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15 Lip-Smacking Turkish Foods You Should Not Miss On Your Trip

Turkish Food

Turkish foods are combined with multiple recipes from the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia. Turkish cuisines rely less on seasoning, instead, they are focused more on delicious and fresh ingredients and are prepared with perfection.

Whether it is the main course, starters, desserts, or juices, the unique Turkish dishes will satisfy your taste buds, but you’ll end up asking for more.

Though Turkey may be famous for kebabs and koftas, there is a diverse variety of cuisines to try beyond that.

In this article, we have listed the 15 most popular yet delicious Turkish foods, that you must take a bite of while on a trip to Turkey.

1. Inegol Kofte

Inegol Kofte

One of the most unique Turkish foods, the Inegol Kofte is among the 300 meatball varieties in Turkish cuisine. Each meatball is unique in its own way, and Inegol is the best known among all.

Mustafa Efendi invented these koftas after he migrated to Inegol in the early 19th century. Inegol Kofte is prepared using ground beef or lamb meat. It is usually served with breadcrumbs, that are seasoned with onions.

Price: 19 TL

Best Places To Eat Inegol Kofte:

  • Haci Aziz Inegol KOftecisi, Burhaniye, Istiklal
  • Besler Inegol Koftecisi, Osmaniye, Altay
  • Orhan Inegol Koftecisi, Bursa Yolu Org. San. Böl. Girişi
  • Zeynel Inegol Koftecisi, Suleymaniye, Bursa Eskisehir Yolu

Also Read: 15 Amazing French Foods To Eat While On A Trip To France

2. Gozleme

Gozleme

Gozleme is a popular Turkish snack that is available all over the country, thus quite easy to find. It is the perfect dish to eat in Turkey while you are in a hurry.

The hand-rolled flatbread contains meat, cheese, and vegetable fillings. It is also available in other variations like spinach and cheese.

Price: 75 TL

Best Places To Eat Gozleme:

  • Gozleme Point, Fatih, Istanbul
  • Yigit Sofram Gozleme ve Kahvalti, Beyoglu, Istanbul
  • Yayla Gozleme Caglarcakoyu, Koyaalti, Antalya
  • Sema Gozleme, Fethiye, Mugla

3. Hamsili Pilaf

Hamsili Pilaf

Hamsili is basically a European anchovy under which the oven-baked pilav is encased. The pilaf is prepared with long-grain rice and includes ingredients like pine nuts, onions, mint, raisins, and lemon juice.

The pilaf is then covered under the anchovy and cooked in the oven for 25 minutes at 180 degrees.

Price: 52 TL

Best Places To Eat Hamsili Pilaf:

  • Hayvore, Istiklal Caddesi Turnacibasi Sok, Istanbul
  • Tarihi Kalkanoglu Pilavi, Pazarkapi, Tophane Cami
  • Sahin Lokantasi, Asmali Mescit, Orhan Adli Apaydin
  • Fafuly Karadeniz Mutfagi, Bahcelievler, Cevdat Bilsay

4. Lahmacun

Lahmacun

The name Lahmacun is derived from the Arabic word “Lahm-i acini”. Also known as “Turkish Pizza”, Lahmacun generally has salad, minced meat, and lemon juice topping.

It is a famous Turkish Street food that is available across every city in Turkey. It can be eaten with tomato or garlic paste depending on the customer’s request.

Price: 9 TL

Best Places To Eat Lahmacun :

  • Baran Lahmacun, Beyoglu
  • Halil Lahmacun, Kadikoy
  • Mevlana Kebap Lahmacun, Fatih
  • Tatbak, Sisli

Also Read: Top 7 Food Destinations For The Crazy Food Lovers

5. Iskender Kebab

Iskender Kebab

Iskender Kebab is among the most popular Turkish foods in the northwest region. It would be unfair if you leave Turkey without trying Bursa’s traditional kebab.

The dish was first introduced in 1867 by a man named Iskender. He prepared this dish for the workers in Bursa’s Kayhan Bazaar.

Price: 24.75 TL

Best Places To Eat Iskender Kebab: Bursa, Marmara

6. Dondurma

Dondurma

Though it appears like an ordinary ice cream, the texture of Dondurma that differs from any other ice cream in the world.

The ice cream does melt, unlike normal ice cream. These unique qualities are enough to convince travelers.

Dondurma is made with milk, sahlep and mastic. Sahlep is the floor made from orchids and mastic is natural gum taken from the Pisacia Lentiscus tree.

Best Places To Eat Dondurma :

  • Mini Dondurma, Besiktas
  • Vero Gelato Caddebostan, Kadikoyi
  • Damla Dondurma, Sisli
  • Bena Ice Cream, Fatih

7. Perde Pilaf

Perde Pilaf

Perde Pilaf is a rice dish that is wrapped under buttery dough and later baked in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. It is a traditional rice dish of Siirt town.

The rice dish contains chicken, almonds, currants, and pine nuts. The seasoning is done using salt and other spices.

The traditional dish is generally prepared for weddings as its shape symbolizes building a new home. The rice can be considered a symbol of fertility and the currant as a future generation.

Best Places To Eat Perde Pilaf:

  • Tarihi Kakanoglu Pilavcisi, Beyoglu
  • Siirt Seref Buryan
  • Mato Et Restraunt

8. Pide

Pide

The most favorite dish among locals, Pide is one of the tastiest Turkish foods that originated in the Black Sea.

In this dish, the dough balls are stretched out making a perfect base for filling.

It is cooked in an oven fired with wood, higher the temperature, crunchier the base will be.

Best Places To Eat Pide:

  • Karadeniz Kardesler Pide Kebab, Sultanahmet, Fatih
  • Ozlem Karadeniz Pide Kebap Salonu
  • Hocapasa Pidecisi, Fatih

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9. Manti

Manti

Manti is the traditional Turkish dumplings having ground and spiced fillings. It is topped with a sauce made up of yogurt and garlic paste.

The dish originally originated in Central Asia and was later brought to Turkey by some Turkish nomads in the early 13th century.

Today, Manti is not only popular in Turkey but also in Afghanistan, Armenia, and Central Asian counties.

Best Places To Eat Manti:

  • Askana Manti ULUS, Besiktas
  • Terrace Manti, Besiktas
  • Ege Manti, Bodrum

10. Cag Kebab

Cag Kebab

Cag Kebab is a lamb cag kebab that takes around 12 hours to marinate. The meat is rubbed with a mixture containing onions, black pepper, and salt.

It is marinated for half a day and cooked horizontally on a long skewer. The kebab can be served wrapped under bread with a slice of onions and tomatoes.

Best Places To Eat Cag Kebab:

  • Sehzade Cag Kebap, Fatih
  • Koc Cag Kebap, Muratpasa, Antalya

Also Read: 18 Food Paradise Places for travellers

11. Ekmek kadayifi

Ekmek kadayif

Ekmek kadayifi is yet another dessert that is worth adding to the list of best Turkish foods.

The delicious Turkish dessert can be described as a combination of bread pudding and baklava. It is available all over the country including in some top restaurants to cafes.

It is quite easy to make this dessert as you can buy ready-made Ekmek Kadayifi from any supermarket.

Best Places To Eat Ekmek kadayifi:

  • Hafiz Mustafa, Fatih
  • Dogan Kaymakli Kadayfi Ankara, Cankaya
  • Dogan Cream Kadayif, Seyhan

12. Baklava

Baklava

Baklava is a sweet pastry that originated in the Anatolia region. It is made with multiple fillings including honey syrup and chopped nuts.

Being a popular Turkish dessert, baklava is prepared during the Ramadan month and Eid Ul-Fitr by the Muslim community. It is also famous among Christians but is made for Christmas celebrations and Pascha(Easter).

Best Places To Eat Baklava:

  • Karakoy Gulluoglu, Beyoglu
  • Ulaslioglu Baklava, Fethiye
  • Arnavutkoy Baklavacisi, Besiktas

Also Read: 15 Most Instagrammable Spots In Turkey: Photoshoot Spots That Are Not Be Missed 

13. Keskek

Keskek

Keskek holds very high significance for being a part of Turkey’s cultural Heritage. The dish is prepared using cracked meat and wheat that is put together in a cauldron and cooked for hours.

It is a combination of wheat with either lamb meat or chicken. Traditionally, Keskek is a wedding dish and is also prepared during religious festivals in the Anatolia province.

In 2011, Keskek was included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in Turkey.

Best Places To Eat Keskek:

  • Ozbek Keskek Evi, Urla, Izmir
  • Askerin Yeri Piknik, Selcuk, Izmir
  • Balmumu Dukkar Lokanta, Konak, Izmir

14. Islak Burger

Islak Burgers

Islak Burgers are traditional street food in Istanbul which literally means “wet burger”. It contains beef or lamb meat.

Islak burger is available across all parts of the country, but the best one is in fact Kizikayalar’s burger.

Price: 3 TL

Where: Kizilkayalar, Taksim Square, Istanbul

Also Read: 10 Mouth-Watering Street Foods In Indonesia That You Must Try

15. Borek

Borek

Borek is a baked pastry that contains sweet or savory filling wrapped under Yufka. Yufka is a thin sheet made with the dough after extreme stretching.

Borek was invented in Anatolia during the Ottoman reign. According to other sources, Borek may be much older and maybe originated during the Eastern Roman reign.

Best Places To Eat Borek:

  • Nazar Borek & Cafe, Goreme, Nevsehir Merkez
  • Meydan Borek, Fatih
  • Elde Borek, Besiktas
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