WHAT TO EAT in Turkey?

Please note that first of all; we are highly against to the ideas trying to proove the food has a citizenship, location or a border. A typical topic that you are able to find even on google. But i just wanted to list them for you here with considering the locations in Turkey and the food geographicly spotted ones as well. Here we go for our bites. 1- Easy To Find Bites

Simit & Pogaca Sesame seed covered ring shaped bread. In husstle and bussle of such a city, it would be a pleasure for most of white collar workers and civil servants to have tea with it. Optionally you will be able to find "pogaca" as well, at simit sellers. Menemen Oh well, well! I've never met anyone yet says no for menemen. Scrambled eggs, according to your taste, with more tomato or less, with roasted meat or not, spicy or not. While you are ordering dont forget to tell them how you would like it. Borek Phyllo dough pastry layers would be rolled or baked flat. There are many varieties such as spinach, minced meat(generally beef), cheese, potato are the common ones. You can find them in different shapes and names; su boregi, kol boregi, kut boregi, boshnak boregi...

Pide Lovely tasty baked pastry decorated with vegetables or minced meat or sauteed meat with cheese, gosh! yumm!... We Turks are always in with pastry as a part of Anatolian culture. If you are more than 1 person visiting a pide spot, we recommend you to order several to share. Gozleme Somehow i heard someone calling it Turkish pancake which is not even close. A layer of a dough pastry is to be filled with spinach/cheese/potato maybe mix of them all, will be packed in a square shape and grilled on pan. Due to the way of cooking, tiny round burnt parts locally called "eyes", as the name refers for "making eyes" gozleme for this reason.

Lahmacun Thinner Flat pizza minced meat crispy baked version in Turkish style. Probably the most tasty fastest street food to have. Possible to find the ones vegeterian version with white cheese.

Kokoreç Sheeps' small intestines preferably grilled on charcoal fire to make it crispy and little smoked and spiced before the bread filled with it. One of the best hangover dishes ever you can taste as a real Turkish street food. Cig Kofte Raw meatball in a direct translation however it's difficult to find the ones making it with meat. Generally raw bulgur meatball it can be called mixed with chilli spices, thats why it is uncomparable when you have it in Urfa City! I personally prefer to eat it with placing it in a lettuce leave, with squeezing lemon... Yum!

Köfte Ekmek- Sucuk Ekmek Aka meatball and sucuk(beef fermented sausage preferable from city Afyon) sandwiches. "Hi"gh carbs, "Hi"gh fat! One of the best yummy street food of Turks after hangover night or if you are heading to Besiktas or Kadikoy quarters to have a beer or two, to begin the night you need to grab something to go. These 2 quarters are our favs, but keep it in mind; street food dishes never serve the same food all the time and be careful about where you are having your sandwiches. We recommend you to head to the grills where most of the people eating.

Midye Oh stuffed mussels! If you are heading to a midye stall, first of all it's very important to know these mussels are clean and well cooked ones! Please underline this part, it must be cooked clean so please head to the stalls by recommendation. Second thing is, if you are with a Turkish person with you, get ready for competition. I personally had 17 max, but if you trust yourself let the game begin! İçli Köfte(Stuffed Meatball) Adana, Hatay, Kahramanmaras are probably the most well known cities with stuffed meatballs. If you are at any ocakbasi restaurant, most probably you'll be able to order it as a meze to the mid of table. Two ways of cooking are well accepted, grilled or boiled. Fine cooked bulgur will be stuffed with minced meat(love it spicy) and after grilling it can be finished warm or cold with yogurt or lemon. We love squuezing lemon after a big bite!

2- Mezes If you are not visiting old school meyhane, all of them have their specific highlight meze, however 90% of meyhanes have the ones i'll mention here. If you are keen on vegetable based dishes or vegeterian or vegan, you will totally love mezes. Pilaki(broadbeans with olive oil), Shakshuka(diced eggplant, tomato, pepper), Kopoglu(Shakshuka with yogurt version), haydari(garlic yogurt with dill), atom(yogurt with hot chilli peper sauce), humus, muhammara(mixed tomato and pepper paste with powdered walnuts), pazi kavurma(roasted chard), borulce(samphire with olive oil), kayakorugu(stonecrop with olive oil), tarama(mashed fish roe with bread crumps), fava(broadbean paste), arnavut cigeri(liver).... 3- Main Courses Imam Bayildi With a huge amount of onion,pepper and tomato joins eggplant on the plate and will be served cold and with olive oil. Karniyarik A warm version of Imam Bayildi, with minced meat filling. One our fav dishes when our mums cooking it. Both dishes can be counted as meze either main course. Manti This can be claimed as Turkish Ravioli, can be found in a Circassian version, Georgian version in Turkey, however how we used to eat it at home is pouring some yogurt on it, some pepper sauce and sumac on top! If you like you can add thyme as well.

Kebap First of all, lets make sure about Doner is not called as kebap in Turkey. The actual kebap should be grilled on fireplace. You will be able to find Adana or Urfa kebap on skewer, cop sis, liver on skewer at most of the restaurants. We can highly recommend spots called "ocakbasi". As one of our fav ones, "tandir" kebaps are extremely delicious with its lamb meat cooked in owen. Fish Varieties Some say we do not have a fish culture, but they mean who? Western, southern, northern coasts of Turkey are quite famous with fish based main courses... oh thats almost 3 out of 4 sides! Rice and anchovies also known as "hamsili pilav" cooked at owen from Black sea, all fish varieties escpecially seabass, seabream not from fish farms but from sea are extremely great at Aegean and Mediterrenean seas. Oh in Marmara region we kinda grew up with trout. Doesnt mean that fish farm food are not tasty, but we love the freshness of fish from sea especially in winter seasons between beginning of October to beginning of April. Good news; you can also find mackarel, horse mackarel or similars as a meze in meyhane restaurants. Stuffed Pepper&Eggplant Dried Eggplants or fresh green or red peppers is to be filled with seasoned rice will be cooked are literally a challenge for young girls to proove themselves to the neighbors. Serving with yogurt is the must thing. Besides if you cook them with minced meat filling in seasoned rice turn them into warm main course or warm starter dish. Bonus 1 Desserts

Lokum Baklava Künefe Gullac Sutlac Bonus2 Drinks Ayran Sahlep Turkish Coffee Salgam Boza Raki Wines