food guide

Pilav is the quiet backbone of the Turkish table. While the kebabs and the mezes get the attention, the bowl of perfectly cooked rice, each grain separate and glossy with butter, is what completes the meal.

Kofte is the dish Turks reach for when they want the taste of home in its most honest form: seasoned minced meat, shaped by hand, and cooked over fire.

Borek is the dish that answers what Turks eat when they want comfort, celebration, and a full table all at once.

Pide is the boat-shaped flatbread of Turkey, baked with a golden crust and a generous filling, and served hot from the wood-fired oven.

Lahmacun is the thin flatbread of Turkey that carries a topping of spiced minced meat, baked in a fierce oven until the edges are crisp and the topping is sizzling.

Manti are the tiny folded dumplings of Turkish cuisine: little parcels of thin dough wrapped around a spiced meat filling, boiled and served with a garlic yogurt sauce and a drizzle of tomato butter.

Iskender kebab is the aristocrat of Turkish meat dishes, a Bursa creation that turns the humble doner into a ceremony.

Doner kebab is the most famous street food of Turkey and one of the great inventions of Turkish cooking: layers of seasoned meat stacked on a vertical spit, roasted slowly against the heat, and carved off in…

Simit is the bread of the Turkish street: a golden ring of chewy dough, glazed and crusted with toasted sesame, sold fresh from trays at every corner of every city.

Menemen is the soul of the Turkish breakfast table, a simple dish of eggs, tomatoes, and peppers simmered gently in olive oil and served straight from the pan.

Turkish delight, known in Turkey as lokum, is one of the most famous sweets in the world, yet it is also one of the most misunderstood.

Baklava is the jewel of the Turkish dessert table, a symphony of paper-thin pastry, sweet nuts, and golden syrup that has delighted palates for centuries.