soup, salad, as a snack with ayran or sweet tea.
Dzhevizli sujuk- a type of Turkish delight. The product is in the form of an oblong sausage - almonds, hazelnuts or peanuts are covered with condensed grape or fig tree juice. Add chocolate, raisins, dried fruits.
Kavurma– a variety of Çoban kavurma (Shepherd's kavurma). It is prepared from diced lamb, fried in a frying pan (sahan) with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions and herbs (parsley, kekek). In some areas in the north and west of the country, kavurma is prepared exclusively from vegetables, including pickled ones. Kavurma must be prepared during Ramadan.
Alinasik– a specialty of the Gaziantel province. Alinasik - smoked spicy eggplant topped with pieces of fried lamb, pre-seasoned and marinated. Serve with rice or yogurt.
– puff pastry pie (phyto or yufka) with filling. The most common option is with minced meat. The popular Cigar Borek - the dough is rolled into a cigar, minced meat, cheese, and potatoes are placed inside.
Lahmajun– a mandatory attribute of an oriental breakfast. A kind of pizza consisting of a thin crust stuffed with minced meat, tomatoes, and sweet peppers. The top of the lahmacun is generously sprinkled with herbs.
Kunefe- thin dough soaked in sweet syrup with the addition of cheese, whipped cream, nuts, baked in the oven.
Sorrel soup (Kuzukulağı çorbası)– prepared from sorrel leaves, corn, beans, and onions. The sour soup, served cold, is good to eat in hot weather.
Bushulama– steamed fish with lemon and parsley.
Batey– grilled lamb on a spit. Served in pita bread with tomato sauce or yogurt.

Even if you eat two new dishes every day, you won’t be able to try everything.

Conclusion

Turkish cuisine can easily be called a national treasure. It reflects the customs and traditions of the people, their morals, and gastronomic habits.

National dishes are not just food products; they are a part of an eastern state. What have you tried from Turkish cuisine? Share your feedback in the comments.