The Best Turkish Foods You Have to Try

Turkish food is one of the great cuisines of the world and most visitors barely scratch the surface. If you think Turkish food is just kebabs and baklava, you are in for a very pleasant surprise. The regional variety alone could keep you eating for months without repeating a dish.

Start with breakfast. A proper Turkish breakfast or kahvalti is a spread that covers the entire table. You will get a plate of cheeses including the creamy beyaz peynir, a bowl of olives, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, honey with kaymak which is a thick clotted cream, several types of jam, eggs cooked however you like, fresh bread, and endless glasses of tea. It is communal, relaxed, and absolutely the best way to start a day in Turkey.

For street food, simit is king. These sesame-covered bread rings are sold on every corner from glass carts and they cost almost nothing. Eat one fresh in the morning with a glass of tea and you will understand why Turks are obsessed with them. Balik ekmek, a grilled fish sandwich served at the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, is another must. The fish is grilled on the boat right in front of you and stuffed into bread with onions and lettuce.

Lahmacun is often called Turkish pizza but that is a disservice to it. It is a paper-thin flatbread topped with spiced minced meat, herbs, and tomato. You squeeze lemon over it, add some parsley and onion, roll it up, and eat it with your hands. It is lighter than pizza and arguably more addictive.

Pide is closer to what most people think of when they hear Turkish pizza. It is a boat-shaped flatbread filled with cheese, meat, egg, or a combination. The cheese pide with a runny egg cracked on top is comfort food at its finest. Every region has its own variation but the Black Sea style with butter-soaked bread is particularly good.

Manti are Turkish dumplings, tiny pockets of dough filled with spiced meat and served with yoghurt, garlic, and a drizzle of red pepper butter. They are time-consuming to make which is why the best manti often comes from home kitchens or old-school restaurants where someone is hand-folding hundreds of them in the back.

Iskender kebab from Bursa is a game changer. Thin slices of doner meat are laid over pieces of pide bread, drenched in a rich tomato sauce, topped with melted butter, and served with a side of yoghurt. It is heavy but in the best possible way. If you are in Bursa, eat it there. If you are not, most good kebab restaurants across Turkey serve their version of it.

For dessert, kunefe is the standout. It is a cheese pastry made with shredded filo dough, soaked in sweet syrup, and served hot so the cheese inside is stretchy and melting. The contrast between the crispy outside and the gooey cheese inside is incredible. Hatay in southern Turkey is the spiritual home of kunefe but you can find great versions all over the country.

Do not sleep on Turkish ice cream or dondurma either. It is made with salep, a flour from wild orchid tubers, which gives it an elastic, chewy texture unlike any ice cream you have had before. The vendors in Taksim put on a show with it, flipping and stretching it before handing it over, but the taste is the real attraction.

Finally, drink the tea and the coffee. Turkish tea or cay is served in small tulip-shaped glasses and it is a constant throughout the day. Turkish coffee is thicker, stronger, and served in a small cup with the grounds settled at the bottom. Both are fundamental to Turkish culture and refusing either one would be a missed opportunity.