27 Traditional Turkish Foods To Try in 2025
If you’re a passionate foodie looking for something new to try, you’re in for a treat with Turkish food. The flavorful menu items that originated in this Middle-Eastern country are one of the main reasons it's such a popular travel destination.
Food is a big part of Turkish culture, so much so that the Turks have even written songs about it! For example, Anatolian rock star, Barıs Manço wrote a hit song titled "Domates Biber Patlıcan" which translates to “Tomatoes, pepper, eggplant.” While you may not be a songwriter, you can still kickstart your culinary adventure in Turkish cuisine with this list of the 27 best traditional Turkish foods worth trying.
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27 Traditional Turkish Dishes Worth Trying
1. İskender Kebap
Some of the most popular Turkish foods revolve around roasted meats, which is the case with the extremely popular İskender kebap. This is one of the most popular dishes in Turkey and was named after its inventor, İskender Efendi, during the late 19th century Ottoman Empire, where it was cooked for workers in the city’s Kayhan Bazaar.
This Turkish food features long strips of tender lamb that are cooked in a rich tomato sauce and served with rice or pita bread and yogurt. If you're up for trying this Turkish food, it's especially popular in Istanbul and can be found in restaurants or sold by vendors on the street.
2. Sis Kebap
Sis kebap, a Turkish food that's commonly known as a shish kebab, dates all the way back to the 17th century. As a meal, it is quite simply meat skewered onto a metal rod or skewer and chargrilled over a fire.
It's a popular street food found throughout the country, including in popular tourist spots like Istanbul. This Turkish food is often served with a flatbread or a dipping sauce like haydari, which is a meze dip made from thickened yogurt, mint and garlic.
3. Köfte
The Italians have meatballs — a culinary staple loved in many countries; however, the Turks have their own version that could easily rival that of their European counterparts — köfte. These small meatballs are so versatile and can be made from ground beef, lamb and even vegetables, such as chickpeas. They’re served in a variety of different ways, most commonly inside a wrap with salad or on some pita bread.
Because this Turkish food is a staple dish in most households, you will not be hard-pressed to find a place that sells them. You can find gourmet versions in restaurants or get a more paired-back version at a local street deli or fresh off a street vendor. Sometimes, locals enjoy the simplicity of savoring this Turkish food as it is with yogurt.
4. Çig Köfte
Çig köfte, also known as chee kofta, are meatballs traditionally made with raw meat. Local legend has it that this Turkish food was invented when King Nimrod banned the use of fire and a local hunter used raw deer meat to make meatballs.
It is important to note that the raw meat version was banned from sale at food outlets in 2008. However, this Turkish food is still served in other forms, such as with bulgur, onion, pepper, tomato paste and spices.
5. Meze
When you think of Turkish and Mediterranean food, you may first think of meze dishes. This Turkish food is presented in small, shareable plates with dishes that show off the flavors of different regions.
Common items you’ll find served in a meze are cacik, a herby yogurt dip, hummus and ezme, which is a chopped vegetable salad of fresh tomatoes and peppers. Sometimes it also includes meat or fresh fish dishes. You’ll find this Turkish food served all across the country, with variations differing from region to region.
6. Testi Kebab
Testi kebab is a specialty dish originating from the Cappadocia region. What makes this Turkish food so special is the way in which it's cooked — in a sealed clay pot or in a jug placed over a fire. The pot is filled with beef, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic and butter. Once the pot is sealed with aluminum foil, it is placed amongst coals where the food begins cooking.
When the dish is finished cooking, the cook will break open the top of the pot with a small hammer. The sealed pot creates a pressure cooker, allowing this Turkish food to stew in its juices, resulting in tender meat.
7. İnegöl Köfte
Meatballs come in all shapes and sizes in Turkey and İnegöl köfte is a variation shaped like a sausage. This Turkish food was invented by Mustafa Efendi, who was born in Bulgaria and moved to İnegöl, Turkey. In 1983, he began selling the meatballs at a family-run shop that is still in business today.
İnegöl meatballs are made from ground beef or lamb, breadcrumbs and onions. Of course, you can customize this Turkish food to suit your taste preferences; however, these meatballs are unique because they’re traditionally only seasoned with a pinch of salt.
8. Döner
You’ll notice that the word döner comes up a lot in Turkish cuisine and that’s because it means rotating roast, which is a staple in the country's culinary scene. Döner sandwiches are the Turk's answer to a sub; you’ll find these meals in many fast food joints and sold on the streets.
It features sliced shavings of slow-cooked chicken, beef or lamb inside a pita bread with fresh vegetables and a dressing. This is the perfect Turkish food to eat while exploring all the attractions that Turkey has to offer or at the end of a fun night out.
9. Kumpir
Another Turkish food often sold on the streets is kumpir — a comforting loaded baked potato. The inside of the potato is soft and buttery, while the outside is golden and crispy. Popular filings to add include kasseri cheese, sausages, Russian salad and pickles.
Other popular variations include sweetcorn, mayonnaise, ketchup or sliced olives; the beauty is, you can add any fillings you enjoy to excite your taste buds. This Turkish food is often served in tourist hubs like Istanbul, specifically Ortaköy.
10. Hamsili Pilav
Hamsi, a type of anchovy, is abundant in the Turkish black sea and is a common ingredient in the country's meals. There are two main parts to this Turkish food — the filling and the outer layer.
For the filling, a mixture is made from rice, fried onions, butter, Turkish allspice, raisins and nuts. The filleted anchovies are cooked before being used to cover this rice mixture, creating a filling meal that can be served in slices in a similar way to a pie.
This delicious Turkish food is most often served in the city of Rize or other towns and cities along the Black Sea coastline. The first recipe for this dish was recorded in 1764, so it's deeply rooted in the region's communal spirit and hospitality, making it one of Turkey’s most authentic fish dishes.
11. Perde Pilav
When Turks celebrate special occasions like weddings, you’re guaranteed to find a Turkish food called perde pilav on the table. This dish is shaped similar to a cake, but don't be fooled, as it's a savory creation consisting of rice, chicken, onion and peanuts, seasoned with salt, oregano and pepper, and covered in a thin layer of dough topped with almonds and currents.
This storied meal symbolizes the building of a new home and the currants represent future children, hence why it’s served at weddings. If you're looking to try this Turkish food beyond the borders of a wedding, you'll most likely find it in Siirt — one of the best foodie cities in the southeast part of Turkey, where it originated.
12. Balik Dürüm
Tourists and locals alike will agree that the staple Turkish food of balik dürüm is worth trying if you're a fan of fish. This iconic street food is traditionally sold in Istanbul near the famous Galata Bridge but can be found in many other places around the country.
In a toasted flatbread, fileted fried or grilled fish — often mackerel or other oily types — are marinated with spices and served with vegetables in a wrap, such as lavash bread. Many recipes also include a dressing, such as pomegranate molasses.
This Turkish food is generally served straight off the boats, so you’re guaranteed to enjoy a fresh wrap that explodes with oceanic flavors.
13. Midye Dolma
Midye dolma, otherwise known as stuffed mussels, is a popular street food snack. It's believed to have originated in the 1960s, however, other accounts date the food to the Ottoman Empire. The most well-known purveyors of this Turkish food were Mardin immigrants who moved to Istanbul’s Galata district, which is home to the Golden Horn estuary, a habitat for mussels.
In this Turkish food recipe, the mussels are mixed with rice, salt, oil, red pepper, black pepper and currants. This Turkish food is served with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice squeezed over the mixture for added flavor and to stop the mussel from drying out. Some variations include adding sautéed white onion and squid ink to the mixture.
14. Kuzu Tandir
Kuzu Tandir, also known as lamb tandoori, is a meat delicacy that takes hours of preparation (which definitely pays off!) To make this Turkish food, lamb pieces are covered in a mixture of olive oil, vinegar and garlic cloves, before being baked in a traditional oven that's known as a tandir. Potatoes and peppers are often added to the mix before cooking as well.
Once the slow-cooked meat is tender, this Turkish food is served with bread and raw onions, Turkish rice or potato purée. The aromatic flavors are what make this dish a staple in Turkish households. The cooking technique for this delectable meal has also spilled over into countries like India, Greece and Afghanistan.
15. Lahmacun
Attention all pizza lovers — you're in for a real treat! The Turks have their own version of the extremely popular food and it's known as lahmacun. This Turkish food is a thin Middle Eastern flatbread topped with minced beef or lamb meat, mixed vegetables like onions, pickles, roasted eggplant and tomatoes, as well as spices like garlic, red peppers and parsley.
Some people also like to squeeze fresh lemon juice on top for that extra bit of zestiness. The flatbread is then pulled apart and eaten in pieces or folded around the vegetables to be eaten like a wrap. This Turkish food has been a hit for more than 300 years and continues to be very popular, especially as a lunchtime snack.
16. Pide
The people of Turkey love their bread, with pide being a testament to that. This is another famous baked flatbread dish you have to try at least once. This Turkish food originated from the city of Samsun and, since around 1752, it has been a local favorite.
Pide is shaped like a boat and filled with toppings like tomatoes, cheese, cured Turkish sausage, ground lamb or beef, peppers, sautéed mushrooms, spinach and olives. Some regions will crack an egg in the center of this Turkish food and let it bake for a further minute in a wood-fired oven before serving.
17. Mantı
Mantı is a type of Turkish dumpling that has been around since the 15th century. The origins of this dumpling are still unclear, with some experts believing it originated somewhere between Central Asia and Turkey. Other theorists believe it may have originated in the Middle East and spread to China via the Silk Road.
Either way, these dumplings are delicious and loved by people across Turkey, Armenia and other surrounding countries. This Turkish food is stuffed with spiced ground meat like beef or lamb and then boiled or baked until soft. Typically, they’re served with yogurt, garlic and red pepper powder.
18. Menemen
If you're a foodie passionate about morning meals, you'll want to start your day off with a Turkish breakfast delicacy known as Menemen. This is a popular egg dish that originates from the small Turkish market town of Menemen in the Izmir Province. To make this Turkish food, scrambled eggs are cooked with a vegetable mixture of grated or diced tomatoes, green peppers and olive oil.
Some variations of this Turkish food include onions, green chile peppers and cured Turkish sausage. Some places even top the dish with kasseri cheese or white cheese, and the dish is served in the pan in which it was cooked.
19. Yaprak Sarma
Wrapped cuisine plays a big role in Turkish food and yaprak sarma is a popular snack that falls into this category. Not to be confused with dolmades, this easy-to-make meal originated in the Ottoman Empire. What’s so great about this Turkish food is that it comes in a vegetarian and meat-filled version. The meat-free yaprak sarma comprises a grape leaf filled with rice, onion, mint, currants, cinnamon, pepper and pine nuts.
For those who prefer this Turkish food with meat, ground beef is mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The vegetarian version is served cold while the meat option is generally served hot. This Turkish food is also served with plain or mint yogurt.
20. Dolma
Dolma, translating to “stuffed,” is another vegetarian Turkish food that is also popular in Greece. This is a cuisine that's deeply rooted in an interesting political background — it was a popular food during the Golden Age under Suleiman the Magnificent's Ottoman Empire reign during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Similar to yaprak sarma, this dish features grape leaves that have been stuffed with a mixture of rice, onion and vegetables, such as eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. They’re then cooked in water and butter or oil and served at room temperature. During the winter months, peasants made a variation of this meal using cabbage leaves which is still served in some areas.
21. İmam Bayıldı
If you're dead set on trying the most traditional Turkish dishes, you’ll want to add İmam Bayıldı to the menu. This Turkish food, which translates to “The imam fainted,” is linked to a folktale involving an Islamic cleric fainting due to his wife not having any more olive oil left to make an eggplant dish, which he had grown to love dearly.
İmam bayıldı is a baked eggplant that has been stuffed with a rich mixture of tomatoes, onions and garlic. If this dish is made as a main meal, it is often served on a bed of bulgur wheat with pine nuts and raisins. This Turkish food is best served at room temperature.
22. Künefe
Turkish food is not all about grilled meat and baked eggplant; the desserts are spectacular as well. The history of this dessert is still unclear, but many experts believe that künefe is an Arabic dish that was prescribed by doctors to satisfy hunger qualms during Ramadan. This sweet treat then spread to neighboring lands like Greece and Turkey.
It is made with cheese, bread crumbs and pistachio nuts which are arranged in between layers of kadayıf (a type of sweet pastry) and soaked in sweet syrup. This tasty Turkish food is cooked on the stovetop until golden on each side.
23. Baklava
This decadent dessert is considered to be one of the most iconic Turkish foods. Luckily, for those who are fans of this sweet treat, it comes in many delicious flavors. Baklava dates back to the eighth century B.C.E. when people who were part of the Assyrian Empire would make a version of it for special occasions. Fast forward thousands of years later and it's now it’s the perfect midday sugary treat eaten daily.
If you're one of the few worldwide who haven't yet tasted this syrupy Turkish food, it is made with layers of filo pastry stuffed with nuts (usually pistachio) and soaked in a sweet syrup or honey. Sometimes, rose water is also used as an additional flavor-enhancing ingredient. In Turkey, baklava is enjoyed with a cup of Turkish tea or coffee.
24. Lokum
Lokum is known by its more popular and apt name — Turkish delight. This Turkish food is a firm jelly-like cube flavored with lemon, mastic and rose water, and dusted with powdered sugar. Other popular variations include chopped dates, pistachios, walnuts and dried fruit. This small candy symbolizes hospitality, generosity and celebration which is why they’re exchanged among friends and family.
The Turks believe that this dessert was invented by Bekir Efendi, who opened his candy business, Hacı Bekir in Bahçekapı, in 1777. This candy store is still proudly operating today, under the management of family members of the fourth and fifth generations.
25. Halva
This candy is a popular sweet treat in Turkey that many believe dates back to the 7th century, in Arabia. Others, however, believe it originated in Persia. Now, this Turkish food is enjoyed throughout the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa. The traditional way of making halva is by combining tahini (sesame) paste with sugar. It’s similar to fudge with a distinctive nutty flavor.
Sometimes, other ingredients like pistachios, cocoa, vanilla and walnuts are added. It’s not uncommon to find halva made with coffee, orange juice, dried fruits and sour cherries as well. Additionally, in Turkey, there is a traditional floss halva where thin strands are shaped into a ball that looks similar to cotton candy.
26. Güllaç
A popular Turkish food consumed especially during the festival of Ramadan is güllaç. This light and delicious dessert was first mentioned in a 14th-century book written by a Mongol physician who documented Turkic dishes. Because of the similarities in creating thin layers of dough, many consider this dessert to be the origin of baklava.
Güllaç is made with layers of cornstarch, wheat flour dough and sweet milk. It's often flavored with rosewater and topped with nuts — usually almonds and hazelnuts — and pomegranate seeds. Sometimes, cherry sugar is used to top off the dessert as a decoration.
27. Mozaik Pasta
You’ll be forgiven for thinking that mozaik pasta is a version of everyone's favorite Italian food, when in actual fact, it is a delicious chocolate cake. This Turkish food can be found just about anywhere in the country, and for a good reason: it’s heavenly! Similar to the Italian chocolate salami, this uncooked chocolate cake is a popular dessert because it's quick and cheap to make.
In Turkey, the cake is made into a long triangle and contains crushed pieces of biscuits in the cocoa mixture. It’s common to find crushed nuts like pecans and pistachios in the cake as well. Some people even add a splash of brandy if they're looking for a boozy taste. Once mixed in and placed in the mold, this cake is left to set in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
Learn How To Cook the Best Turkish Food
Looking at this extensive list of Turkish food, it’s not hard to see why millions of annual visitors are eager to try the wide array of the country's flavors. Better yet, you don't need a passport or heavy overbearing luggage to learn how to cook the foods that make Turkey famous.
Simply join cooking classes near you or online cooking classes. Whether it's in person or a virtual experience enjoyed from anywhere in the world, classes are led by renowned expert chefs who are ready to share their best culinary tips and tricks and ensure you have fun in the process.
Turkey is a country of rich history and stunning architecture, but there's also a large selection of outstanding food just waiting to be explored. From grilled meats to tasty vegetarian dishes, and let's not forget the decadent desserts, there is something for everyone’s taste preferences. All you need to do now is pick which traditional Turkish food you’re going to try first!
For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.
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