Turkish Dishes

Tavuk Pilav

A popular Turkish street food of rice pilaf cooked in chicken broth, served with a piece of chicken on top. Often includes chickpeas. Simple, filling, and affordable.

Tepsi Böreği

A tray-baked börek made by layering buttered phyllo sheets with fillings such as cheese, spinach, or seasoned ground meat. Baked until golden and cut into squares.

Testi Kebab

Testi Kebabı

A Cappadocian specialty where lamb, vegetables, and spices are slow-cooked inside a sealed clay pot, which is ceremonially cracked open at the table to serve.

Tombik Döner

A döner kebab variety where shaved rotisserie meat is stuffed inside a round, bun-shaped pide bread with a crispy crust and soft interior, typically served with vegetables.

Tulumba

Deep-fried ridged dough pieces made from choux-like batter, soaked in sweet syrup. Crispy on the outside, soft and syrupy inside. A popular Turkish street dessert.

Türk Kahvesi

Finely ground coffee prepared in a cezve (small pot) with water and sugar, served unfiltered with the grounds settling in the cup. A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tradition often served with lokum.

Türlü

A hearty Turkish vegetable stew often called 'Turkish ratatouille,' made with eggplant, zucchini, okra, green beans, potatoes, and onions in a tomato sauce, sometimes with lamb or beef.

Yayla Çorbası

A creamy yogurt-based soup named after the highland meadows of northern Turkey, made with rice, yogurt, egg yolks, butter, and mint. A popular comfort food for cold days.

Yuvarlama Çorbası

A laborious Gaziantep specialty of tiny spiced meatballs and chickpeas in a tangy strained yogurt broth, drizzled with minty olive oil. Traditionally prepared for Ramadan celebrations.

Çay

Turkish black tea brewed in a distinctive double teapot (çaydanlık) and served in small tulip-shaped glasses. Turkey's most consumed beverage, offered everywhere throughout the day.

Çiğ Börek

A half-moon-shaped fried börek popular among Turkey's Tatar community. Thin dough is filled with raw seasoned ground meat and onions, then deep-fried until golden.

Çiğ Köfte

Originally raw beef tartare mixed with bulgur and spices, but today almost always made meatless with fine bulgur, walnuts, tomato paste, and spices. Served wrapped in lettuce or lavash with lemon.

Çökertme Kebab

Çökertme Kebabı

A traditional kebab from Bodrum made with marinated veal strips served over fried potato matchsticks, topped with yogurt sauce and tomato sauce.

İmam Bayıldı

A classic Ottoman vegetarian dish of eggplant halves stuffed with a mixture of onions, tomatoes, garlic, and red peppers, braised in generous olive oil. The name means 'the imam fainted.'

İnegöl Köfte

Famous meatballs from İnegöl near Bursa, made with ground beef or lamb seasoned simply with onion and breadcrumbs, grilled to perfection. Invented by Mustafa Efendi in the 19th century.

İç Pilav

A flavorful Turkish pilaf made with rice, onions, currants, pine nuts, and aromatic spices including allspice and cinnamon. Often served as a side dish or used as stuffing for poultry.

Şalgam Suyu

A traditional fermented juice from southern Turkey made from purple carrots, turnips, bulgur, salt, and spices. Salty, sour, and often spicy, it's the traditional pairing for kebabs and lahmacun.