MUST-TRY Turkish Food
Traveling through Turkey is an insane fire of flavors. From the irresistible street food in Istanbul to the culinary capital of Gaziantep, this country is home to some of the most mouthwatering food on the planet.
For this trip, I teamed up with my friends from Culinary Backstreets to go deep into the culture. We ate flaming spicy bowls of bone soup for breakfast, hand-massaged balls of raw meat, and lamb baked underground until it melts in your mouth.
If you love to eat, this is the ultimate guide to Turkish cuisine. Here is the full story of our trip.
PART 1: ISTANBUL – WHERE THE CONTINENTS MEET
Fresh off the plane from Bangkok at 6:00 AM, we wasted no time. Istanbul is one of the world’s most delicious cities, and we had a lot of ground to cover.
Day 1: The Classics
1. The King of Breakfast: Kaymak We started on the European side near Istiklal Street. We went to a spot famous for their water buffalo farm.
- The Dish: Kaymak (Clotted Cream) with Honey.
- The Taste: Made from 100% buffalo milk, this is the thickest, richest cream you can imagine. They drizzle a generous amount of honey on top. When you dip the bread, the cream starts to melt into the honey. It is half liquid, half cream, and pure richness.
- Bonus: We also ate Sujuk (Turkish sausage) made from buffalo meat and eggs. The contrast of the spicy, salty sausage with the sweet honey cream was the perfect start.
2. Simit: The National Bread Next, we went to a bakery using a brick oven fired by wood.
- The Dish: Simit.
- The Experience: These are sesame-encrusted bread rings dipped in molasses before baking. Fresh out of the oven, they are smoky, crispy on the outside, and gooey on the inside. You eat this with a glass of Turkish tea. It is the ultimate “on-the-go” snack.
3. Lunch at Sahin Lokantasi We visited a Lokanta (tradesmen restaurant) dating back to 1967. This is home-style cooking where you choose from trays of ready-made food.
- The Dishes:
- Karnıyarık (Split Belly Eggplant): Eggplant stuffed with minced meat. It was so buttery and soft, it dissolved in my mouth.
- Beef Stew: Meat cooked with tomatoes and peppers.
- Artichoke Hearts: A symbol of spring in Turkey.
4. Menemen at Lades Just off Istiklal Street, we went for a second breakfast dish called Menemen.
- The Process: They cook peppers, tomatoes, and butter in a pan over a raging fire, crack in eggs, and scramble it all together.
- The Taste: It’s not just scrambled eggs; it’s an egg sauce. Juicy, creamy, and spicy. You dip your bread right into the pan.
5. The Pit-Roasted Lamb: Büryan Kebab In the Fatih district, we visited Siirt Şeref Büryan. This place has a “lamb zip line” that carries the meat from the basement pit to the serving floor.
- The Dish: Büryan Kebab.
- The Taste: They lower the lamb into a pit to bake. The ribs are placed in a pot underneath to catch the dripping fat, so they are essentially confited in lamb fat. The meat is so tender you don’t need teeth to eat it. We ate it with flatbread that soaked up all the grease. It was pure, unadulterated lamb flavor.
6. The Spice Market & Dinner We walked through the Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Market) to smell the dried chilies, coffee, and spices before heading to dinner at Zübeyir Ocakbaşı.
- The Experience: We sat right at the grill (Ocakbaşı) watching the master chef work.
- The Food:
- Grilled Liver: Almost no gamey flavor, served with parsley and sumac.
- Adana Kebab: Hand-minced spicy lamb grilled over charcoal. The flavor lingers in your mouth perfectly.
7. Late Night Street Food We ended the day in Beşiktaş with two classics:
- Tavuk Pilav: Chicken and rice with chickpeas. Simple, hearty comfort food.
- Midye Dolma: Mussels stuffed with aromatic rice and a squeeze of lemon. You can eat dozens of these in one standing.
Day 2: The Asian Side (Kadıköy)
We took a car across the bridge to the Asian side to explore the Kadıköy market.
1. Pickle Juice (Turşu Suyu) We stopped at a pickle shop to drink a glass of pickle juice. It’s a mix of beetroot and mixed vegetable brine. It’s salty, sour, and great for digestion.
2. Manti (Turkish Ravioli) We watched grandmothers hand-rolling dough to make Manti.
- The Dish: Tiny dumplings filled with meat, boiled, and topped with garlic yogurt, butter sauce, dried mint, sumac, and chili flakes.
- The Taste: A texture explosion. Hot dumplings, cold yogurt, spicy oil.
3. Lahmacun at Borsam This is often called “Turkish Pizza,” but it’s much thinner.
- The Dish: Lahmacun. Thin dough topped with minced meat, peppers, and onions, baked in a wood oven for just one minute.
- How to eat: Top with parsley, squeeze lemon, sprinkle sumac, roll it up like a burrito, and crunch down. Crispy, spicy, and fresh.
4. Kuru Fasulye at Çiya Sofrası We visited a legendary restaurant to eat Kuru Fasulye (White beans and rice). The beans are cooked in a rich tomato and butter sauce with shredded beef. It is the ultimate Turkish comfort food.
5. The Seafood Feast At a local fish market restaurant, we had:
- Shrimp Casserole: Shrimp baked in butter and garlic.
- Fried Horse Mackerel: Fried so crispy you eat the tail like a chip.
- Grilled Sea Bass: Perfectly cooked white fish.
6. Regional Specialties: Hatay Cuisine For dinner, we went to Çiya Sofrasi (again) to try dishes from the Hatay region.
- Clay Pot Lamb: A lamb leg marinated with garlic and pepper paste, sealed in a clay pot, and baked for hours. They cracked the pot open at the table.
- Künefe: The famous dessert. Shredded pastry dough, cheese, pistachios, and syrup baked until crispy.
7. Karadeniz Pide Late night stop: We tried Pide from the Black Sea region. It’s a boat-shaped dough filled with cheese and cured beef, baked, and topped with a raw egg yolk and a slice of butter. You dip the crust into the egg and cheese mixture. It is a calorie bomb of happiness.
Day 3: History & Street Food
It was a national holiday, so we spent the day exploring the Grand Bazaar and historic sites.
1. Döner at Şahin Usta Just outside the bazaar, we found a tiny shop serving Döner. The meat was layered with lamb fat, sliced thin, and served in bread with onions and sumac.
2. Dürüm inside the Bazaar We found a hidden charcoal grill inside the Grand Bazaar serving Dürüm (wraps). The lavash bread was toasted over the kebabs to absorb the fat. Simple and smoky.
3. Kokoreç This is a must-try: Lamb intestines wrapped around sweetbreads, grilled on a spit.
- The Process: They chop it finely on a griddle with peppers, oregano, and chili, then stuff it into a toasted loaf.
- The Taste: Crispy, fatty, spicy, and distinctively gamey.
4. Balık Ekmek (Fish Sandwich) By the Golden Horn, we ate the famous fish sandwich. Grilled mackerel fillets stuffed into bread with lettuce and onions, handed directly from a rocking boat.
5. Wet Burger (Islak Burger) In Taksim Square, we tried the famous “Wet Burger.” These are beef burgers soaked in a garlic tomato sauce and kept in a steam box. They are soggy, garlicky, and incredibly addictive.
6. Turkish Ice Cream We got the full show—the vendor tricking us with the sticky, stretchy ice cream (Dondurma).
Day 4: The Meat Finale in Istanbul
1. Bayramoğlu Döner We drove 30 minutes to eat at what is considered the best Döner in Istanbul. They use 100% wood fire to cook the meat. The meat is sliced paper-thin. It tastes like high-quality steak with a smoky BBQ finish.
2. Tantuni We crossed the Bosphorus by ferry to eat Tantuni. This is huge in the city of Mersin.
- The Dish: Minced beef boiled and then fried in cotton oil and paprika on a special griddle. Rolled in lavash with parsley and lemon. It is juicy and soft.
3. Beyti We ended our Istanbul leg at Beyti, a restaurant run by a living legend. The place looks like a museum.
- The Dish: Beyti Kebab. Lamb grilled, wrapped in lavash bread, topped with tomato sauce and yogurt, and drizzled with butter. It was elegant and flavorful.
PART 2: IZMIR – THE AEGEAN COAST
We flew to Izmir for a totally different vibe—sunny, coastal, and laid back.
1. Seafood Dinner We started with a seafood platter overlooking the sea.
- Stuffed Sardines: Deboned sardines stuffed with herbs and fried.
- Fish Kebab: Chunks of fish grilled on skewers.
2. The 100-Year-Old Bakery For breakfast, we visited Zeynel Ergin Gevrek Fırını.
- Kumru Sandwich: Made with a special chickpea yeast bread, filled with cheese, tomatoes, and spicy sausage.
- Gevrek: The Izmir version of Simit, boiled in molasses and covered in sesame.
3. Lokma We stopped for a sweet snack called Lokma. These are fried dough balls soaked in syrup. They are crunchy on the outside and burst with syrup when you bite them.
4. Kokoreç (Izmir Style) Izmir is famous for Kokoreç. Here, they chop it into larger chunks so you can really taste the lamb texture.
5. Söğüş (Cold Sheep Head) This is for the adventurous.
- The Dish: Cold boiled sheep head parts (tongue, cheek, brain, eye socket) chopped up with parsley, onions, and cumin, and wrapped in a cold tortilla.
- The Verdict: surprisingly refreshing and not scary at all.
6. Manisa Kebab We drove just outside the city to try Manisa Kebab. It’s a mix of beef and lamb meatballs served on butter-soaked bread with yogurt and tomato sauce.
PART 3: EPHESUS (History Break)
We rented a car and drove to the ancient city of Ephesus. We stopped for Gözleme (Turkish pancakes filled with meat and onions) on the way. Ephesus was mind-blowing. We walked the Marble Road, sat in the ancient amphitheater, saw the Library of Celsus, and visited the House of the Virgin Mary in the mountains above.
PART 4: GAZIANTEP – THE CULINARY CAPITAL
Next, we flew to Gaziantep. This city is a UNESCO World Heritage site for food.
1. Breakfast 1: Liver (Ciğer) In Antep, you eat liver for breakfast. We were at a cart at 7:00 AM. The liver was fresh, never frozen. Grilled on skewers and eaten in a wrap with peppers. It was sweet and tender.
2. Breakfast 2: Katmer The groom’s breakfast. The chef spun the dough until it was transparent, filled it with pistachios, sugar, and Kaymak (clotted cream), folded it like an envelope, and baked it. It is the most decadent pastry imaginable.
3. Breakfast 3: Beyran Soup This was the highlight. Metanet Lokantası.
- The Dish: Beyran.
- The Process: Lamb neck meat and rice are put in a metal bowl. They add garlic, red pepper flakes, and lamb fat. Then they blast it with high-pressure fire.
- The Taste: Spicy, garlicky, meaty liquid fire. Unbelievable.
4. Lunch: Nohut Dürüm (Chickpea Wrap) A popular street food. Fresh lavash bread filled with creamy, spicy chickpeas, French fries, and eggplant. Cheap, filling, and delicious.
5. Halil Usta We went to the most legendary kebab house in town.
- The Dish: Küşleme. This is the backstrap of the lamb (tenderloin). It is lean but incredibly tender. It was the “Lamb of God.”
6. Imam Çağdaş We tried the Ali Nazik Kebab here: grilled lamb sitting on a bed of smoky eggplant puree mixed with garlic yogurt and butter.
7. Dessert: The Baklava Factory We went to Güllüoğlu to see how baklava is made.
- The Process: 40 layers of paper-thin dough. Butter. Cream. Fresh emerald-green pistachios. Baked to golden perfection and soaked in syrup.
- The Taste: When you bite it upside down, it crackles. It is balanced, not too sweet, and buttery. The best dessert in the world.
PART 5: ADANA – THE LAND OF FIRE
Our final stop was Adana, the home of the spicy Kebab.
1. Börek for Breakfast We visited Levent Borek. They make a cheese and noodle pastry that stretches for miles. The cheese pull was legendary.
2. The Real Adana Kebab We went to the market to watch the masters.
- The Technique: Hand-minced lamb mixed with tail fat and red peppers. Mounted on wide flat skewers and grilled over flaming charcoal.
- The Taste: It’s bouncy, juicy, and spicy. The fat renders out and drips onto the coals, creating smoke that flavors the meat.
3. Street Snacks We tried fresh salted hazelnuts and Bici Bici—a dessert made of shaved ice, starch pudding, rose water, and powdered sugar to cool down the heat of Adana.
4. Şırdan The most unique dish of the trip.
- What is it? A sheep’s stomach (abomasum) stuffed with spiced rice.
- The Look: It looks… interesting. Very phallic.
- The Taste: It tastes like a delicious, chewy, cumin-spiced sausage. One of the tastiest things I ate on the whole trip!
PART 6: BACK TO ISTANBUL
We flew back to Istanbul for one final day of eating before leaving.
1. Cağ Kebab at Sehzade This is a horizontal stack of lamb from Erzurum. It is marinated with onions and basil. They slice it onto skewers. It was juicy, salty, and smoky.
2. Köfte We ate at a tiny grilled meatball shop near the Spice Bazaar. Bouncy, fatty meatballs served with a spicy dipping sauce.
3. Çiğ Köfte We stopped at a cart for Çiğ Köfte. Traditionally raw meat, but the street version is made with bulgur wheat, walnut, and spices kneaded for hours. It’s spicy and wrapped in lettuce.
4. The Cheese Bomb Sandwich Our final bite was at a food truck. The chef melted cheese with roasted peppers and tomatoes, threw meatballs into the cheese, and scooped the whole gooey mess into bread.
Conclusion From the 40 layers of Baklava to the humble Simit, this Turkish food tour was a life-changing experience. The hospitality, the history, and the sheer quality of ingredients make Turkey a top-tier food destination