What Do Turks Eat? Best Typical Turkish Food to Try
What to Eat When Visiting Turkey?
Without a question, Turkish cuisine is one of the most famous cuisines in the world. It would be totally understood if you google "What Do Turks Eat?" or "What is typical Turkish Food?" or "What to Eat in Turkey?" before you start to your vacation. Turkish people are always glad to see that tourists/visitors enjoy the Turkish food they serve.
You should not expect to try or taste all the Turkish food since there are endless different kinds of Turkish dishes, sweets, side dishes, salads, appetizers and pastry. But we will explain you the most common Turkish eating habits, and most popular Turkish Food to try on your short visit.
Why is Turkish Food So Good?
Turkish food is so good because it's healthy, fresh, flavorful and delicious. It's also very diverse in terms of the ingredients that are used to make the food.
There is no secret ingredients in Turkish Food. Taste comes from the fresh fruits & vegetables and cooking habits.
Turkey has 4 seasons, Winter, summer, Autumn and Spring and each season is providing not only a nice atmosphere for the visitors but also allows Turkey's farmers to produce and plant almost any kind of vegetable and fruit in their gardens or in their greenhouses.
There are about 300 days of sun in the mediterranean region of Turkey, and it's the center of citrus fruits (orange, tangerine, grapefruit), tomatos and fresh vegetables.
Turkey is also world's no:5 olive oil producer and cooking with olive oil give the Turkish food additional deliciousness.
It's also very common to use the tail fat (fat rendered from sheep's tail) in some sorts of Turkish Kebab , such as the most famous Adana Kebab (spicy kebab) and Urfa kebab( non-spicy) while preparing them.
Spices like cumin, red chilli pepper, black pepper thyme, sumac and safran are commonly used spices in Turkish Cuisine. Cinnamon, anise, poppy seed, sesame seed, bkack cumin seed are also used widely when Turkish sweets and Turkish pastyr are being prepared.
Additionally, grape molasses was the main ingredient to prepare Turkish Sweets before sugar become available. Using honey instead of rafined sugar also increases the quality of Turkish Delights.
Turkish Meals and Famous Turkish Dishes
The typical Turkish food is a wide range of different dishes and flavors. The Turks have been influenced by many other cultures in the past and this has resulted in a variety of food.
Turkish food is mainly composed of vegetables and meat dishes that have been spiced with cumin, paprika or garlic.
Turkish cuisine is famous for its fresh ingredients, spices and herbs, as well as its use of olive oil. It’s one of the healthiest cuisines out there, but it also has some delicious treats like baklava and Turkish delight.
If you want to try some authentic Turkish dishes, then you should definitely visit Istanbul or any other major city in Turkey.
What Do Turks Eat?
There are many different things to eat in Turkey but some of the most popular dishes include kebabs (a dish made from meat cooked on a skewer), kofte (meatballs), borek (Turkish filled pastry) and baklava (pastry made with layers of filo dough filled with chopped nuts).
Turkish Food in Everyday Life
The most important aspect of Turkish food is that it's all about "eating healthy". This means that Turkish cuisine has a lot of vegetables, whole grains and fresh fruit.
Turkish meals are typically served with different courses called "meze" which can be shared among family members or friends.
Traditional Turkish dishes include kebabs, doner kebabs (turkish gyros), dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), pides (pizza-like bread) and much more.
The cuisine of Turkey is based on centuries of regional and international influences. Turks have long favoured red meat, and the religious prohibition against eating pork has not discouraged them from consuming other types.
Turkish people are a very social people and are even brought together by food. Turkish people have weekly meeting, which is known as mangal (Barbecue), with family and friends for as long as they have existed.
Traditional Turkish Meat Dishes
Turkish food is distinctive for its variations in tastes such as sweet, salty, and sour. It is also diverse in its variation of cooking styles such as grilled, fried, fried with spices or curries.
Some tasty dishes may include:
- Kebab - a dish that can be grilled or cooked on a skewer and consists of chunks of meat (lamb) mixed with vegetables and spices.
- Turkish meatballs - a dish that consists mainly of ground lamb mixed with egg and onion and then baked in tomato sauce.
- Pide kebab - kebab that can be made from a base dough of either filo pastry (yufka) or pre-made dough which is then topped with ground lamb to form meat patties which
Turkish Pastry
Turkish pastry is a type of dessert that has been around for centuries. These sweet delicacies are made up of an outer layer of dough and a filling that can be either sweet or savory.
What Do Turks Eat at the Breakfast?
Turkish breakfast usually consists of different types of breads, olives, jams and preserves. In addition to these food items, you may also find eggs or cheese on the table. Turkish people drink tea for breakfast and eat pastries called baklava for dessert.
A traditional Turkish breakfast usually consists of various types of breads and rolls, olives in oil and salt, jams and preserves of all kinds (especially figs), butter or margarine, cheese or eggs cooked in a variety of styles (such as scrambled eggs), tomatoes (usually sliced), cucumbers (also sliced), pickles such as hot peppers or cabbage in vinegar brine
Typical Turkish Sea Food
Turkish cuisine includes regional foods from various parts of the country. Turkish sea food is one of them. It is characterized by its freshness and original taste.
The most prominent examples would be Mediterranean style fish dishes, including common varieties such as swordfish, seabass as well as those from the Black Sea such as red mullet, whiting and eel.
Typical Turkish Soups
Turkish soup is one of the most popular dishes in Turkey. It is made with vegetables or meat broth, spices such as cumin, paprika, oregano or thyme and vegetables such as carrots or potatoes. Some recipes use rice to thicken the soup or add extra flavor and texture to it.
What Do Turks Eat as Sweet - Typical Turkish Sweets
Turkish baklava is a well-known Turkish dessert. It’s made with layers of phyllo dough and chopped nuts, often filled with pistachios or walnuts. The dough has to be paper-thin for the baklava to turn out properly.
There are many different versions of the recipe for Turkish baklava, but there is a general idea of what it should look like. On the bottom layer there should be a mixture of ground almonds, butter, sugar and honey or syrup. On top of that you need another layer made up of very thin sheets or phyllo pastry, which is layered with chopped nuts such as walnuts or pistachios.
Typical Turkish Drinks
Turkish beverages can be broadly divided into two main categories; alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Alcoholic drinks contain traces of ethanol from fermentation such as rakı, wine, beer and ayran (an unsweetened yogurt drink). On the other hand, non-alcoholic beverages do not contain any traces of ethanol such as tea (çay), black tea (kahve), soft drinks (soda), coffee (kahve) and mineral water (su).
