Turkish cuisine or national cuisine of Turkey- This is a very special phenomenon in the world of culinary. She absorbed the traditions of many nationalities: Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, Kurds, Turks and many others. This actually led to such a rich variety of dishes offered by traditional Turkish cuisine. Although there is another factor that influenced such a wide range of national dishes. It is concluded in favorable climatic conditions, which allow growing in Turkey the most variety of vegetables and fruits. They, in turn, became the basis for the preparation of a huge number of oriental dishes.
The peculiarity of Turkish cuisine is "haram" and "khalil". Translated into Russian, this is forbidden and permitted. As you know, most of the Turks profess Islam, and therefore the Koran prescribes a ban on eating pig meat for food. The same applies to alcohol.
Dishes of the national cuisine of Turkey can be conditionally divided into the following types:
- meze or appetizers, which can be hot or cold;
- salads, the dressing for which invariably consists of olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- first courses, which are represented by an incredible number of a wide variety of soups (of course, it is better to get acquainted with them directly in the cooking recipes);
- main courses (kebabs can be attributed to them, that is, dishes made on the basis of fried meat, as well as fish in all kinds of cooking and vegetables);
- side dishes (they are represented mainly by rice and vegetables);
- pastries (this category includes bread, for example, pita or ekmek, all kinds of pies and cookies);
- sweets (this special category of Turkish dishes, which abounds in hundreds delicious recipes, each of which separately deserves attention);
- drinks (Ayran is traditional in this case, as well as Rakia vodka, which is produced and consumed in Turkey, despite the prohibitions of Islam).
The most important part of the Turkish diet is dinner, because it is in the evening that all family members gather at the same table to not only have a meal, but also chat. The evening meal begins with snacks, which are served at the table in great abundance, and therefore it may not reach the main hot dish or soup. By the way, Turks like to eat Ishkembe Chorbasy (offal-based soup) for dinner. The meal ends, as a rule, with sweets and traditional drinks- Strong tea and coffee.
Starting to study traditional Turkish cuisine, you will be quite surprised by the unusual ingredients of some dishes. So, for example, be prepared for the fact that in the menu of a restaurant with national cuisine you will find eggplant marmalade, as well as carrot sweets. As we said earlier, dishes in Turkey are very diverse, and therefore, having gone to this country on vacation, you simply will not physically have time to try all the dishes, and even more so considering the regional characteristics in the cuisine of this wonderful eastern country.
We advise you to start your first acquaintance with Turkish national cuisine with a visit to a cafe or restaurant, where you will have the opportunity not only to study the menu, but also to ask the waiter about the features of certain dishes. In general, traditional Turkish dishes are quite simple in cooking, and therefore you can easily make them at home! The recipes on this site will help with this. They contain detailed instructions, With step by step photos. The photographs, in turn, are quite visual, so even beginners in cooking will find it quite easy to navigate!
When you arrive in Turkey, forget about fast food chains. National Turkish cuisine is delicious and varied. In the menu of Turkish cuisine you will find a mixture of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan culinary traditions.
Therefore, it is so difficult to narrow down all the variety to a short list of what you should definitely try in Turkey from food. But I still tried to highlight the main and most delicious food, which the Turks cook and eat at home and in restaurants.
Turkish breakfasts
Turkish breakfast food is a bit different from European. Instead of coffee, it is customary to drink tea in the morning. Often, a vegetable plate with chopped tomatoes and/or cucumbers is served for breakfast. White bread is eaten, but recently the trends of healthy food have reached Turkey, now you can choose cereal bread made from rye or other cereals for breakfast.
White cheese similar to feta, old cheese ( kaş ar peyniri), olives or black olives ( zeytin), butter, honey, jam, scrambled eggs or boiled eggs (yumurta) are the main components of a Turkish breakfast.
You can also eat tomorrow sucuklu yumurta and bö rek. Sucuklu yumurta is a dried beef sausage with garlic and spices (red pepper, cumin and sumac). Sujuklu fried in a pan with eggs, it turns out greasy, but very tasty. Bö rek(burek or burek) – it is a thin sheet of dough stuffed with cheese, minced meat and/or vegetables, fried or baked.
minimen/menimen (Menemen) - very tasty Turkish omelet. Fried onions and peppers are stewed with tomatoes, and then poured over with eggs, sprinkled with herbs and ground pepper.
© foodista / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0
National Turkish vegetable food
A lot of vegetables are grown in Turkey, which is noticeably reflected in local dishes. If you are a vegetarian, then it is important for you to know that Turkish dishes that do not put meat are called zeytin yağ lı cooked in olive oil. As a rule, these dishes are served cold. Here are the best for you vegetable dishes Turkey:
- Sarma (Yaprak Sarma) - grape leaves, stuffed with rice, onion and spices (mint, currant, pepper and cinnamon).
- Dolma (Dolma) - stuffed with rice, onions and spices fresh or dried eggplant, peppers, tomatoes or zucchini.
- Taze Fasulye- beans or chickpeas (chickpeas) stewed with tomatoes or tomato paste and onions.
- Jajik (cacı k) - refreshing Turkish soup. It is prepared from finely chopped cucumbers, sour cream, garlic and mint. On a hot summer day, it is served with ice cubes.
The Turks are very fond of meat, and therefore all of the above dishes, except for the last soup, can also be found in the meat version.
Turkish meat dishes
- Karnyyaryk (Karnı yarı k) - fried eggplant with minced meat, onion, parsley, garlic and tomato filling. This dish is a must try. To make sure it good quality pay attention to the eggplant. The dark color of the skin should not be transferred to the peeled pulp, and the meat should not be dark and dry.
- Lahmacun (Lahmacun) - Turkish pizza with meat, onions and spices on a thin plate puff pastry. Served with tomatoes and salad. Many people prefer to squeeze lemon juice over the lahmacun, roll it up and eat it like a Mexican taco. Authentic Turkish street food.
- Kuru Fasulier (Kurufasulye) - dry beans. Turks just love beans. This national dish of Turkish cuisine is usually served with slices of dried beef ( pastı rma), rice (sade pilav), pickles and sauerkraut turş u.
© ruocaled / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0
The most famous national dishes of Turkish cuisine
- Kebab (Kebap) - this is meat, impaled on a skewer and fried on coals - everyone knows shish kebab. Usually lamb, beef or chicken are fried. Turkey has a huge number of varieties of kebab, I advise you to try the popular Iskander kebab.
- Dener (Dö ner) - shawarma or shawarma. This is meat fried on a spit with lettuce, local herbs and spices.
- Jacket (Kö fte) - cutlets or meatballs of various shapes and sizes. Minced meat is lamb or lamb with boiled bread, onions and spices. The most popular meatball dish is Izgara Köfte. In it, the meat is grilled along with green peppers, dry red pepper parsley and served with rice or bread.
- Manti (Mantı ) - very tasty Turkish dumplings. Ingredients simple dough, meat (beef or lamb), onion, salt and pepper.
© hewy / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0
Popular Turkish dishes for garnish
Pilav (Pilav) - in the national Turkish cuisine, there are many options for preparing pilaf. This is not exactly pilaf, although it is based on rice, and these two words are consonant. The most popular pilaf in Turkish cuisine is sade pilav. It's just rice boiled in water. vegetable oil and small şehriye noodles. Usually rice is mixed with eggplant, chickpeas, meat or liver pieces and, of course, spices: cinnamon, pepper, thyme, cumin and even almonds.
Pilav from bulgur (Bulgur Pilavı) - it looks like this Turkish dish is just a bowl of boiled rice, but in fact it is wheat. Most often it is cooked with fried onions, green peppers, tomato paste and mint.
Fried vegetables – fried eggplant, green peppers and zucchini with tomato sauce or sour cream is one of the best dishes. There are a lot of options for Turkish food from fried vegetables, choose any combination to your taste.
Mujver (Mü cver) - zucchini, eggs and flour - that's the whole composition of delicious Turkish potato pancakes. Mujver is cooked with white cheese, green onion and mint, lightly fried in olive oil and served as a side dish.
Meze (meze) - a set of snacks that are often served along with raki or other alcoholic drinks. Restaurants that specialize in serving meze are called meyhane. Most often, the waiter will come to the table and present all the options of meze on a large dish, and you can choose according to your taste.
Sweet Turkish Desserts
© shutterferret / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0
Künefe (Kü nefe) is a traditional Arabic cheese pastry. Unsalted cheese is placed between two layers of dough made from a simple mixture of water and flour. Kunefe is served warm and soaked in syrup. Top dessert sprinkled with pistachios. The feel and taste are very unique. Crispy dough on one side, on the other soft cheese soaked in sweet syrup.
Baklava (Baklava) - another Turkish dessert with a simple set of ingredients (dough, nuts and syrup), but very tasty. The decisive factor is how thin the dough layers are. Walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios will be in your baklava - depends on the region where you try it.
Street food in Turkey
Street food culture is very common in Turkey. In Istanbul, small stalls with street food are poked around every corner. Most often this National dishes Turkey, which you are already familiar with from this article. I decided once again to put the names separately, so that you know what you can have a cheap snack in the course of your acquaintance with Turkey.
hot food
Kebab and doner(barbecue and shawarma) are the main representatives of Turkish street food.
Borek- flatbread with various fillings: ı spanaklı bö rek(with spinach) peynirli bö rek(with cheese), kı ymalı bö rek(with minced meat) and patatesli bö rek(with potato).
Pide ( pide ) – stuffed boat from the test. Kaş arlı pide(with cheese) and Sukuklu pide(with cheese and spicy sauce) are the most popular types of pide.
Pizza Lahmacun (Lahmacun)
Mizir (MIsIr )– boiled or grilled corn on the cob. It is salted or sprinkled with spices and sold during the summer months.
chestnuts ( Kestane )– and in winter, instead of corn, stalls with roasted chestnuts appear everywhere.
Balyk ekmek ( Bal ı k ekmek ) - literally translates as "fish in bread", which is what it is. In front of your eyes, the seller fries the fish and puts it in a big bun
© nifortescue / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0
cold street food
Simit ( Simit ) - Crispy, round salty bagel covered with sesame seeds. There are 2 main sim options: sokak simit- sold on the streets, very crispy and pastane simit- sold in stores, softer.
Achma ( A ç ma )– a round bun, one might say - a donut. Very tasty but oily.
Pogacha ( Po ğ a ç a ) - Delicious crumbly biscuits. There are options without filling - sadeor with stuffing: peynirli – cheese, kı ymalı - chopped meat, zeytinli- Sliced olives.
Carefully
As you wander the streets of Istanbul or other cities, you will stumble upon these two Turkish dishes more than once. They are very tasty, but they must be bought with care on the streets, bathed in the sun.
- Dolma from mussel (Midye dolma) - stuffed mussels. They are very tasty, I advise you to eat them in restaurants.
Kokorech ( Kokore ç )– grilled sheep giblets (intestines, heart, etc.) with lots of spices. A very popular snack after a stormy night or with alcohol. From the outside, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish where the shawarma is, and where the kokorech is. Fortunately, shawarma is cooked on a vertical spit, and kokorech on a horizontal one.
Turkish cuisine is one of the most popular in the world. Rather, the third. She was overtaken french cuisine, but the Turks are already breathing down the back of the head of the Chinese. What causes such a high popularity of this gastronomy among gourmets around the world? Probably the complicated history of the country itself. The ancient Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk nomads left the most best recipes viands When the militant Ottoman Empire was formed, the Turks borrowed the most delicious dishes from the cuisines of the peoples they conquered: the Egyptians, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Georgia, and Greece. At the same time, the conquerors enriched the cookbooks of the Hungarians, Romanians, Bulgarians, and Ukrainians. Goulash, stuffed cabbage, chorba - all these dishes were released in Asia Minor. And fast food, which in our country competes with American hot dogs and Italian pizza? After all, shawarma and donner kebab are dishes of Turkish cuisine. We will reveal the recipes of typical national dishes of this country in this article.
General meal rules
Food, like all the peoples of the Mediterranean, occupies a key place in the life of the Turks. The main meal is dinner. Traditionally, it consists of nine courses. During it, rakia with spring water is served, and at the end - coffee. The meal begins with a berek, followed by snacks - cold and hot. Then soup is served. In summer, instead of a hot first course, they eat "dzhadzhik" - an analogue of okroshka. Then the second dish is served - meat or fish. Separately put on the table a side dish (Bulgar, vegetable stew), sauce and lots of herbs or fresh vegetables. And, of course, during every meal, whether light breakfast or a hearty dinner, bread should be on the table. There is a great variety of it in Turkey: with olives, sesame seeds ... Completes the meal sweet table. It serves both pastries and desserts made from boiled juice (Turkish delight) or tahini halva. There are also seasonal fruits on the sweet table. Turkish national cuisine has only one rule: the taste of the main ingredient must be felt in the dish. Spices and seasonings should only favorably shade it, and not “overshadow”.
Snacks. Dolma
Ukrainian cabbage rolls are nothing more than a very modified dish that Turkish cuisine brought to the banks of the Dnieper. Dolma is a snack. In Ukraine, it has become a hot second course. The filling in Turkey is wrapped in grape leaves, less often figs and quince, and even in whole vegetables. In Ukraine, the problem of the shortage of exotic packaging was solved simply, since there was a lot of cabbage. Grape leaves for dolma are harvested in spring and harvested for future use. In Turkish stores, an already salted product is sold. If you use it, you need to pour the right amount of leaves with boiling water and wait 15 minutes. Then everything is simple. The principle is the same as in the preparation of cabbage rolls. Cook rice until half cooked. We mix the cereal with minced meat (mainly ground lamb), fried onions, chopped herbs, a pinch of cumin, salt and pepper. Lay the grape leaves smooth side down. We put the filling in the middle, wrap it in a tight tube. We put grape leaves at the bottom of the stewpan (torn and defective ones are suitable for this purpose). Lay the dolma envelopes seam down on this pillow, pressing them tightly against each other. Pour in the broth and let it boil. After the liquid boils, reduce the heat. Stew dolma for an hour and a half, let it brew for a quarter of an hour, serve with garlic sauce or with sour cream.
Chorby
Like many nations, in this country soups are served as the first hot dish on the table. Turkish cuisine offers many recipes for thick or transparent "chorbasy". Sometimes the very name of the dishes sounds like a song. Shekhrieli yesil merdzhimek chorbasy - broth with small vermicelli and green lentils. But here we will give a recipe for a popular yogurt-based soup. In two liters meat broth Pour half a glass of rice and cook for half an hour. Pour three glasses into the mixer natural yogurt, add four yolks and six tablespoons of flour. We beat. Then dilute the mass with water (one and a half cups). Beat again until the mixture reaches the consistency of liquid sour cream. Pour this mass into the boiling soup. Cover with a lid and cook for another quarter of an hour. Melt 4 tablespoons in a frying pan butter, fry in it a pinch of red pepper and a handful of dry mint leaves. Add to saucepan.
Imam Bayaldi (Turkish Cuisine)
Eggplant plays a paramount role in the gastronomy of the country, the same as lamb. A meal without blue ones will not be fully Turkish. They are baked, stewed, fried, stuffed, served as cold or hot appetizer, make soups, salads or preparations for the winter with them. We present to your attention the recipe "Imam Bayaldy". The name of this dish can be translated as "The Priest in Rapture". Four eggplants need to be baked at 200 ° C for about 15 minutes. Turn vegetables over from time to time. Now we peel off the crust, cut each blue one in half lengthwise and scrape out the middle with seeds and part of the pulp with a spoon. Finely chop three onions, fry in oil, add 500 grams of skinned and chopped tomatoes and 3 garlic cloves. Close the pan with a lid and simmer for five minutes. Then add a bay leaf, a pinch of cinnamon, a little sugar, salt, parsley. Finely chop the pulp extracted from eggplant. Also add it to the pan. Simmer everything together for 10 minutes. Separately, fry 2 tablespoons of crushed almonds. We take out the bay leaf, pour the nuts. We rub a baking sheet with olive oil, stuff the eggplant boats with the resulting filling, put them in a baking dish. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray the blue ones with oil and bake for about 20 minutes. Stuffed eggplant- especially popular dishes of Turkish cuisine. Well, "Imam Bayaldy" will delight all your loved ones.
Hummus
This dish of Turkish chickpeas is common in all countries of the Islamic world. This snack is nutritious, tasty and very healthy. Hummus is easy to make. The main thing is to stock up necessary ingredients, which in our latitudes is not so easy to get. You will need dry chickpeas (one and a half cups) and sesame paste- products, without which Turkish cuisine is unthinkable. Hummus recipes are extremely diverse and each region has its own. Here we describe classic dish. Turkish peas are soaked in the evening. In the morning we change the water, salt and set to boil until the chickpeas become soft. Grind the peas into a puree. Mix half a glass of sesame flour with four crushed garlic cloves. Add one and a half tablespoons of red hot pepper and salt. Combine this mixture with pureed chickpeas, knead. Squeeze two or three lemons into the dish, and then little by little, in a thin stream, pour in half a glass of olive oil. Mix well. Serve hummus with berek or bread.
Pilaf
Rice stewed with lamb has become famous in Asia Minor since the arrival of the Seljuks. But pilaf is “overgrown” with local specifics. It is very different from the classic, Central Asian recipe. Turkish cuisine offers to cook it in the following way. First, stew lamb with onions and shallots. Turks are more loyal to other types of meat, and it is permissible to replace a sheep with veal or chicken. Add washed rice. For one and a half kilograms of meat, it should be 1.5 cups. Now we take prunes and half the amount of raisins. Pour boiling water over the dried fruits, leave under the lid for half an hour. Remove pits from plums. Pour dried fruits into pilaf. We put 100 grams of butter, mix. To smooth out the excess fat content of the dish, add lemon slices, put in the oven to bake.
Shish kebab
Turkish cuisine knows several recipes for this dish. Kebab is any cut and fried lamb meat. There is an iskender kebab. This is lamb in tomato sauce with yogurt, ghee and tortilla pieces. Adana kebab is made from minced meat. There is no need to talk about doner at all. And shish kebab has a second name - Turkish shish kebab. Remove excess fat from the lamb, cut the meat (1 kilogram) into cubes. We chop the onion into rings, a large tomato into slices, green pepper into strips. Drop a little olive oil into the bottom of the saucepan. Put onions, peppers and meat. Season it with juice from half a lemon, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Salt, pepper and marinate for 2 hours room temperature. We string the lamb on skewers, smearing pieces of meat with yogurt. We put the barbecue on hot coals.
Bazlam
Turkish cuisine is mostly spicy with sauces. Therefore, bread is always served at the meal. Tortillas are extremely popular in Turkey - with or without filling. Here is a recipe for one of them - bazlams. In 6-7 cups of flour, add a spoonful of salt and a pinch of sugar, pour a bag of yeast. Add warm water and knead until you get a soft, sticky dough. We leave it for an hour. When the dough has doubled, divide it into koloboks the size of an orange, roll in flour and wait another ten minutes. Roll out each piece into a finger-thick cake. Fry in a Teflon pan without oil on both sides.
Patlyjan salads
Turkish cuisine is not rich in salads, but they are still there. These are mainly winter snacks that use marinades. In eggplant salad, blue ones are baked on the grill or fried in a pan. Then the skin is removed from them, and the pulp is pureed. Crushed garlic, salt, parsley are added to the eggplant. Dress the salad with olive oil and lemon juice.
Jeserie
But most of all, Turkish cuisine is famous for its desserts. Baklava, halva, Turkish delight… But here we will give you the recipe for jezerje. This is a type of Turkish delight. Preparing a dessert of carrot juice. Brown sugar is added to it (one and a half cups of vegetables per pound of vegetables) and boiled until thickened. Then pour half a glass of corn starch into the syrup. Continue to cook until a sticky porridge is formed. Then add various nuts, grated zest and remove from heat. The mass is poured onto a baking sheet, smoothed and put in the refrigerator. The finished product is cut into cubes and sprinkled with coconut flakes.
Airan
Did you know that the yogurt that many of us eat every morning was also given to the world by Turkish cuisine? Recipes based on this useful product very varied. But the most popular drink is ayran. Yogurt is diluted with whey. Salt, herbs are added to it and beat in a mixer. It turns out a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink.
Turkish cuisine is distinguished by the variety and simplicity of recipes, as well as the high quality of the ingredients used, which guarantees an excellent taste experience. The centuries-old domination of the Ottoman Empire in the Turkish lands has left modern Turkey with gastronomic traditions that trace the culinary features of Central Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans.
"In a nutshell" about Turkish dishes
Authentic Turkish dishes are characterized by the presence in the recipe of a large number of eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, roast lamb and yoghurt sauces.
Good portions will delight lovers of good and tasty food, while hot and cold snacks, traditionally mixed on the same table in the form of neat canapes and small salads, are easier food for the stomach.
Features of Regional Turkish Cuisine
It is noteworthy that Turkish cuisine varies slightly throughout the country depending on the region.
For example, the culinary technology of cooking in Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa and the rest of the Aegean region inherited many elements of the Ottoman court cuisine, using fewer spices, favoring rice and making extensive use of seafood.
For the Black Sea region, which was influenced by Balkan and Slavic cuisines, is characterized by the widespread use of fish, especially anchovy, as well as the presence of a variety of corn dishes.
Cuisine of the southeastern region famous for kebabs, a variety of meze appetizers and floury desserts.
Western part of Turkey, where spacious olive groves are located, is abundantly used as an ingredient and dressing olive oil.
Cuisine of the Mediterranean, Marmara and Aegean Seas rich in fresh vegetables, herbs and fish.
In central Anatolia, the crown dishes are "keshkek" with stewed chicken and barley,
The difference in the names of the same dishes may indicate the regions of their origin and, as a result, different cooking technologies. For example, the main difference between "urfa kebab" and "astana kebab" lies in the thickness of the skewer on which the meat was cooked and the amount of red pepper. "Urfa kebab" is less spicy and thicker,
Turkish breakfast "kahvalti" (from Turkish "before coffee")
Breakfast in Turkey is quite plentiful and varied. The classic morning menu consists of various types of cheese, feta cheese, butter, olives, pieces of tomatoes and cucumbers, jam, honey and sour milk "kaymak".
Also served: spicy Turkish sausage, bacon,
buns, bagels or cookies. A traditional dish for breakfast - "menemen", which includes eggs, onions, green peppers and olive oil. They drink classic Turkish tea for breakfast.
Turkish lunch
The main dish during the lunch meal in Turkey is meat (beef or lamb)
Most often, Turks cook a big sandwich. "Dener Kebab", consisting of finely chopped pieces of meat, previously fried on a spit, wrapped in a flat cake.
And sometimes meat acts as a side dish for vegetables and rice. They also make Turkish pizza. "lahmacun". Turkish men make pizza from thinly rolled dough baked on the oven with a mixture of minced meat, tomato and onion. Turkish pizza is a little different from our idea.
All this is washed down with "airan" - a drink obtained by mixing yogurt, water and a pinch of salt.
Classic Turkish Dinner
Dinner in Turkey begins with appetizers, continues with the consumption of the main course and ends with savoring aromatic Turkish coffee with spices.
Most often served as an appetizer. "Dolma"- stuffed pilaf grape leaves, Sarma - the same as dolma, only in a cabbage leaf
Cold appetizers are usually prepared from a mixture of vegetables.
Of the popular snacks present on the Turkish table every day, one can note "haidari"- yogurt with mint, cheese and sugar, "antel knead"- spicy pepperoni mix green pepper, tomato paste and lemon juice "karidesh guvech"- Baked shrimp with spices, garlic and tomatoes. Very fragrant dish"Karidesh Guvech" and firinda mantar- champignons baked in sauce, stuffed with two types of cheese.
The main dish is, of course, meat: ribs, kidneys, chops, kebab, barbecue. For instance, "beğendi tas kebabı" chicken or lamb pieces of fried meat with a side dish of eggplant puree
"şiss köfte kebabı" - meat balls lamb, served on a skewer, and "testi kebabI"- finely chopped pieces of beef stewed in sauce in a pot.
Turkish coffee completes the evening meal and is served in small cups.
It is finely ground grains, thoroughly fried and brewed with boiling water.
Meat and meat dishes
In some regions of Turkey, meat is eaten only at wedding ceremonies and during Karban Bayram, but pilaf with meat has become an integral part of the daily diet.
In the past, the Turks avoided veal, but today it is widely consumed. But more Turks love lamb and lamb. The main combination taken as the basis for cooking meat dishes, includes a combination of minced meat and vegetables. For example, beans with minced meat “kıymalı fasulye” and spinach with minced meat “kıymalı ıspanak”. From fish, anchovies and sardines are used.
The bird is used only in the form chicken meat and eggs.
Kebabs
Kebabs is a general concept of meat dishes prepared by roasting on a spit and served different ways with a variety of ingredients.
"Doner kebab" is the most common Turkish dish. The meat is evenly fried on a spit, after which thin pieces are cut off from it, which fill the flat cake cut in half. Add to this sandwich vegetable garnish with satsivi or chili sauce.
There are also " Adana kebab»(peppered, spit-fried minced meat), “ Iskender-kebab»(marinated lamb pieces in tomato sauce with tortilla slices and ghee,
"Berek"(flour rolls stuffed with minced meat, cheese and herbs) and "Shish kebab"(spit-roasted lamb with tomato slices and sweet peppers).
Soups "chorba"
Soups are a traditional liquid dish served for breakfast. They come in lentil "mercimek"
Common Turkish soups:
Tarhana is a traditional Turkish soup made from dried vegetable mix, yeast and flour.
There are also soups such as Lahana(cabbage soup) "Bademli tavuk" (chicken soup with almonds)
"Domates" (tomato soup" and "Tutma" ( lentil soup with noodles).
Sweets and pastries
Spicy pastries and sweets of Turkish cuisine are famous all over the world.
Many Turkish desserts are based on puff pastry and nuts. Having never even tasted the sweet dishes of this eastern country, baklava is on everyone's lips.
Very tasty "pekmez"(thickened grape syrup)
"revani"(flour pie with sugar syrup),
"lokma"(deep-fried sweet balls drizzled with fruit syrup") and "tatlysy tavern"(boiled pumpkin with sugar syrup).
Modern Turkish cuisine is very diverse, as it was formed under the influence of the culinary traditions of various peoples. So, Turkish cuisine has a lot in common with the cuisines of other Islamic nations, with Caucasian, Balkan cuisines. Many features of Turkish cuisine are also characteristic of Greek cuisine. The peak of the development of Turkish cuisine was the time of the Ottoman Empire: the Ottomans paid great attention to cooking, more than a thousand cooks worked in the Sultan's palace at the same time, and the national cuisine absorbed all the best from the cuisines of the peoples who inhabited the territories that were part of the Ottoman Empire - North Africa, Middle East, Balkans. Many Turkish dishes spread throughout the world during the wars of the Turks with other nations - in particular, it was during the Russian-Turkish war in Russia that they learned to cook well-known cabbage rolls.
In the twentieth century, after the formation of the Republic of Turkey, the Ottoman culinary heritage became the Turkish national cuisine.
Turks traditionally eat many grains, the most popular of which is wheat. Turks bake bread from wheat (bazlama, pita, katmer) and all kinds of flour products. One of the most important types dough pastry is burek - pastries with filling. So, the word "cheburek" from the Turkish language is translated as "pastry with minced meat." Other popular pastry dishes are gozleme (stuffed flatbread), lahmacun (Turkish pizza), manti (Turkish dumplings).
Cereals are also used as cereals, from which bulgur is prepared. Rice and couscous are also popular. The Turks pay great attention to all kinds of legumes - they cook peas, chickpeas, lentils, white beans. As in other Islamic countries, hummus is very popular.
Turkish traditional cuisine is famous for its wide selection of dairy products - this tradition has been preserved since the time of the nomadic Turks. Turkish yogurt is served with a variety of dishes, as well as ayran (a cold salty drink, which is a mixture of yogurt and water) and cold cucumber soup tzatzik (tzadzik). Cheeses made from sheep's milk are popular.
Turkish cuisine, like many others, is characterized by its seasonality. So, in the hot season, the Turks can perfectly do without meat and eat mostly fresh vegetables. The most important vegetables in Turkish cuisine are onion, garlic, tomato, pepper and eggplant. Turks cook vegetables from vegetables fresh salads and hot dishes. A separate category of dishes is dolma - a dish that is considered the progenitor of the well-known cabbage rolls. However, the Turks are not limited to folding the filling into cabbage leaves - they also stuff zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, pumpkin, paprika, beet leaves and grapes. Interestingly, minced meat is usually not added to the filling - the right dolma should be stuffed with rice, spices, nuts and dried fruits.
In the winter season, the Turks with great pleasure prepare various meat and fish dishes Turkish national cuisine. Pork is traditionally not eaten here, but lamb and chicken are popular. Minced meat is most often used, however, there are other groups of dishes that differ little from dishes of other Islamic cuisines - in particular, kebab and kofta.
The stereotype that Turks don't eat soups is not true. On the contrary, soups are an important element of every Turk's diet. However, liquid soups are really unpopular here - thicker soups are usually prepared from legumes, dairy products, and cereals.
The pride of Turkish cuisine is confectionery. in variety confectionery hardly anyone can compare with the Turks - there are hundreds of varieties of cookies, sweets and other sweets. For their preparation, mainly sugar, honey, dried fruits, nuts and various spices are used.
Any Turkish meal is impossible without drinks. In summer, the number one drink is refreshing ayran, compotes and sherbets, and in winter - warm and high-calorie drinks boza and sakhlep. In addition, all year round and around the clock, the Turks drink tea and coffee - in this country, the culture of drinking both of these drinks is very well developed. Alcoholic drinks are unpopular (Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol), but traditional Turkish alcoholic drinks still exist - these are various fruit and berry wines, as well as strong alcoholic drink rakia.
