We loved Turkish food! We especially enjoyed traditional appetizers, desserts, and beverages. Below is a sampling of what we ate during our 2 months in Turkey.

Meze – plate of appetizers; often a different combination available from one evening to the next at restaurants; popular appetizers include hummus, grape leaf rolls, cacik = dip of yogurt + cucumber + garlic + dill, and muhammara = dip made with hot pepper + tomato + walnut

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Falafel – deep-fried ball or patty made with ground chickpeas and sometimes fava beans

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Hot Dolma – vegetables (peppers in the picture below) stuffed with rice & cinnamon, served it with tomato sauce

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Shepherd Salad – tomato, cucumber, peppers, parsley, onion with dressing of lemon juice or pomegranate vinegar and olive oil

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Pide – boat-shaped pizza without tomato sauce, variety of options for toppings

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Simit – round baked bread similar to a bagel, covered in sesame seeds, popular and inexpensive street food

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Boyoz – Turkish pastry of Jewish origin; most popular type is plain, but can also purchase meat, cheese, or spinach stuffings

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Roasted Chestnuts – popular street food, similar to cashews in taste and texture

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Fruits – cherries, peaches, nectarines, and plums in season during our visits

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Traditional Turkish Breakfast – fresh bread eaten with cheeses, butter, jams, honey, cucumber, tomatoes, black and green olives, and often eggs; common breakfast egg dish is menemen = scrambled egg casserole baked with onion, tomato, and green pepper

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Lokum – also called Turkish Delight; flavored jelly in middle with nuts or dates mixed in sometimes; popular outer layers = rose petals, pomegranate seeds, chocolate, nuts, and fruit

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Baklava – layers of thin pastry, butter, chopped nuts, and sugar syrup; pistachios often used in filling and as garnish

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Kramer – crispy pastry with chopped pistachio, phyllo dough, lots of butter, and vanilla ice cream

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Kabak Tatlisi – candied pumpkin topped with chopped walnuts

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Candied Figs – boiled in sugar syrup, served with walnuts and fresh cream

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Taffy – common street food in city of Edirne; customer selects flavors and candy maker twirls colorful sweet goo onto a stick; most common flavors = lemon, vanilla, strawberry, lime, and kiwi

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Ayran– cold yogurt drink with water and salt, very similar to a salted lassi, in non-fancy restaurants it is brought to the table in the original container

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Turkish Tea – black tea poured into tulip-shaped glass cups set on colorful round saucers, served with sugar cubes on the side and Turks usually add at least two cubes, most popular drink, serving and drinking tea with someone is a token of friendship, national law mandates two tea breaks during a work day

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Apple Tea & Pomegranate Tea – sweetened with a bit of honey, served very hot in traditional tulip-shaped glass cups

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Winter Tea – mix of pomegranate flower, pink rose bud, hibiscus, cinnamon stick, ginger, turmeric, galangal root, and tea

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Turkish Coffee – made from finely ground beans which are not filtered before serving, strong and rich flavor; usually consumed with a bit or sugar but no cream/milk, not supposed to drink the grounds that settle in the bottom of the cup, not a morning beverage in Turkey

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Salep – similar to chai tea latte but not as much spice flavor, made with hot milk and flour from orchid tubers, has a pasty mouth feel, very common winter-time drink in Turkey

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