Turkish cuisine () encompasses the traditional and regional foods of Turkey and its diaspora. It developed primarily from Ottoman cuisine, which synthesized Central Asian culinary traditions with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences. During the Ottoman period, Turkish cuisine played a central role in influencing the cuisines of the former Ottoman territories, particularly in the Balkans, the Levant, Mesopotamia, North Africa, the South Caucasus and Crimea, resulting in a shared culinary heritage.

The cooking of Istanbul, Bursa, İzmir, and the rest of the Anatolia region inherits many elements of Ottoman court cuisine, including moderate use of spices, a preference for rice over bulgur, koftes, and a wider availability of vegetable stews (türlü), eggplant, stuffed dolmas and fish. The cuisine of the Black Sea Region uses fish extensively, especially the Black Sea anchovy (hamsi) and includes maize dishes. The cuisine of the southeast (including Urfa, Gaziantep, Adıyaman and Adana) is famous for its variety of kebabs, mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, şöbiyet, kadayıf, katmer and künefe.

Especially in the western parts of Turkey, where olive trees grow abundantly, olive oil is the primary type of cooking oil. The cuisines of the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions are rich in vegetables, herbs, and fish. Central Anatolia has many well-known specialties, such as keşkek, mantı (especially from Kayseri) and gözleme. Food names directly cognate with mantı are also found in Chinese (mantou or steamed bun), and it is generally considered to have originated in Mongolia during the 13th century.

Specialties are often named for places, and may refer to different styles of preparation. For example, Urfa kebap is less spicy and thicker than Adana kebap. Although meat-based foods such as kebabs are common in Turkish cuisine abroad, meals in Turkey largely center around rice, vegetables, and bread.

History

In the early years of the republic, a few studies were published about regional Anatolian dishes, but cuisine did not feature heavily in Turkish folkloric studies until the 1980s when the fledgling tourism industry encouraged the Turkish state to sponsor two food symposia. The papers submitted at the symposia presented the history of Turkish cuisine on a "historical continuum" that dated back to Turkic origins in Central Asia and continued through the Seljuk and Ottoman periods.

Prior to the symposia, the study of Turkish culinary culture was first popularized by the publication of Süheyl Ünver's Fifty Dishes in Turkish History in 1948. This book was based on recipes found in an 18th-century Ottoman manuscript. His second book was about the 15th century palace cuisine during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II. Following the publication of Ünver's book, subsequent studies were published, including a 1978 study by historian Bahaettin Ögel about the Central Asian origins of Turkish cuisine. pasta or bulgur pilav accompanied by a salad or cacık (a diluted cold yogurt dish with garlic, salt, and cucumber slices). In summertime many prefer a cold dish of vegetables cooked with olive oil (zeytinyağlı yemekler) instead of soup, either before or after the main course, which can also be a chicken, meat or fish plate.

Restaurants

Esnaf lokantası (meaning restaurants for shopkeepers and tradesmen) are widespread, serving traditional Turkish home cooking at affordable prices. Some restaurants specialize in certain foods, especially köfte, döner, kokoreç, kumpir, midye tava, börek and gözleme. Eating out has always been common in cities. Fast food is gaining popularity and many major foreign fast-food chains have opened all over Turkey.

Summer cuisine

In the hot Turkish summer, a meal often consists of fried vegetables such as patlıcan (eggplant/aubergine) and peppers or potatoes served with yogurt or tomato sauce. Menemen and çılbır are typical summer dishes based on eggs. Sheep cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons and melons also make a light summer meal. Those who like helva for dessert prefer "summer helva", which is lighter and less sweet than the regular version.

Key ingredients

thumb|Assortment of Turkish food

Frequently used ingredients in Turkish specialties include lamb, chicken, beef, fish, rice, eggplants, green peppers, onions, garlic, lentils, beans, zucchinis, chickpeas and tomatoes. The average beef consumption per person per year is . Nuts, especially pistachios, chestnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, together with spices, have a special place in Turkish cuisine, and are used extensively in desserts or eaten separately. About 1.5 kg of pistachios are eaten per person per year, some packaged and some used in desserts such as baklava. Tahini is a common sauce made from sesame seeds, sold both pre-packaged or in bulk on tap. Semolina flour is used to make a cake called revani and irmik helvasi.

thumb|Spices

thumb|Herbs

{|class="wikitable sortable"

|+Commonly used spices and flavorings:

!Name

!Turkish

!Used in

!References

|-

|Allspice

|Yenibahar or dolma bahar

|Dolma, vegetables, pilav, fish, köfte

|

|-

|Anise

|Anason

|Peksimet, rakı, used to season nut and dried fruit mixtures in both sweet and savory dishes

|

  • Golot cheese – is one of the most important traditional cheeses produced in the region of East Black Sea.
  • Gravyer – is produced in Turkey as well. Among others, Kars is famous for this type of cheese.
  • Hellim – is a salty, firm-textured goat cheese, generally with some mint added, made in Cyprus. In Turkey, it is common to fry hellim in a pan in some olive oil.
  • Kaşar – is Turkey's other ubiquitous cheese made from cow's milk (occasionally mixed with sheep's or goat's milk), sometimes marketed as "Turkish cheddar", being closer in consistency and taste to mild cheddar-style cheese than other Turkish cheeses. Less matured kaşar, called fresh kaşar, is widely consumed as well. Two varieties are popular Kars and Thrace.
  • Kaşkaval – is a wheel-shaped yellow sheep's cheese, similar to fresh kaşar. The name comes from Romanian word cașcaval, which bears the Italian structure of caciocavallo.
  • Lor – is the other type of unsalted whey cheese, similarly made from the whey left over from kaşar or strained yogurt manufacture. Lor is used in traditional foods and desserts made from unsalted cheese like ekşimik and höşmerim.
  • Mihaliç peyniri or Kelle peyniri – is a hard sheep's cheese that can be grated, like Parmesan cheese. Sometimes goat or cow milk is used. It is a specialty from Karacabey, a town in Bursa province which was called Mihaliç during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Mostly it is produced from non-pasteurized milk and processed with salt.
  • Örgü peyniri (braided cheese) – is a specialty from Diyarbakır.
  • Otlu peynir, Van herbed cheese, 'herbed cheese', – is produced in many areas, chiefly in East Anatolia. Traditionally sheep's or goat's milk is used, but more recently cow's milk otlu peynir has been produced. The type of herb used varies by region: in Van wild garlic is traditional; Bitlis otlu peynir contains a damp-loving herb known as sof otu. In other areas horse mint (Mentha longifolia) and Pimpinella rhodentha are used.

One of the best-known desserts in Turkish cuisine is baklava. Baklava is made either with pistachios or walnuts. Turkish cuisine has a range of baklava-like desserts which include şöbiyet, bülbül yuvası, sütlü nuriye, and burma.

Kadayıf is a common Turkish dessert that employs shredded yufka. There are different types of kadayıf: tel (wire) or burma (wring) kadayıf, both of which can be prepared with either walnuts or pistachios.

Although carrying the label "kadayıf", ekmek kadayıfı is totally different from "tel kadayıf". Künefe and ekmek kadayıfı are rich in syrup and butter, and are usually served with kaymak (clotted or scrambled butter). Künefe contains wire kadayıf with a layer of melted cheese in between and it is served hot with pistachios or walnuts.

Katmer is made as a dessert with kaymak (clotted cream), and like many other sweets from Gaziantep and Kilis, is also filled and topped with pistachios.

Among milk-based desserts, the best-known are muhallebi or sütlaç (rice pudding), keşkül, kazandibi (meaning the bottom of "kazan" because of its burnt surface), and tavuk göğsü (a sweet, gelatinous milk pudding dessert similar to kazandibi, to which very thinly peeled chicken breast is added to give a chewy texture). A speciality from the Mediterranean region is haytalı, which consists of pieces of starch pudding and ice cream (or crushed ice) in rose water sweetened with syrup.

Helva (halva): un helvası (flour helva is usually cooked after someone has died), süt helvası (made from raw cow's milk, butter, flour and sugar) irmik helvası (cooked with semolina and pine nuts), hoşmerim (cheese helva), yaz helvası (made from walnut or almond), tahin helvası (crushed sesame seeds; also eaten for breakfast), kos helva, pişmaniye (floss halva).

thumb|left|Assortment of Turkish desserts

Other common desserts include revani (with semolina and starch), şekerpare, dilber dudağı, vezir parmağı, hanım göbeği, kemalpaşa, tulumba, zerde, lokma.

Güllaç is a dessert typically served at Ramadan, consisting of very thin, large dough layers put in milk and rose water, served with pomegranate seeds and walnuts. A story is told that in the kitchens of the Palace, those extra-thin dough layers were prepared with "prayers", as it was believed that if one did not pray while opening phyllo dough, it would never be possible to obtain such thin layers.

Aşure can be described as a sweet soup containing boiled beans, wheat and dried fruits. Sometimes cinnamon and rose water is added when being served. According to legend, it was first cooked on Noah's Ark and contained seven different ingredients in one dish. Anatolian peoples continue a tradition of cooking aşure during the month of Muharrem.

thumb|left| - pumpkin dessert

Some traditional Turkish desserts are fruit-based: ayva tatlısı (quince), incir tatlısı (fig), (pumpkin), elma tatlısı (apple) and armut tatlısı (pear). Fruits are cooked in a pot or in an oven with sugar, carnations and cinnamon (without adding water). After being chilled, they are served with walnuts or pistachios and kaymak or tahini.

Homemade cookies/biscuits are commonly called "kurabiye" in Turkish. The most common types are acıbadem kurabiyesi (prepared only with eggs, sugar and almonds), un kurabiyesi (flour kurabiye) and cevizli kurabiye (kurabiye with walnuts). Another dough based dessert is ay çöreği.

Tahin-pekmez is a traditional combination especially in rural areas. Tahin is sesame paste and pekmez is grape syrup. These are sold separately and mixed before consumption.

Lokum (Turkish delight), which was eaten for digestion after meals and called "rahat hulkum" in the Ottoman era, is another well-known sweet (candy) with a range of varieties.

Cezerye, cevizli sucuk (named after its sujuk-like shape, also known as churchkhela in the Circassian region) and pestil (fruit leather) are among other common sweets.

Marzipan (badem ezmesi) is another common confection in Turkey.

thumb|upright|[[Macun]]

Another jellylike Turkish sweet is macun. Mesir macunu of Manisa (or İzmir) (which was also called "nevruziye", as this macun was distributed on the first day of spring in the Ottoman Palace) contains 41 different spices. It is still believed that mesir macunu is good for health and has healing effects. As with lokum, nane macunu, prepared with mint, used to be eaten as a digestive after heavy meals. Herbs and flowers having curative effects were grown in the gardens of Topkapı under the control of the chief doctor "hekimbaşı" and pharmacists of the Palace who used those herbs for preparing special types of macun and sherbet.

There are also several types of ice cream based on salep powder or corn starch with rose water, such as dondurma (Turkish gum ice cream), dried fruit ice cream, and ice cream rose petals.

Dried fruit is also eaten with almonds or walnuts as a dessert. Raisins, dried figs and apricots are the most widespread dried fruits.

Kaymak (clotted cream-butter) is often served with desserts to cut through their sweetness.

Turkish tea or Turkish coffee, with or without sugar, is usually served after dinner or, more rarely, together with desserts.

Meat dishes

thumb|250px|[[Karnıyarık]]

thumb|250px|[[Kokoretsi|Kokoreç in Ankara]]

thumb|250px|[[Pastirma and sucuks]]

  • Tantuni – similar to dürüm, meat cut in very small pieces, served in lavash, a specialty from the Mersin province of Turkey.
  • Kuzu güveç – lamb cooked in earthenware casserole called güveç.
  • Pastırmalı kuru fasulye – white kidney bean stew with pastırma.
  • Kuzu kapama – spring lamb stewed.
  • Haşlama – boiled lamb with vegetables and lemon juice.
  • Kavurma – which means frying, roasting or parching in Turkish, is generally used for roasted lamb or a variety of fried meat dishes. Çoban kavurma is a variety of it, prepared with diced lamb with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, peppers and herbs. Kavurma is one of the favorite dishes of Ramadan.
  • Alinazik – home-style Turkish kebab variety with its unique mashed eggplant base as a specialty of the Gaziantep province.
  • Hünkârbeğendi – the name means that the sovereign/sultan liked it; the dish consists of a puree of grilled eggplant with kaşar cheese, topped with cubed lamb meat.
  • Türlü – a stew of vegetables and meat cooked in güveç-casserole.
  • Külbastı
  • Ankara tava (pilav with lamb)
  • Elbasan tava
  • Tandır –Without adding any water, the meat is cooked very slowly with a special technique.
  • İncik – lamb shank cooked in the oven.
  • Boraniye – broad bean/spinach/squash boraniye, vegetables cooked together with meat, yoğurt and chickpea.
  • Karnıyarık Terbiyeli sulu köfte is another meatball speciality cooked with flour, tomato paste and water into which lemon and egg sauce is added.
  • Sucuk – is a form of raw sausage (usually cooked before eating, made with beef and a range of spices, and garlic) commonly eaten with breakfast. Instead of classical sausages (sosis), sucuk is the most used ingredient for snacks and fast-food-style toasts and sandwiches in Turkey.
  • Pastırma – is another well-known beef speciality. Both pastırma and sucuk can be put in kuru fasulye ('dry beans') to enrich the aroma. Both can be served as a meze as well. Sucuk or pastırma with scrambled eggs, served in a small pan called a sahan, is eaten at breakfast in Turkey.
  • Kokoreç (the intestines of sheep) – with spices is a traditional low-price fast food in Turkey.
  • Liver – is fried in Turkish cuisine. Arnavut ciğeri (meaning "Albanian liver"), served with onion and sumac, is usually eaten as a meze, in combination with other mezes such as fava. Edirne ciğeri is another well-known liver dish from Edirne. Liver is first frozen so that it can be cut into very thin layers. After being cut off, liver layers are fried.
  • Kelle (roasted sheep's head)
  • Kuzu etli enginar (artichokes with lamb)
  • Etli taze fasulye (green beans stew with meat)
  • Etli bamya (okra with meat)
  • İşkembeli nohut (chickpea with tripe)
  • Piliç dolma (stuffed chicken with spice filling)

Kebabs

thumb|right|[[Döner kebap being sliced]]

Kebab refers to a great variety of meat-based dishes in Turkish cuisine. Kebab in Turkey encompasses not only grilled or skewered meats, but also stews and casseroles.

right|thumb|Alinazik kebab over garlic-eggplant puree with vermicelli rice pilaf, grilled tomato and green bell pepper

right|thumb|[[İskender kebap]]

  • Adana kebap or kıyma kebabı – kebab with hand-minced meat mixed with chili on a flat wide metal skewer (shish); associated with Adana region although very common all over Turkey.
  • Ali Paşa kebabı, 'Ali Pasha kebab' – cubed lamb with tomato, onion and parsley wrapped in phillo.
  • Döner kebab
  • Hünkâri kebabı, 'Sultan's kebab' – sliced lamb meat mixed with patlıcan beğendi (aubergine purée), basil, thyme and bay leaf.

thumb|Selection of fish and seafood on display at a fish market

  • anchovy
  • sardine
  • bonito
  • gilt-head bream or
  • red mullet
  • sea bass
  • whiting or
  • haddock
  • swordfish
  • Black Sea turbot
  • red pandora
  • jack mackerel
  • white grouper
  • bluefish

Meze

thumb|A plate of Turkish meze

Meze is a selection of food served as the appetizer course with or without drinks. Some of them can be served as a main course as well.

Aside from olive, mature kaşar kashar cheese, white cheese, various mixed pickles turşu, frequently eaten Turkish mezes include:

thumb|A bowl of [[Tzatziki|cacık, the original form of seasoned, diluted yoğurt with chopped cucumber, eaten throughout the former Ottoman world, under different names, like the tarator and tzatziki of the Balkans]]

thumb|right|A plate of piyaz

  • Arnavut ciğeri (literally "Albanian liver") – fried liver cubes served with onion, parsley and hot pepper.
  • Roka (arugula) salatası
  • Patlıcan salatası – eggplant salad.
  • Piyaz – white bean salad with onion and vinegar.
  • Şakşuka or in another version köpoğlu – fried and chopped eggplants and peppers served with garlic yogurt or tomato sauce.
  • Bakla ezmesi – hummus prepared from broad bean.
  • Barbunya pilaki – borlotti beans cooked with garlic, tomato paste, carrot and olive oil.
  • Borani
  • Börek – very thin dough layers stuffed with cheese, meat or vegetables.
  • Cacık – cucumber with yogurt, dried mint and olive oil.
  • Cevizli biber – a meze prepared with walnut, red pepper, pepper paste, onion and cumin.
  • Çerkez tavuğu (literally 'Circassian chicken')
  • Ahtapot (octopus) – served as a salad or grilled in sea towns.
  • Çiğ köfte – raw meat patties, similar to steak tartare, prepared with ground beef (sometimes lamb) and fine-ground bulgur; a vegetarian version using tomato paste is known as etsiz çiğ köfte (literally "meatless raw meatballs").
  • Fasulye pilaki – white beans cooked with garlic, tomato paste, carrot and olive oil.
  • İçli köfte (also known as 'oruk') – served either as a meze or a main dish; especially in the east of Turkey, when it is cooked through boiling in a pot, içli köfte is served as a main dish.
  • Kabak çiçeği dolması – stuffed zucchini blossoms, a kind of dolma.
  • Kalamar (calamari) – fried or grilled, served with tarator sauce.
  • Kızartma – various fried vegetables (eggplants, peppers, courgettes) served with yogurt or tomato-and-garlic sauce.
  • Lakerda – pickled bonito traditionally served with raki at taverns.
  • Muhammara: see Acuka
  • Oruk: see İçli köfte
  • Sigara böreği – feta or hot dogs wrapped in phyllo dough and fried.

Pastries

thumb|Lahmacun ready to be served

thumb|Variety of börek with cheese, potato, spinach and many other fillings

Turkish cuisine has a range of savoury and sweet pastries. Dough-based specialties form an integral part of traditional Turkish cuisine.

The use of layered dough is rooted in the nomadic character of early Central Asian Turks. The combination of domed metal sač and oklava (the Turkish rod-style rolling pin) enabled the invention of the layered dough style used in börek (especially in su böreği, or 'water pastry', a salty baklava-like pastry with cheese filling), güllaç and baklava.

|-

|colspan=2|Bulgur pilavı

|A cereal food generally made of durum wheat. Most of the time, tomato, green pepper and minced meat are mixed with bulgur. The Turkish name (bulgur pilavı) indicates that this is a kind of rice but it is, in fact, wheat.

|-

|colspan=2|Perde pilavı

|Rice with chicken, onion and peanuts enveloped in a thin layer of dough, topped with almonds

|-

|colspan=2|Hamsili pilav

|Spiced rice covered with anchovies, cooked in an oven. A speciality from the Black Sea Region.

|-

|colspan=2|Frik pilavı

|Rice made of burnt wheat. A speciality from Antioch/Antakya.

|-

|colspan=2|Manti

|Turkish pasta that consists of folded triangles of dough filled with minced meat, often with minced onions and parsley. It is typically served hot topped with garlic yogurt and melted butter or warmed olive oil, and a range of spices such as oregano, dried mint, ground sumac, and red pepper powder. The combination of meat-filled dough with yogurt differentiates it from other dumplings such as tortellini, ravioli, and Chinese wonton. Manti is usually eaten as a main dish. Minced chicken and quail meats are also used to prepare mantı in some regions of Turkey.

|-

|colspan=2|Erişte

|Homemade pasta is called "erişte" in Turkey. It can be combined with vegetables but it can also be used in soups and rice.

|-

|colspan=2|Keşkek

|A meat and wheat (or barley) stew

|-

|colspan=2|Kuskus

|The Turkish version of couscous, which can be served with any meat dish or stew

|}

Salads

thumb|right|[[Çoban salatası]]

thumb|right|[[Kısır]]

  • Acılı ezme – hot spicy freshly mashed tomato with onion and green herbs.
  • Acuka (also known as 'muhammara') – a spread having both Circassian and Syrian origins, prepared with from Aleppo pepper paste, ground walnuts, tomato paste, bread crumbs, garlic, and spices.
  • Çoban salatası – a mixed salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, green peppers, and parsley.
  • Deniz börülcesi salatası – a salad made with young shoots of Salicornia europaea (also called common glasswort or marsh samphire), garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.
  • Ezme – red pepper, onion, garlic, parsley leaves with tomato paste. The salad is seasoned with lemon, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper.
  • Fava – broad/horse bean puree.
  • Gavurdağı salatası
  • Hardalotu – mustard plant salad.
  • Haydari
  • Humus (from the Arabic for "chickpea") – a spread prepared from sesame tahini, chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.
  • Karides (shrimp) – served as a salad, grilled, or stewed with vegetables in a güveç (a casserole).
  • Kısır (also known as 'sarma içi') – a very popular meze or side dish prepared with fine-ground bulgur, tomato paste, parsley, onion, garlic, sour pomegranate juice and a lot of spices.
  • Semizotu (summer purslane) salatası – served with yogurt.
  • Soslu patlıcan – cubed eggplant served in a sauce of olive oil and tomato.
  • Tarama – a spread made with fish roe.
  • Turp otu salatası
  • Zeytin piyazi – olives and green onion salad.

Soups

A Turkish meal usually starts with a thin soup (çorba). Soups are usually named after their main ingredient, the most common types being mercimek (lentil) çorbası, yogurt, and wheat (often mashed) called tarhana çorbası. Delicacy soups are the ones that are usually not the part of the daily diet, such as İşkembe soup and paça çorbası, although the latter also used to be consumed as a nutritious winter meal. Before the popularisation of the typical Turkish breakfast, soup was the default morning meal for some people.

The most common soups in Turkish cuisine are:

thumb|[[Yayla çorbası, also known as yogurt soup]]

thumb|[[Ezogelin soup|Ezogelin lentil soup]]

thumb|[[İşkembe]]

  • Analı kızlı soup
  • Yayla çorbası
  • Erişte aşı
  • Buğday aşı/Ayran çorbası – which is served cold.
  • Corba
  • Domates çorbası (tomato soup)
  • Düğün çorbası (wedding soup)
  • Ekşi Aşı
  • Mercimek çorbası - (lentil soup)
  • Ezogelin çorbası - another lentil soup
  • İşkembe çorbası
  • Karalahana çorbası - soup with cabbage and kidney beans
  • Keledoş
  • Mahluta
  • Paça
  • Pazı
  • Şehriye
  • Sheep's sorrel soup
  • Sulu köfte
  • Sumak aşı
  • Tarhana çorbası
  • Tavuk (chicken soup) – with almond it becomes bademli tavuk.
  • Toyga soup
  • Trabzon Balık çorbası
  • Tutmaç (noodles soup with chickpeas and green lentils)
  • Yüksük çorbası (contains flour, eggs, salt, tomato paste and plum syrup)
  • Arabaşı çorbası

Stuffed dishes

thumb|left|[[Dolma and sarma platter]]

Stuffed dishes, known as dolma and sarma, are a fundamental part of Turkish cuisine, offering a rich variety of flavors and textures.

Dolma is a verbal noun of the Turkish verb dolmak 'to be stuffed (or filled)', and means simply 'stuffed thing'. Vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants are commonly filled with seasoned rice, herbs, pine nuts, and currants or minced meat, as seen in biber dolması, while grape (yaprak sarma) or cabbage leaves (lahana sarma) are wrapped around similar fillings. Hearty meat-based dishes include tavuk dolması (stuffed chicken) and hindi dolması (stuffed turkey), both filled with rice, nuts, and dried fruits, as well as kaz dolması (stuffed goose) and kuzu dolması (stuffed lamb), slow-cooked to tender perfection. Other specialties like içli köfte feature crispy bulgur shells filled with spiced meat and walnuts, while seafood lovers enjoy midye dolma (stuffed mussels) with rice and herbs. Melon dolma along with quince or apple dolma was one of the palace's specialties (raw melon stuffed with minced meat, onion, rice, almonds, cooked in an oven). In contemporary Turkey, a wide variety of dolma and sarma is prepared. Although it is not possible to give an exhaustive list of recipes; courgette ("kabak"), aubergine ("patlıcan"), tomato ("domates"), pumpkin ("balkabağı") and chard ("pazı"), constitute some. A different type of dolma is mumbar dolması, for which the membrane of intestines of sheep is filled up with a spicy rice pilav-nut mixture.

Sarma is also a verbal noun of the Turkish verb sarmak 'to wrap', and means simply 'wrapped/wrapping'. Dolma and sarma have a special place in Turkish cuisine. They can be eaten either as a meze or a main dish. They can be cooked either as a vegetable dish or meat dish. If a meat mixture is put in, they are usually served hot with yogurt and spices such as oregano and red pepper powder with oil. If the mixture is vegan, only olive oil, rice or bulgur are used, with some nuts and raisins inside, especially blackcurrant. Zeytinyağlı yaprak sarması (stuffed leaves with olive oil) is the sarma made with vine leaves stuffed with a rice-spice mixture and cooked with olive oil. This type of dolma does not contain meat, is served cold and also referred to as sarma, which means "wrapping" in Turkish. Dried fruit such as blackcurrant, raisins, figs or cherries, and cinnamon and allspice used to be added into the mixture to sweeten zeytinyağlı dolma in Ottoman cuisine. Vine leaves (yaprak) could be filled not only with rice and spices but also with meat and rice, etli yaprak sarma, in which case it was often served hot with yogurt. The word sarma is also used for some types of desserts, such as fıstık sarma (wrapped pistachio).

Vegetable dishes

thumb|Assortment of [[zeytinyağlılar]]

thumb|Assortment of [[turşu]]

A vegetable dish can be a main course in a Turkish meal. A large variety of vegetables are used, such as spinach, leek, cauliflower, artichoke, cabbage, celery, eggplant, green and red bell peppers, string beans and sunchokes. A typical vegetable dish is prepared with a base of chopped onions and carrots sautéed first in olive oil and later with tomatoes or tomato paste. The vegetables and hot water will then be added, and frequently spoonfuls of rice and lemon juice as well. Vegetable dishes are usually served with the cooking water, and are thus called in colloquial Turkish sulu yemek (literally "a dish with juice"). Minced meat can also be added to a vegetable dish, but vegetable dishes that are cooked with olive oil (zeytinyağlılar) are often served cold and do not contain meat. Spinach, leeks, string beans and artichokes with olive oil are among the most widespread dishes in Turkey.

Stuffed vegetables are called dolma. Many vegetables are stuffed, most typically green peppers (biber dolması), eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini (courgettes) (kabak dolması), and vine leaves (yaprak dolması) pickled in brine. Many other vegetables and fruits are stuffed with a meat or pilav mixture. For example, artichoke dolma (enginar dolması) is an Aegean region specialty. Dolma may be stuffed with parts of the vegetable carved out for preparation, pilav with spices or minced meat.

İmam bayıldı is a version of karnıyarık with no minced meat inside. It can be served as a meze as well. Another popular dish of Arabic origin (the Levant region) is baba ghanoush (also called abugannush), a purée of smoked eggplants with tahini sauce.

thumb|[[Mercimek köftesi, lentil balls]]

thumb|[[Mücver]]

Mercimek köftesi, although being named köfte, does not contain any meat. Instead, red lentils are the major ingredient, together with spring onion, tomato paste, and other ingredients.

Mücver is prepared with grated squash, courgette or potatoes mixed with egg, onion, dill or cheese and flour. It can be fried or baked.

Pilav can be served either as a side dish or main dish; bulgur pilavı (pilav made of bulgur) is also widely eaten.

Legumes are commonly used, especially kidney beans, chickpeas, fava beans, and red and green lentils. Dishes made with kuru fasulye (white beans), nohut (chickpeas), mercimek (lentils), börülce (black-eyed peas), or other legumes, combined with onion, vegetables, minced meat, tomato paste and rice, have always been common due to being economical and nutritious.

Turşu are pickles made with brine, usually with garlic added. It is often enjoyed as an appetizer. A variety of vegetables are used, from cucumber to courgette. In towns on the Aegean coast, the water of turşu is consumed as a drink. The name comes from the Persian "torshi", which refers to pickled "torsh" (sour) vegetables.

Siron, usually made in areas of Elazig and Sivas by layering flatbread with yogurt and butter, creating a savory and rich flavor.

Street food

thumb|Balık-ekmek

thumb|Midye dolma

  • Dondurma – Turkish ice cream
  • Buzlu badem – Iced almonds
  • Midye – fried or stuffed mussels
  • Taze ceviz – fresh walnuts
  • Gözleme – thin flatbread called yufka stuffed with potato, white or kaşar cheese, spinach, ground meat or other ingredients, with or without spices, traditionally cooked over a sač (traditional cooking equipment)
  • Kokoreç
  • Balık ekmek – fish sandwich
  • Sucuk ekmek
  • Köfte ekmek
  • Kumpir – a baked potato served with kaşar cheese and many other toppings
  • Lokma – fried balls made of yeast-leavened dough, oil, sugar syrup or honey
  • Közde mısır – roasted corn
  • Kestane – roasted chesnuts
  • Simit
  • Macun
  • Bici bici – starch cubes covered with shaved ice with syrup and fruit

Beverages

Alcoholic beverages

thumb|right|Toasting with rakı, in typical rakı glasses

thumb|A Turkish beer brand, Efes Pilsen

Although the majority of Turks profess the Islamic religion, alcoholic beverages are as widely available as anywhere. Rakı (pronounced [ɾaˈkɯ]) is the most popular alcoholic drink in Turkey.

There are a few local brands of lager such as Bomonti, Marmara 34 and Efes Pilsen and a small selection of international beers that are produced in Turkey such as Skol, Beck's, Miller, Foster's, Carlsberg and Tuborg. In Turkey, craft beers became popular in present-day; Gara Guzu, Feliz Kulpa, Pablo and Graf are some Turkish craft beer brands.

There are a variety of local wines produced by Turkish brands such as Sevilen, Kavaklıdere, Doluca, Corvus, Kayra, Pamukkale and Diren which are getting more popular with the change of climatic conditions that affect the production of wine. A range of grape varieties are grown in Turkey. For the production of red wine, the following types of grapes are mainly used; in the Marmara Region, Pinot noir, Adakarası, Papazkarası, Semillion, Kuntra, Gamay, Cinsault; in the Aegean Region, Carignane, Çalkarası, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet; in the Black Sea Region and the eastern part of the country, Öküzgözü, Boğazkere; in Central Anatolia, Kalecik Karası, Papazkarası, Dimrit; in the Mediterranean Region, Sergi Karası, Dimrit. As for white wine, the grapes can be listed as follows; in the Marmara Region, Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillion, Beylerce, Yapıncak; in the Aegean Region, muscat and semillion; in the Black Sea Region, Narince; in Central Anatolia, Emir, Goat Cheese. In addition to mass production, it is quite popular to produce wines in private farms and sell them in the locality. Visitors can find different "home made" wines in Central Anatolia (Kapadokya/Cappadocia region – Nevşehir), the Aegean coast (Selçuk and Bozcaada (an island in the Aegean Sea)).

Ankara was the first and only whiskey produced in Turkey. Its production started in 1964 and ended in 2011.

Non-alcoholic beverages

thumb|left|[[Turkish tea]]

At breakfast and all day long Turkish people drink black tea (çay). Tea is made with two teapots in Turkey. Strong bitter tea made in the upper pot is diluted by adding boiling water from the lower. Turkish coffee (kahve) is usually served after meals or with dessert.

Ayran (yogurt drink) is the most common cold beverage, which may accompany almost all dishes in Turkey, except those with fish and other seafood. It is a mix of yogurt and water, similar to lassi. It may be served with salt, according to taste.

Şalgam suyu (mild or spicy fermented black carrot juice) is another important non-alcoholic beverage that is usually combined with kebabs or served together with rakı.

thumb|Turkish coffee

Boza is a traditional winter drink, which is also known as millet wine (served cold with cinnamon and sometimes with leblebi).

Sahlep is another favorite in winter (served hot with cinnamon). Sahlep is extracted from the roots of wild orchids and may be used in Turkish ice cream as well. This was a popular drink in western Europe before coffee was brought from Africa and came to be widely known.

Limonata (lemonade) is very popular. It is traditionally served with baklava and other sweets. Sometimes lemonade is served with strawberry flavoring. This is called çilekli limonata.

Sherbet (Turkish şerbet, pronounced ) is a syrup which can be made from any of a wide variety of ingredients, especially fruits, flowers, or herbs. Examples include pears, quinces, strawberries, apples, cornelian cherry, pomegranates, oranges, rose petals, rose hips, or licorice and spices. Sherbet is drunk diluted with cold water.

Lohusa şerbeti is a beverage usually given to women after childbirth.

In classical Turkish cuisine, hoşaf (from the Persian "Khosh-ab", meaning "fresh water") alternatively accompanies meat dishes and pilav (pilaf).

Turkish chefs

  • Hakki Akdeniz
  • Salt Bae
  • Emel Başdoğan
  • CZN Burak
  • Ebru Demir
  • Mehmet Gürs
  • Deniz Orhun
  • Kadir Nurman
  • Selin Kiazim
  • Silvena Rowe
  • Somer Sivrioğlu
  • Ismail Tosun
  • Fatih Tutak
  • Hüseyin Özer
  • Ottoman cuisine
  • Balkan cuisine
  • Albanian cuisine
  • Bosnian cuisine
  • Bulgarian cuisine
  • Hungarian cuisine
  • Macedonian cuisine
  • Moldovan cuisine
  • Montenegrin cuisine
  • Romani cuisine
  • Romanian cuisine
  • Serbian cuisine
  • Armenian cuisine
  • Azerbaijani cuisine
  • Central Asian cuisine
  • Kazakh cuisine
  • Kyrgyz cuisine
  • Turkmen cuisine
  • Uzbek cuisine
  • Mediterranean cuisine
  • Algerian cuisine
  • Cypriot cuisine
  • Egyptian cuisine
  • Greek cuisine
  • Sephardic Jewish cuisine
  • Middle Eastern cuisine
  • Assyrian cuisine
  • Iranian cuisine
  • Iraqi cuisine
  • Kurdish cuisine
  • Levantine cuisine
  • Israeli cuisine
  • Jordanian cuisine
  • Lebanese cuisine
  • Palestinian cuisine

See also

  • Osman Güldemir
  • Nevin Halıcı
  • Mangal

References

Bibliography

  • Budak, Süheyl, Antakya Mutfağı, Hatay 2008, (1996 edition).
  • Antakya-cuisine with Süheyl Budak and 75 ladies
  • Gürsoy, Deniz, Turkish Cuisine in Historical Perspective, Istanbul, 2006. .
  • Halıcı, Nevin, Konya Yemek Kültürü ve Konya Yemekleri, Istanbul 2005. .
  • Halıcı, Nevin, Sufi Cuisine, Saqi 2005.
  • Lambraki, Mirsini & Akın, Engin, Aynı Sofrada İki Ülke, Türk ve Yunan Mutfağı, Istanbul 2003. .
  • Roden, Claudia, A New Book of Middle Eastern Food, 2000. .
  • Şavkay, Turgut, Halk Mutfağımız Geleneksel Tatlarımızdan Seçmeler, Istanbul 2005. .
  • Şavkay, Turgut, Turkish Cuisine, Istanbul 2003.
  • Ünsal, Artun & Süt, Uyuyunca, Türkiye Peynirleri, Istanbul. .
  • Ünsal, Artun & Silivrim, Kaymak, Türkiye'nin Yoğurtları, Istanbul 2007. .
  • Yerasimos, Marianna, Osmanlı Mutfağı, Istanbul 2002; published in English as 500 Years of Ottoman Cuisine.
  • Zubaida, Sami & Tapper, Richard, A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East, London and New York, 1994 and 2000. .
  • Turkish Cultural Foundation - Turkish Cuisine Portal
  • Cornucopia recipe index - Cookery Listing
  • "Turkish Cousine" (Study In Turkey)