Gobble up Turkey: best food to try in Türkiye

Whether you're chowing down on a 3:00am post-bar kebab or a Turkish breakfast in the sun, expect to be generously spoiled with flavour when travelling in Turkey. There's a reason people consistently rave about Turkish cuisine, and one bite of flaky baklava is enough to understand why. Blocking out a solid portion of your Turkey trip to make sure you can get a taste of everything from sweet Turkish delight and spicy street food to seemingly endless traditional Turkish dinner spreads is a necessary plan.

Not only is Turkish food delicious, but it's also a way to learn about the country's traditional culture and customs. Bold flavours and warm hospitality converge at Turkish tables. Your only problem will be saving enough room for dessert. When you visit Turkey, these are some of the best Turkish dishes to add to your must-eat list.

Origins of Turkish cuisine

Traditional Turkish food was shaped by Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Eastern European, Balkan, and Central Asian culinary practices. Rich in history, the deep roots of the nation's flavours have evolved over a long journey that reflects a fascinating intersection of cultures dating back centuries.

Many of the most famous Turkish foods have Central Asian origins, such as lamb, kebabs, bulgur, rice, and spices such as sumac. The city of Istanbul is where continental Europe and Asia converge (literally, this is a geographical fact). This fusion of worlds lends to a wide range of specialties, which also vary depending on which region of Turkey you're in.

Flavour isn't the only thing that makes Turkish food special — it's also a celebration of hospitality and culture. Family-style meals bring people together, with communal eating being the norm. Guests are welcomed warmly with enthusiasm, and there's almost always some Turkish çay (tea) being brewed in the background.

Turkish breakfast

We have a lot of favourites when it comes to breakfasts of the world, but it's hard to beat an authentic Turkish spread. It's even harder to leave without being full. This Turkish tradition is meant to be enjoyed in good company, starting the day with abundance. Turkish mezes (small plates for sharing) are the hallmark of a Turkish breakfast. When you do it right, you'll likely be playing Tetris with all of these tiny dishes on your table, trying to make everything fit. These are the most common Turkish breakfast dishes.

Menemen

Turkey's most popular egg dish is called menemen, a scramble mixed with stewed tomatoes, green peppers, olive oil, and other fragrant spices. You can order it as is or sometimes with cheese or sujuk (sausage).

Taste it for yourself on: Absolute Turkey

Cheese

Cheese is an around-the-clock specialty in Turkey, with several types and varieties accompanying different meals of the day. For breakfast, you typically get some beyaz peynir (white cheese), which is similar to feta.

Simit

Simit, a ring-shaped piece of bread covered in sesame seeds, is a bit reminiscent of what might happen if a bagel and a pretzel had a baby. Fresh simit has a crispy exterior and goes perfectly with kaymak (clotted cream) and honey.

Taste it for yourself on: Highlights of Turkey

Olives and veggies

Turkish olives offer the perfect in-between bite when juggling multiple meze plates. It's also common to get fresh vegetables and herbs, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley, to complement your Turkish breakfast.

Börek

Börek isn't just a breakfast food; it's amazing and readily available around the clock, even late at night, but you might find it on your breakfast table. It's a flaky and savoury phyllo pastry that's usually filled with cheese or ground meat.

Taste it for yourself on: The Best of Turkey

Turkish çay or coffee

Turkish tea is called çay, which is pronounced like "chai". You're bound to see it everywhere, along with Turkish coffee. Turkish tea is served in small hourglass-shaped glasses on saucers and is truly a staple for every meal. Turkish coffee is unfiltered and strong, always leaving grounds at the bottom of the cup.

Turkish street food favourites

Enticing aromas of street food waft through the streets of Turkish cities on a regular basis, and different dishes will have you thinking "should I?" over and over. The answer is yes. Freshly rolled dough bakes in the open over hot plates, and kebab meat sizzles to perfection. Experiencing Turkish street food is a must. Here are a few must-eat street food treats to keep an eye out for.

Lahmacun

Made from lahm (meat in Arabic) and ajin (paste), the distinct flavour of lahmacun comes from a mix of ground meat, tomato paste, and wonderful Turkish spices atop a thin piece of dough. It's usually eaten with a squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh parsley, rolled up into a delicious snack.

Taste it for yourself on: Complete Turkey

Gözleme

Gözleme is a delicious pastry cooked on a sac, a dome-shaped hot metal plate. This flaky and savoury treat is usually filled with white cheese, spiced ground meat, or spinach with other greens. It's easy to eat one after the next, so you can try all of the varieties.

More signature Turkish dishes

The list goes on, and your Turkish eating itinerary grows even longer when dinner becomes a discussion. Offering nourishment and tradition, Turkish dinner recipes are a source of regional pride. These famous Turkish foods can be found in most places, from home-style cooking to upscale eateries, and you'll remember them long after your visit.

Iskender kebab

Thanks to a man named Iskender Efendi, we get to enjoy iskender kebab, a rich dish of sliced lamb over pide bread covered in a juicy tomato sauce with melted butter. Yogurt, grilled tomatoes, and charred peppers make the perfect side additions.

Köfte

Köfte are meatballs or patties made with beef or lamb that are seasoned and cooked to juicy perfection. The recipe varies slightly depending on which region of Turkey you're visiting, but the deliciousness remains consistent across the board.

Taste it for yourself on: Eastern Turkey Adventure

Pide

Turkish pide is a boat-shaped flatbread stuffed with various fillings, such as cheese, meat, eggs, or spinach. It's a carb overload in the best way possible. Save some room for these two types: sucuklu yumurta (spicy sausage) and ispanakli kasar (spinach and cheese).

Manti

Manti, sometimes described as a Turkish ravioli, is a type of square-shaped dumpling filled with spiced meat. These delicious bites are covered in a garlic yogurt sauce with a generous amount of butter and pul biber (chilli flakes).

Taste it for yourself on: Journeys: Discover Turkey

Imam bayildi

Imam bayildi is a dish of whole eggplant stuffed with tomato, onion, and spices that gets simmered in a generous volume of olive oil. It's rich, flavorful, and totally deserving of a place on your Turkish foodie list.

Sweet endings: top Turkish treats

The texture! The flavour! The presentation! Turkish desserts deserve all of the hype, from the flaky goodness of künefe to the sugary dose of flavour brought by Turkish delight. Here are a few traditional sweets that should be on your radar when it comes to Turkish desserts.

Baklava

Flaky, sweet, and totally pistachio-y, baklava is easily Turkey's most famous dessert. This sweet comes in a handful of different forms, ranging from the classic square-shaped piece to other variations, including chocolate. Layers of flaky phyllo pastry dough mingle with honey and pistachio (and sometimes walnut) to make this popular treat.

Taste it for yourself on: Solo-ish Turkey

Lokum

Lokum, known in English as Turkish delight, dates back hundreds of years to the invention of cornstarch. This candy is essentially a combination of water, sugar, and cornstarch, plus flavourings such as pistachio and rose. The result is a cube-shaped colourful sweetness.

Künefe

Stringy shredded pastry with a sweet cheese filling makes künefe a unique dessert pick. It's often served with ice cream and pistachio crumble to top it all off. With a crispy top toasted until golden brown, künefe is a simply irresistible dessert that you must sink your spoon into.

Sütlaç

Sütlaç is a creamy, vanilla-flavoured Turkish rice pudding that gets baked in the oven so that the top forms a caramelized layer. It's comforting and simple yet delicious, the perfect sweet addition to cap off the end of any meal.

Taste it for yourself on: Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia & Walking the Turquoise Coast

Revani

Revani, a semolina cake drenched in sweet lemony syrup, is often topped with fresh fruit or pistachios. Some variations add orange zest or rosewater. It dates from the Ottoman Empire, and it's on the sweeter side compared to other Turkish desserts.

Dondurma

Dondurma is unlike any other ice cream because of its thickness, a texture achieved by the combination of sahlep (a flour from orchids) and mastic (a natural gum). This luxuriously thick ice cream comes in a variety of flavours, and you can even eat it with a knife and fork.

Taste it for yourself on: Turkey: Coastlines & Cappadocia

How to explore Turkish food culture

If you're trying to get a bite of everything during your time in Turkey, the country offers plenty of ways to dive in. To fully embrace Turkish food culture, add the following activities to your itinerary.

Join a street food walk in Istanbul

Walking around is one of the best ways to take in all elements of Istanbul. Whether sampling traditional Turkish food at the Grand Bazaar or eating a kebab near Taksim Square, you can truly eat your way across the city.

Experience it for yourself on: Classic Istanbul Mini Adventure

Dine at family-run restaurants

The flavours are amazing, whether you dine at a large restaurant in the heart of the city or a family-run spot in the countryside, but the latter offers cultural immersion and a deep look into the traditions behind the plates.

Watch pastry-making in historic cafés

Istanbul has no shortage of famous cafés and bakeries where you can watch the magic come together. Traditional patisseries in areas of the city like Beyoğlu offer a glimpse into the process behind creating famous delights such as baklava in its many forms. You'll probably leave with several pastries because it's hard to pick just one.

Attend a cooking class

Preparing certain Turkish dishes, such as gözleme, requires careful, specific techniques, from rolling the dough to using cooking methods such as traditional iron plates. Attending a cooking class brings storytelling through food (and a really good meal).