A Guide to Turkish Cuisine
Turkish cuisine is one of the world’s great culinary traditions — a synthesis of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Ottoman cooking, refined over centuries. Eating well in Türkiye takes almost no effort: the produce is exceptional, the techniques are ancient, and the hospitality means you will rarely leave a table hungry.
Breakfast
A proper Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı) is a serious affair. Even in modest homes or small hotels, the table will be laid with:
Fresh bread and simit (sesame bread ring)
White cheese (beyaz peynir) and yellow cheese
Olives — black and green
Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers
Boiled eggs or menemen (eggs scrambled with peppers and tomatoes)
Honey, butter and fruit jam
Sucuk (spicy beef sausage), pastırma (cured beef)
Countless glasses of black tea
In Antalya and along the coast, breakfast often includes orange juice freshly squeezed from local fruit.
Meze culture
The Turkish meze tradition is one of its great pleasures. In a traditional meyhane (tavern) or a fish restaurant, the meal begins with a parade of small cold dishes:
Haydari — thick yoghurt with garlic and dill
Patlıcan salatası — smoky grilled aubergine salad
Taramasalata — fish roe cream
Dolma — vine leaves stuffed with herbed rice
Cacık — yoghurt with cucumber and mint (similar to tzatziki)
Zeytinyağlı enginar — artichoke hearts in olive oil
These are followed by hot meze (fried mussels, grilled halloumi, boğaz köfte) and then the main course.
Grilled meats
Türkiye is a country of extraordinary grilled meats:
Adana kebab — minced lamb with hot chilli, pressed onto a flat skewer and grilled over charcoal
İskender kebab — slices of lamb döner over flatbread, topped with tomato sauce and browned butter
Tandır — lamb cooked slowly in a clay oven until it falls apart
Kuzu çevirme — whole lamb roasted on a spit, a feast-day classic
Pide — boat-shaped flatbread topped with minced meat, cheese or egg (sometimes called Turkish pizza)
Seafood on the coast
In Antalya and along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, seafood is essential:
Levrek (sea bass) and çipura (sea bream) grilled whole
Karides (prawns) in garlic butter
Ahtapot (octopus) grilled or marinated in olive oil
Midye dolma — mussels stuffed with herbed rice, eaten straight from the shell at street stalls
Hamsi — fresh anchovies, pan-fried or baked with rice; the emblematic food of the Black Sea coast
Soups
Turkish soups are comforting and nourishing:
Mercimek çorbası — red lentil soup with cumin and lemon, eaten at any hour of the day
İşkembe çorbası — tripe soup, the traditional late-night remedy
Tarhana — dried fermented soup made from wheat, yoghurt and vegetables; deeply comforting
Sweets and pastries
The Ottoman sweet tradition is unmatched:
Baklava — layers of paper-thin pastry filled with pistachios or walnuts and soaked in syrup. Baklava from Gaziantep is considered the best in the world.
Lokum (Turkish delight) — in every flavour, from rose to pistachio to pomegranate
Künefe — shredded wheat pastry filled with unsalted cheese, soaked in syrup and served hot with thick cream
Sütlaç — rice pudding baked until the top caramelises
Dondurma — Turkish ice cream made with mastic and salep, remarkably stretchy and dense
Drinks
Çay (tea) — black tea served in small tulip-shaped glasses, drunk throughout the day
Türk kahvesi (Turkish coffee) — thick, unfiltered, served with a glass of water
Ayran — cold salted yoghurt drink, the perfect accompaniment to grilled meats
Şerbet — traditional fruit syrups diluted with water, notably rose and tamarind
Rakı — anise spirit, the Turkish national drink, traditionally mixed with water and ice and shared with meze
Eating in Antalya
Antalya’s food scene combines the coastal seafood tradition with the rustic meat cooking of the Taurus Mountains. The old quarter of Kaleiçi is home to excellent restaurants set in restored Ottoman houses. The seafront is lined with fish restaurants. And for the most authentic experience, find a small family-run lokal (neighbourhood restaurant) away from the tourist streets — your guide will know exactly where to go.
