Few people know that Turkish cuisine is second only to French and Chinese in popularity. However, what is surprising here? Who hasn’t seen a kebab shop on the streets of their city in their life? There are not many such people left, but kebab is a national Turkish dish. So, today we propose to figure out what dishes a tourist should try while relaxing in the resorts of Turkey.
Turkish cuisine occupies a leading position on the world culinary map. The main hits are a variety of meat dishes, kebabs and sweets.
A typical breakfast in this country is berek: a thin puff pastry with cheese or spinach, such as Georgian khachapuri, tea or hot dog, airan or salep: hot tea infused with orchid. Sometimes fresh vegetables are added to the menu.
But the main thing is dinner. Not eating after six?.. Yes, this is all nonsense! Dinner among the Turks is the most dense and in hotels the buffets are full of various dishes for every taste.
Just like fat people. But, unlike fat America, the Turks are like cypress trees. Well, the Turks love pomp, what can you do?! However, these are all the tastes of the middle generation of mustachioed paunches. Young people without mustaches are increasingly oriented towards the European standard of long-legged “hangers” imposed by the media, approximately the same as the thin brown-eyed girl in Tarkan’s video.
The Turks are not very specialists in fish; the usual grill dominates here: freshly caught fish is fried on a grill in olive oil, sometimes with the addition of lemon juice. Mainly used are mackerel and perch. All other sea creatures are not very popular – they do not correspond to the Turkish worldview. Muslims are generally suspicious of all sorts of octopuses, crabs and other sea crawling creatures. Therefore, if the brochure of the hotel you choose indicates “Sea Cuisine”, you will not get seafood delicacies.
National dishes of Turkish cuisine
Turkish cuisine is multicultural, as the country has been influenced by Greek, Balkan, Arab and Caucasian cultures throughout its existence, and this is reflected in the cuisine. It is not surprising that, having collected all the best, the dishes of this country have become widely known throughout the world, fortunately there are a lot of Turks themselves in Europe and there is someone to promote the national product. But still, some products used in cooking in Europe are quite difficult to find, so original recipes are kept only in Turkish restaurants.
By the way, if you want to taste truly national dishes, order only in restaurants, and not at the hotel. Still, in the hotel the quality of products and approach to preparing dishes is completely different. However, if the hotel has a la-carte restaurant, you can try ordering dishes there.
Lahmajun
This is the name of pizza prepared in Turkish. It is a flatbread, on which minced meat, vegetables and spices are cut on top.
Kebabs
A flatbread, in which fried meat and a side dish are folded, that is, what we are used to on the streets of our cities, is called doner kebab. But this dish is considered a “business” product, since the original kebab is fried meat that falls on a flatbread, and does not curl up inside it. Döner kebab has become a victim of commercialization and has essentially become a fast food that can be consumed on the go.
There are several main types of kebabs.
Iskender kebab – thinly sliced lamb in tomato sauce with finely chopped flatbread pieces, melted butter and yogurt.
Shish kebab – traditional meat fried on a spit (lamb) with tomatoes and sweet peppers (very similar to our usual shish kebab).
Lula kebab is minced meat, skewered and grilled. Usually served with greens and pita bread.
It is difficult to say which type of kebab is worth trying in Turkey, but iskender kebab looks very appetizing according to the recipe.
Eggplant caviar
By the way, Türkiye is the birthplace of caviar … overseas, eggplant! The wife of Napoleon III was at one time so amazed by its taste that she instructed her cook to write down the recipe, but the Sultan’s colleague fooled the Frenchman so much that he left with nothing.
Eggplants (“patlyd-zhan”) are generally a favorite vegetable. Specialties are eggplants stuffed with lamb, eggplants stuffed with vegetable caviar (“imam-bayildy”). Among other vegetable dishes, popular are “zeytin-yali” – stewed beans with tomatoes and onions, and “dolma” (vegetables stuffed with rice). The same word also refers to a dish consisting of minced meat wrapped in grape leaves. They also actively eat pilaf (“pilaf”).
Eggplant dishes are easy to prepare and inexpensive, so you can try this dish in almost every hotel offering a buffet. Although real gourmets are better off going to a restaurant.
Soups
Merdzhimek choirboys is an incredibly tasty and fragrant red lentil soup, which is quite problematic to find in Europe.
In general, all soups here are very specific in taste. Many people like it, and some don’t. In hotels, by the way, they are no worse than restaurants (unlike meat).
Sweets
Sweets in Turkey are so sweet that not everyone with a sweet tooth will like it. But if you love desserts, then you will appreciate all the culinary products of this country.
Baklava are sweets soaked in syrup, based on dough with a pistachio or nut layer. Goes great with coffee or tea.
Lokum is the same delicacy that is usually brought from Turkey as souvenirs. It looks like a jelly cube made of sugar or honey with the addition of starch. The top is sprinkled with powdered sugar, nuts, pistachios, coconut flakes and other goodies.
