One of the richest cuisines in the world, thanks to the huge variety of dishes and unique taste characteristics.
Over the centuries, it has been developing along with the culture and traditions of Turkey, originating from the nomadic Turkic tribes. And this is where it gets even more interesting,Turkic cuisine was greatly influenced by many other cuisines - Caucasian, Arabic, Mediterranean (especially Greek), Balkan. The prohibitions of Islam have not passed by either, since the country has some guidelines regarding food in the form of permitted (halal) and prohibited (haram). This cuisine uses a lot of hot and fragrant spices, the main focus is on meat and vegetables.
Now you can imagine how diverse the cuisine can be if the traditions of such a large number of nationalities are mixed in it.

TURKISH CUISINE

Among the national dishes you can find anything - from simple salads and snacks to the most exquisite meat and vegetable dishes, drinks and desserts.
Turkish dishes are moderately spicy, so the cuisine will appeal to everyone - both spicy lovers and those who prefer less peppery food.

flour products

Let's start with baking. Serving bread is one of the main traditions.
Ekmek
There are several varieties of it: white bread (from wheat), gray (millet) and black (the so-called somun - Bulgarian bread). As a rule, they are most often baked in the villages according to their own recipes. Bread products can be bought at the market or on the days of fairs.
Berek
Baked bagels. Made from flatbread cut into triangles. The filling is cheese, spices and aromatic herbs.
Poacha
Small buns with various fillings - cottage cheese, cheese, mashed potatoes, minced meat and whatever. Sesame or poppy seeds are used for decoration. Their peculiarity is that they are prepared without yeast, so a minimum of time is required for their preparation.
pita
Thick flatbread made from yeast dough, served on the table with baked in it, to choose from, vegetables, cheese, meat. Often pita can be found in small eateries.
Gözleme
One of the types of flatbread the thinnest dough(Yufka). The filling is a mixture of cheese with parsley or spinach, cottage cheese can also be used, minced meat - the choice is great. It is considered a rustic dish due to the ease of preparation.
Simit
Bagels sprinkled with sesame seeds. The most popular pastry sold on every corner.
Lahmacun
Turkish pizza. This is a thin cake, inside which minced meat, finely chopped vegetables and spices are wrapped. The taste is spicy and plain.
Pide
A cake resembling the shape of a boat, inside which lies a whole "battalion" of products: minced beef and lamb, tomatoes, red, green and hot peppers, onion, garlic, mushrooms, cheese, spices. It has a very beautiful and appetizing appearance.
Gel tatlysy
Translated from Turkish - sweet roses. And it really is - delicate roses made from shortcrust pastry, watered with fragrant sherbet, covered walnuts and pistachio flour. The dish is served on a beautiful plate, always with tea. Real jam!
Chocolate Kurabye
Oriental cookies - salty or sweet, in the form of flowers.
Cheese Pie
A similar pie is found among many Caucasian peoples. In Ossetia - the famous Ossetian pie, in Georgia - achma. He also did not pass by Turkey. Preparing a pie without yeast, stuffed with Adyghe cheese and butter. It has a round or rectangular shape. After cooking, cut into small squares.
Buns with olives
Appetizing rings - with olives, laid out in a thin layer, beautifully sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Shekerpare
Another type of oriental biscuit. Made from shortcrust pastry (with the addition of semolina), poured with sherbet and decorated with nuts and coconut flakes. Served on plates with unsweetened tea.
You can continue indefinitely.

Kebab

A completely separate category of Turkish dishes, known and consumed all over the world. Translated from Persian as "fried meat". Prepare several types of kebabs.
adana kebab
The most popular in the country. It is rolls of hot pepper minced lamb, fried on a spit. It has such a name in honor of its homeland - the city of Adana. Served inside a tortilla, with tomatoes, herbs, onions.
Iskender kebab
second in polarity. Lamb meat is roasted on a spit tomato sauce, with yogurt and melted butter. Kebab comes from the city of Bursa.
Doner
No less famous food here and in Europe. Interestingly, at first it was rice with salad. Now this is an indispensable snack - chicken, beef or lamb meat, various vegetables are placed in a flat cake cut into 2 parts, all this is watered hot sauce sprinkled with spices.
Shish kebab
National barbecue - lamb fried on a skewer, with sweet peppers and tomatoes.

Turkish meat dishes

Kofte
From Persian it means "to beat meat". Known in the countries of South Asia and the Middle East.
Meatballs have their own characteristics: composition of products, shape, spices. Every corner of Turkey has its own recipe. Usually it is chopped beef or lamb meat, with spices and onions, in the form of cutlets. Then they are either fried on the grill in a frying pan, or boiled in a saucepan, baked in the oven. There are many varieties of kofte - chig kofte, izmir, dalyan, kuru. It all depends on the meat, cooking method, composition and spices.
Pilaf
Even the name looks like plov. From Turkish - "cool rice porrige". Yes, this is a local version of pilaf, cooked from boiled rice, chicken meat, with the addition of carrots, peppers, garlic, pine nuts, black raisins, herbs, spices and salt.
Khashlama
The literal translation from Turkish is "boiled meat". So it is - these are boiled pieces of meat (mutton, beef), with onions, carrots, potatoes, red and green pepper And olive oil. Served on the table with lemon quarters, they are poured over the dish.
Turkish meatballs
Tepsi koftesi - consists of minced meat, pepper, tomato, potato, spices, tomato. pasta, herbs, onions and garlic. Baked in the oven.
Pirasa koftesi - cutlets consist of ground beef, flour, eggs, pepper, parsley and onion. Roasted in a pan.
Mersimek - lentil cutlets fried in tomato paste, with onions and spices. They are served on lettuce leaves.
Dolma
Grape leaves or vegetables (pepper, cabbage) stuffed minced meat and boiled rice, with onions, herbs and spices. In our opinion, these are stuffed cabbage rolls.
Dolma happens: grape, onion, eggplant. It depends on what the filling will be put into or wrapped in.
Tavykly bezel
Chicken fillet stewed with vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, green pea). Great option garnish - boiled rice.
Chickpeas with meat
A dish of chickpeas stewed with beef, tomato paste, seasoned with hot peppers, garlic and onions.

Turkish soups

There are enough of them. The most famous:
Tarkhana Chorbasy - the most commonly prepared, made from ground, dried tomatoes, onions, peppers (red and green) - with flour and yeast. Ingredients may vary depending on the region of the country.
Merjimek - lentil soup.
Ishkembe - prepared from meat offal with garlic added.
Sekhriye Chorbasy - pasta soup with tomato paste, olive oil and onions.

Salads

The main ingredients are marinades (lemon juice, olive oil). In addition to various vegetables, popular additives are cheese, olives, beef sausage, etc.
Patlyjan salads
It consists of fried eggplant, from which the skin is then removed. After that, they are crushed, turning into a puree, salt, garlic, parsley, olives are added. oil.
Choban
This salad is made from sweet peppers, tomatoes, cheese, cucumbers, onions.
Roca
Arugula, familiar to us, only here fried chicken pieces are added to it.
Kysyr
Vegetable salad (onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, all kinds of peppers), seasoned with cinnamon, ground pepper, where bulgur is added - a special cereal made from steamed dried wheat. A salad is served on the table in the form of a small ball, decorated with lemon, mint and lettuce.

vegetable dishes

Yemeji Tavern
A dish of zucchini, which includes - zucchini, tomatoes, rice, herbs, olive oil, spices. Served with a sauce made from yogurt.
Imam bayaldi
Vegetable stew of tomato, eggplant, honey, parsley, mint, garlic, nutmeg, hot pepper, onion. The cooking method is quite original: a mixture of the above products is placed in eggplants shaped like boats, all this is baked in the oven.
Zeytinyagli pyrasa
Rice stewed with onions in olive oil. In addition to onions, carrots, sugar, tomato paste and lemon juice are added to the dish.

Turkish snacks

An element of custom is the arrangement of appetizers. Drinks are usually placed next to them.
Meze - from Turkish "taste", "snack".

Cold snacks
All kinds of creams belong to cold appetizers, most often on a yoghurt basis.
Haidari
Yoghurt mixture, where feta cheese, sugar, a little mint, lemon juice and olive oil are added.
Antep ezmesi
Spicy, made with crushed green and red peppers, tomato paste, onions, lemon juice, parsley and salt. A favorite dish of the eastern part of the country.
Jajik
Yogurt-based appetizer - with cucumber, mint, garlic. Especially good in hot weather.
The dish is very similar to the Greek - "tzatziki".
Baba hanush
A dish of charcoal-baked eggplants with garlic, sesame seeds, spices, poured lemon juice. You can add radishes, tomatoes and onions to it.
Awukma
Summer eggplant salad with peppers, cucumbers, feta cheese, seasoned with herbs and sesame seeds.
havuch
Cream of yogurt - with grated carrots, lemon juice, pepper, olive oil, salt.
Sarma
Rice (with tomato paste, various herbs, onions, olive oil, spices, garlic) wrapped in grape leaves.
In addition to the above, Turkish meze is white cheese, walnuts, melon, cold salad from eggplant, artichokes.
Pepperoni - red and green hot peppers, olives (especially black ones), and pickled vegetables are very famous.

Hot appetizers
Of the hot ones, the most famous are:
Karidesh guvech
Shrimps baked in a pot - with tomatoes, spices, garlic, butter.
Borek cigar
The original form of tubes of the thinnest dough, stuffed with cheese, fried on both sides in a pan. A very tasty dish.
Fyrynda mantar
Champignon mushrooms - in sauce, with 2 types of cheese. Baked in the oven.

Turkish sweets

Türkiye has always been famous for its wide variety of sweet dishes. They are considered one of the most delicious in the East.
Syutlatch with strawberry sorbet
Rice pudding based on starch, milk, eggs, butter. The mixture is poured into molds and baked in the oven. Especially good in the heat!
baklava or baklava
Sweet, the most popular not only in the country, but throughout the world. Made from rice dough. It is poured with syrup made from sugar with lemon, or hot honey with water. Filling - ground pistachios, walnuts, cloves, cinnamon, powdered sugar.
Tulumba
Tubes in the form of a cylinder with openwork ribs, impregnated sugar syrup. The dish is served cold on the table.
Yrmyk helvasy
Halva made from semolina, sprinkled with milk and sugar syrup, sprinkled with cinnamon.
Turkish Delight
Translated from Arabic - "sweetness for the throat." Sugar or honey cubes - with dried coconuts, fruits, various nuts. They come in a variety of fruit flavors.
Helva
Dessert made from sesame paste and sugar, using cocoa powder.
Revani
Rastegai baked from semolina, sprinkled with sugar syrup. Cut into rhombuses.
Pekmez
Grape syrup is best known in the Cappadocia region.
Quince tatlysy
Quince divided into two parts, boiled in syrupy broth. Served chilled, with sour cream (kaymak).
Gulyach
A delicacy made from rice dough, with milk, seasoned with ground walnuts. It is decorated with pomegranate seeds (made in the holy month of Ramadan).
Nath
Honey-nut kurabie soaked in condensed milk - crumbly, very tasty, melts right in your mouth.
Meivili Muhallebi
Milk dessert with fresh berries and fruit topped with cinnamon and grated walnuts - perfect for hot weather.
Lokma
Sweet balls fried in a deep fryer, sprinkled with sugar syrup.
Jeserie
Dessert in the form of boiled carrot syrup turned into jelly, pomegranate juice, with pistachios. In addition to carrots, different fruits can be used.
Tatlysy Tavern
Pumpkin sweet boiled with sugar.
Ashura
The national dish of the whole country, without which no celebration can do. It has the second name "Dessert of Noah".
Since ancient times, familiar to the Turks, it is a symbol of the abundance of the Turkish family. Prepared for Thanksgiving. Delicious and very useful. Once upon a time, during the period of the Omani Empire, ashure was considered a medicine that relieves many diseases.
Ingredients: a mixture of wheat, rice, beans (cooked). Dried fruits are added to it: dried apricots, figs, raisins, in addition - an orange, various berries, and also - starch, sugar and spices. Dessert looks like thickened jelly. Served with cereals and pieces of fruit.

Beverages

Turkish coffee
Famous all over the world. Prepared in a Turk (a special container for brewing), according to all traditions, coffee is poured into cups. A glass of cold water is served separately.
Turkish tea
Local celebrity - fragrant, delicious. Collected in large quantities from the tea plantations of Turkey.
Milk drinks
Airan is very refreshing. It is made from sour cow (goat or sheep) milk. Reminds us of kefir.
Salep is a hot milk drink. Most often it is used in cool weather.
Salgam - sour, spicy, made from turnips. Distributed in the region of Adana. In the southern part of the country, raki and spicy food are served.
Boza is a sweetish drink that is the result of fermentation, obtained from cereals, yeast and sugar.
Juices and lemonades
Shira - grape juice
Lemonade - made from lemons and oranges crushed in a blender
Mineral water
There are many types of it. The local population prefers to drink non-carbonated water.
Of the alcoholic known:
crayfish - the national Turkish drink, which is anise "vodka". Sufficiently strong - from 40 to 70 revolutions. Used everywhere.
Bira - Turkish beer: Efes, Pera, Tekel, Marmara, etc.
Sharap - wine produced in many parts of the country. Himself best quality wines in the region of Izmir, Diyarbakir, Eastern Thrace, Cappadocia. Dry wine- very popular among the Turkish population.

All of the above traditional dishes you can always try it by going to one of the Turkish restaurants that we have selected especially for you.

The best Turkish restaurants

In the Stambul:
"Metropolis" - in the historical part of Sultanahmet. A cozy restaurant with a fireplace, so even in cold weather you will not be cold at all. This is one of those places where the most diverse menu of all cities in the country is presented. Crown food - lamb skewers, with tomato sauce, peppers and mushrooms. It is cooked in a pot, which is then broken at the guest's table, after which the shish kebab is brought, as it should be, served on a plate. The atmosphere is very pleasant - you don't even want to leave!
In Ankara:
"Haci Arif bey" - downtown. It's always very busy here. The peculiarity of the restaurant is a small garden with a pond where fish swim, an aviary with turtles is installed. For the youngest guests there is a playground. From dishes - mezes, vegetables, kebabs, soups, etc. excellent in taste. From drinks - ayran, different types teas. You can order food delivery.
In Antalya:
"Yemenli" - a nice establishment, consisting of several rooms. There is a small courtyard where flowers and trees grow, so it is very fresh and fragrant here! In general, the atmosphere here is more than relaxing. The menu is represented by dishes of European, Mediterranean, and of course, Turkish cuisine. Vegetarians have their own menu. The service is very delicate. There is a bar with a variety of drinks.
"Favory" - the name speaks for itself. If you chose this place, then you are in the favorites. Located in the center of the old town of Kaleici. Oh, how beautiful it is here! Everything says that you came to Turkey - the atmosphere, the interior. Spacious sofas with soft pillows, everything is buried in carpets. There is also a peculiarity - the walls are decorated with football posters, as the owner of the establishment is a football fan. The restaurant is really very warm, cozy, somehow at home. Before cooking, you will be shown what products will be used to prepare the dish.
In Fethiye:
Kalamaki - in the old part of the city. Very beautiful, modern room, with a unique style. There is a bar downstairs, on the second (roof) - a cozy snow-white terrace awaits you. The restaurant always has a romantic atmosphere, and the most exquisite dishes are served. Varied menu with tour. cuisine, as well as European. There are different types of wines. Waiters serve at the highest level.
"Mussakka" - very cozy restaurant. Tables are located inside the building and outside. A particularly beautiful view is from the balcony (places are booked in advance), from where the endless sea is perfectly visible. The cuisine is full of variety. Kebabs with delicious sauces, vegetables, salads, desserts. We especially recommend trying moussaka (eggplant dish). Tasty food, friendly atmosphere, national music - all this can give you the most positive emotions and leave vivid impressions.
In Alania:
"Ottoman house" - surprisingly beautiful atmosphere of the east, a wide variety of dishes, friendly staff. There is a set and customized menu. Often during lunch, a beautiful belly dance is danced here. For those who want to admire the local beauties, there is an opportunity to climb onto the roof, from where you can see the city, mosque, harbor.
In Marmaris:

"Summer Breeze" - one of the best establishments in Marmaris. Very welcoming, friendly restaurant. Here everyone will find something tasty for themselves. Meat, seafood, salads, sauces, hot dishes, desserts - everything is cooked in the best traditions of the country. The restaurant accepts orders for celebrating birthdays, new year and other celebrations. Service is excellent, very attentive. There is Wi-Fi (free of charge) and a pool table. The restaurant bus can also take you to the hotel free of charge.
"Samdan" - on one of the main streets of Marmaris. Very varied menu card: Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Indian food. Turkish consists of many dishes consisting of meat, vegetables, seasoned with sauces, spices. There are also traditional pastries, sweets and drinks. Prices are quite moderate. Large portions are served, nicely presented. A variety of food, unsurpassed taste, satiety are guaranteed to you, which means good spirits and good mood!

We wish you Bon appetit! Afiyet olsun!

street kitchen
Snacks
First meal
Meat and fish
Coffee and sweets
Juices, alcohol

Istanbul is a city where it is impossible not to eat. Street food, sweet shops, carts selling oysters, chestnuts and corn, markets, cafes and restaurants lie in wait for travelers everywhere.

Everything is fresh, tasty, incredibly high-calorie.

The city's first food attraction is simita bagels with sesame seeds. The price of joy is only 1 lira, and the taste is much better than in childhood (remember Soviet bagels with poppy seeds?)

Simits are truly national food (initially for the poor, of course, not for tourists), so there is even a thematic monument not far from the Eminenu pier. Judging by the polishing, tourists also rub them “for good luck”, like a dog's nose on Kurskaya in Moscow.

Autumn is unthinkable without pomegranates. They are practically not consumed in their raw form “by the grain” (except in salads and complex side dishes), but freshly squeezed ruby ​​juice is drunk with pleasure.

With a confident movement, the juice sellers cut the fruit into 2 parts and put each one in a special mechanical press. Don't neglect the tube pomegranate juice severely erodes tooth enamel. Well, it contains half of the periodic table, of course.

Still wonderful street food- Roasted chestnuts

These hairy fruits (“our” horse chestnuts are unsuitable for food) are cleaned a little and fried on simple metal plates.

Muscovites and Petersburgers can argue for a long time about the correctness of the word shawarma - shawarma, but the Turks do not take a steam bath. They just cook huge layers good meat on the right coals and get a result that is incomparable with Russian counterparts hazardous to health.

On the street, you can also try flatbread cooked on an open fire. If desired, you can wrap greens, cottage cheese, cheese in them, or just eat a hot cake, washed down with ayran.

Turkish cuisine is one of the most popular in the world. Rather, the third. French cuisine has overtaken it, but the Turks are already breathing down the neck 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 warlike 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, Greece. At the same time, the conquerors enriched and cookbooks Hungarians, Romanians, Bulgarians, 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 should 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. Pour half a glass of rice into two liters of meat broth and cook for half an hour. Pour three cups of natural yogurt into the mixer, 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 of butter in a frying pan, fry a pinch of red pepper and a handful of dry mint leaves in it. 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 is a very popular Turkish dish. 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 give a description of a 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. half a glass sesame flour mixed 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 onion, pepper and meat. Season it with juice from half a lemon, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Salt, pepper and marinate for 2 hours at 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. Ready product cut into cubes and sprinkle them in 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.

The national cuisine of Turkey is very multifaceted and original. Its formation was influenced by the fact that Turks, Armenians, Persians, Greeks, Assyrians and many other peoples lived on the territory of this country, each of which left its own unique mark on the culinary history of the state. The list includes such popular delicacies as plov, kebab and baklava. You will find their recipes in today's article.

Main nuances

Indigenous Turks turn every meal into a kind of ritual. All dishes are served in a specific order. Any meal begins with snacks, which include stuffed vegetables, olives and various pickles. After them, soups, fish or meat dishes and dessert appear on the table.

Vegetables are often used for cooking. Eggplants are especially popular. They are served marinated, stuffed, baked, stewed, steamed or fried. Also, the local population likes to generously add it not only to side dishes, but also to various sauces.

Meat is highly valued in Turkey. It is consumed in any form, but most often it is grilled or fried in a pan. Milk occupies a special place in the national cuisine of this state. It is used to make amazing cheeses, delicious desserts and incredibly healthy yogurts.

Turkish eggs

This interesting dish is vaguely reminiscent of a traditional omelet. It has an extraordinary taste and is ideal for a family breakfast. Before preparing one of the many Turkish national dishes, check in advance if your kitchen has everything you need. In this case, you will need:

• 8 chicken eggs.
• 100 grams of butter.
• 100 milliliters of broth.
• 150 grams of chicken liver.
• A couple of tomatoes.
• Salt and spices.

Washed and dried chicken liver fried in butter. As soon as it acquires a golden hue, it is poured with broth, pre-mixed with chopped tomatoes. Beaten salted eggs are also added there. The future omelet is baked in the oven at standard temperature. Before serving ready meal can be topped with tomato sauce.

Lentil soup

This is one of the most popular Turkish national dishes. It is prepared from simple budget ingredients sold in any supermarket. To pamper your family with such a soup, stock up on everything you need in advance. This time you will need:

• 3 liters of drinking water.
• A couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.
• 1.5 cups red lentils
• A tablespoon of flour and ground paprika.
• Salt, aromatic spices and vegetable oil.

Washed lentils are poured with cold water and sent to the stove. As soon as the liquid boils, the resulting foam is removed from its surface and left to cook on minimal heat.

Pour a little vegetable oil into a separate saucepan, heat it up and fry wheat flour there. A few minutes later they add tomato paste, some water, basil and oregano. All mix well and leave on the stove. After a couple of minutes, a little more water is added there and the resulting frying is sent to a pan with lentils. All this is salted, seasoned with mint and removed from the burner almost immediately. The finished soup is ground through a sieve and poured into bowls. Squeeze a little lemon juice into each serving.

Baklava

This dessert is very popular not only among the local population, but also among numerous tourists. Like all other recipes for Turkish national dishes, this option requires a certain set of components. Therefore, before starting work with the test, check if you have at hand:

• 250 grams of butter.
• Egg.
• 300 grams of powdered sugar.
• Half a kilo of wheat flour.
• 200 milliliters of milk.
• Cinnamon, salt and walnuts.
• A glass of water and sugar.
• Tablespoon of honey.

Like many other national Turkish dishes, photos of which can be seen in today's publication, baklava is prepared using the simplest technology. In a bowl filled with sifted wheat flour, alternately add a pinch of salt, melted butter and warm milk. Everything is well kneaded until a fairly steep, but at the same time elastic mass is obtained. Ready dough placed in a plastic bag and left for half an hour.

In the meantime, you can work on the rest of the products. Nuts are crushed with a meat grinder and combined with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The infused dough is divided into twelve approximately identical balls. Each of them is rolled out in a thin layer, smeared with butter, sprinkled with nut filling and rolled up, tucking the edges inward. The resulting blanks are laid out on a baking sheet. Their surface is smeared with yolk. Bake products at two hundred degrees for about a quarter of an hour. Then the temperature is reduced to 160 0 C. The baklava is smeared with butter and returned to the oven. After fifty minutes, it is transferred to a deep bowl, poured with syrup consisting of water, sugar and honey, and left for six hours.

Pilaf

This is one of the simplest and most satisfying Turkish national dishes. It is prepared from inexpensive and readily available ingredients. To create it you will need:

• 700 grams of chicken.
• 1.5 cups long rice
• A couple of tablespoons of pine nuts.
• Half a kilo of tomatoes.
• 3 tablespoons of butter.
• Onion bulb.
• A handful of parsley, basil and dried cranberries.
• Salt and spices.

Washed and dried chicken is laid out in a thick-bottomed frying pan, in which there is already butter. As soon as it is browned, onion half rings are added to it and continue to fry. A few minutes later, pine nuts and tomatoes rubbed through a sieve are sent there. Almost immediately, washed cranberries, chopped greens and rice are placed in the pan. All this is poured with water, covered with a lid and cooked until the liquid is completely absorbed. Before serving, pilaf is decorated with basil.

Lula kebab

This is one of the many culinary masterpieces for which Turkish cuisine is famous. The national dishes of this country are known far beyond its borders. Therefore, to try a kebab, it is not at all necessary to go to Turkey. You can also prepare it in your own kitchen. For this you will need:

• A kilo of lean lamb.
• 100 grams of bell pepper.
• 200 g fat tail fat.
• 25 grams of wheat flour.
• 75 g of garlic.
• 100 grams of parsley.
• 150 g tomatoes.
• 0.25 kg onion.

The flour is soaked in a small amount of hot water and squeezed out. Lamb, pepper and tail fat are ground in a meat grinder and sent to the refrigerator. After an hour, the minced meat is salted, seasoned with spices and carefully strung on skewers. They fry the kebab on smoldering coals, not forgetting to periodically turn it over. It is served with a sauce made from chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley.

Turkish coffee

This fragrant invigorating drink leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Prepare it for several different recipes(photos of Turkish national dishes can be found in the process of reading this article). To make real strong coffee, you will need:

• A couple of teaspoons of sugar.
• Ground coffee.
• A teaspoon of cinnamon and vanilla.
• A pod of cardamom.
• Carnation.
• 200 milliliters of water.

Ground coffee is poured into the preheated cezve. Cold water is poured there and the vessel is placed on the stove. The drink is kept on minimum heat for half an hour, not allowing it to boil. In the process of cooking, sugar, spices and spices are added to the cezva. Ready coffee is poured into cups and served at the table.

Revani

This delicious dessert also applies to Turkish national dishes. He is tender cake soaked in lemon syrup. To prepare it you will need:

• 3 eggs.
• A glass of flour, semolina and sugar.
• 200 milliliters of vegetable oil and yogurt.
• A pack of baking powder.

In order to cook the syrup, prepare in advance:

• 3 glasses of water.
• Juice of half a lemon.
• 3 cups of sugar.

Eggs are combined with yogurt and sugar, and then beaten, gradually adding semolina, flour, baking powder and vegetable oil. The finished dough is poured into a mold with high sides and sent to the oven. Dessert is baked at one hundred and fifty degrees for at least forty minutes. The cooled cake is cut into portions and poured with hot syrup consisting of water, sugar and lemon juice.

Eggplant in Istanbul

This savory snack also belongs to the national dishes of Turkish cuisine. It is prepared so simply that even a novice cook can make it without any problems. Its composition includes:

• 3 large eggplants.
• Medium head of onion.
• 3 fresh tomatoes.
• Medium carrot.
• 150 grams of celery root.
• Sweet bell pepper.
• A clove of garlic.
• A bunch of parsley.
• A pinch of ground dried thyme.
• Salt, spices and vegetable oil.

Eggplants are cut lengthwise and soaked in cold salt water. After half an hour, they are washed, dried and fried on the inside for vegetable oil. The browned pulp is separated from the skin and crushed.

Peeled carrots and celery are boiled until half cooked and cut into small cubes. Peppers are baked in the oven, separated from the peel and the seed and crushed. All this is combined in one vessel. Fried onions, chopped tomatoes, salt, aromatic herbs and chopped garlic are also added there. The resulting mass is laid out in eggplant boats and baked at standard temperature.

Turkish cuisine combines a huge number of culinary traditions of different peoples of Asia and the Caucasus and, together with Italian and French cuisine, is one of the three most popular in the world. IN there are quite unexpected combinations of ingredients and ready-made dishes, unusual for European gourmets, but not without their sophistication. Let's take a closer look at all this.

Appetizers and first courses

Any meal in Turkey begins with light snacks, which are called. It can be salads, pickled vegetables, pickles, olives (black and green), mushrooms, spicy cheese, sardines or anchovies.

Most tourists prefer "boreks" as a snack - small fried pies, in which thin layers of dough cover the filling of meat, fish, cheese, spinach or spices.

In Turkish cuisine, as in Russian, there is a special reverence for the first courses, which are served at the beginning of the meal during all meals (for breakfast, lunch and dinner).

• In winter, tourists in many establishments offer "Corbu"- hot stew of tomatoes, lentils and other vegetables,
• and in summer, cold stew made from ayran (a kind of fermented milk product), garlic, cucumbers and herbs is especially popular.

In terms of the variety of soups, Turkish cuisine can compete with the cuisines of other countries. Local chefs prepare delicious meat, fish, chicken, rice, vegetable soups seasoning them with lemon juice, mint and eggs.

Meat abundance

National cuisine of Turkey - it is also a huge number of dishes from beef, lamb and poultry. Typical meat dishes - it's a type of barbecue. In addition to traditional meat on a skewer "shish kebab" tourists are also offered:

• "Tandyr-kebab" - a whole lamb carcass, baked in a hearth dug in the ground,
• "kyufte" (small round cutlets),
• "kebabs" (products from finely chopped or minced meat with the addition of spices).
• Tourists also like sausages or minced meat balls fried on a grill, which the Turks call "yzgara".

But the most famous meat dish turkish food is pilaf, which in this country is prepared from rice or wheat groats. At the same time, wheat groats are stewed with meat, whole onions, green peppers and chopped tomatoes, and rice pilaf has its own characteristics depending on the region of the country. In each separate corner of Turkey, rice pilaf will have a different taste, so it simply cannot get bored. In some regions of the country, pilaf is prepared even from peas and vermicelli.

In almost all establishments that can satisfy an attack of hunger, they serve the world-famous dolma (a kind of Turkish cabbage rolls) in cabbage or grape leaves stuffed with meat or rice.

Being in Turkey on vacation or on a business trip, by all means you have to taste the local manti, which are made from dough stuffed with minced meat. Onion, salt, pepper and chopped spices are added to the minced meat. Manti is served with a special sauce, for which yogurt is mixed with garlic, paprika, oil, cayenne pepper, basil and parsley.

gifts of the seas

Since the territory of Turkey is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Black, Marmara and Mediterranean seas, many types of fish and seafood are used in the national cuisine. Local chefs deliciously cook mullet, stingray, red mullet, swordfish, flounder, as well as oysters, mussels, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, lobsters and all kinds of shrimps.

Seafood dishes are unpretentious, although it is difficult to call them cheap. visiting fish restaurants in Turkey, tourists from Europe need to know that the menu does not indicate the cost of the dish itself, but the price per kilogram of live fish or other seafood. Visitors can choose their own fish in a huge aquarium, pay for its weight, and then enjoy the taste of a freshly prepared dish.

You can always taste fish dishes at more reasonable prices in coastal cities, where many species sea ​​fish cooked on a grill, added to dolma, and meat for traditional pilaf is replaced with mussels and other delicacies.

vegetable paradise

As a side dish for meat and fish dishes in Turkish cuisine, various vegetables are most often served. It is worth noting that vegetables are not classified as secondary products here, but incredibly delicious dishes are prepared from them. Only from eggplant local chefs can cook more than four dozen dissimilar dishes.

Also popular among tourists are stuffed leek, kavurma from sorrel, zeytinyaly (green beans stewed with onions and tomatoes).

Tea, coffee, ayran and stronger drinks

In the national cuisine of Turkey, in addition to the famous Turkish coffee, tea is considered a traditional drink that can be washed down with all these dishes. To taste this drink, tourists do not have to look for cafes and restaurants in big cities. Numerous merchants (“chaichi”) walk along their streets, carrying hot or cold tea on special trays. Often "chaichi" drag a real samovar along with them on a cart.

Tea in Turkey is so popular that it is drunk everywhere. At the same time, they use not only varieties of black and green tea, but also berry, orange, apple. Such fruit mixes are sold by weight in Turkish markets, so tourists can always choose the flavor that they like the most.

Quench your thirst in the summer heat a glass of ayran, diluted mineral water . Such a drink brings the body into tone and gives it a pleasant freshness.

Since Turkey is a Muslim country, of the strong drinks freely available in many stores, only anise vodka, dry and semi-sweet wines.

Baking and sweets

Turkish cuisine is famous for its sweets. First of all, it is necessary to highlight the "baklava"- a layer of shavings of pistachios and walnuts, placed in thin petals of puff pastry.

Good tasting and "gozlime" - cheese cakes , among which the best are those that were baked on coals in a large tandoor.

Definitely worth a try Sultan's Dessert- pieces of dough prepared in a special way and boiled in thick syrup, which are then sprinkled with grated walnut kernels and poured over with a thick cream.

And how to pass by such Turkish sweets as halva, Turkish delight, stuffed peach, candied chestnut?

At the same time, it must be remembered that of all types of pastries in Turkey, simple bread is most revered. It cannot be thrown away - this is a great sin. Even dropping a piece of bread, it must be picked up, kissed and brought to the eyes, otherwise you can find yourself in an unpleasant situation.

Cooking Yourself - Turkish Cuisine Recipes

You can bring a piece of Turkish flavor to your home by preparing several dishes of this cuisine and pleasantly surprising your relatives or invited guests.

You can apply for the first rice soup, for the preparation of which you will need:

• 6 glasses of meat broth;
• 500 grams of tomatoes;
• 1/3 cup rice;
• a tablespoon of oil;
• parsley and salt to taste.

1. Rice must be washed, placed in a saucepan, pour meat broth, add oil and salt and put on the stove. While the soup base is cooking, one tomato must be set aside, and the rest chopped and added to the soup. The last tomato must be peeled, cut into cubes and thrown into the soup at the very end.
2. Cook the rice soup for about 15 minutes until the rice softens. Then the finished dish is removed from the stove and poured into portioned plates, garnished with finely chopped parsley.

As a second course, you can cook stuffed eggplant. For this you will need:

• 6 eggplants;
• 400 grams of veal;
• 1/3 cup rice;
• 1.5 glasses of water;
• 2 onions;
• 2 tomatoes;
• lemon;
• 2 tablespoons of table oil;
• a bunch of parsley;
• salt and pepper - to taste.

1. Eggplants must be washed, dried and cut into longitudinal strips up to one and a half centimeters thick.
2. Peel the onion, cut it thinly and thinly and fry in a deep frying pan or saucepan until softened, adding oil.
3. Pour the washed rice into a bowl with onions, add a glass of water and close the lid. On medium heat, rice with onions should simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. The meat must be passed through a meat grinder or finely chopped, added to rice, seasoned with pepper and salt and mixed gently.
5. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, remove the skin from them, cut into cubes and put them on the rice and meat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and mix thoroughly for 5 minutes.
6. Put the prepared minced meat on the eggplants, then put them in a saucepan, add the rest of the water, sprinkle with lemon juice. Cover the pan and put in a well-heated oven for 30-40 minutes.
7. Ready eggplants are laid out on a plate and decorated with fresh herbs.

And for dessert, you can cook puff baklava, for which you will need:

• 2 cups wheat flour;
• 1/2 cup milk;
• a glass of melted butter;
• egg;
• egg yolk;
• 200 grams of walnuts;
• 20 grams of pressed yeast;
• a glass of powdered sugar;
• 80 grams of honey;
• ground cardamom seeds (at the tip of a knife);
• salt to taste.

1. Yeast is diluted in warm milk, salt, egg, a little butter, flour are added. Knead the dough, which then must be covered with a cloth and put in a warm place for 40 minutes.
2. For the filling, the nut kernels are crushed in a meat grinder, honey, powdered sugar and cardamom are added to them.
3. From the prepared dough, roll out 15 thin cakes, put them in a stack on a baking sheet, brushing each with melted butter. The first 3 cakes and the last 3 are laid out without filling, and the rest are layered with the prepared mixture every 2 cakes.
4. Baklava is smeared with egg yolk, cut into diamonds and baked in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for about half an hour. Ready baklava is poured with the remnants of melted butter.