Those who wander are often hungry. Attention travellers! If you are in Turkey, you will find yourself amidst a place of rich flavors and sumptuous delicacies. Turkey is famous for its eye-catching beauty but also for its mouthwatering cuisine. There are a number of street corners and a lot of restaurants that serve you the world’s most scrumptious dishes that will surely leave you with you licking your plates clean, and we are not even kidding! Head on to our list below and bookmark this with you so you don’t miss out on the tasty treats of Turkey. Simply browse through all the traditional foods of Turkey and you can’t resist yourself from trying one of these:

1. Turkish Delight

1. Turkish Delight
Turkish Delight, also known as lokum, is a traditional sweet treat from Turkey. It is soft, chewy, and often flavored with rose, lemon, or orange, and sometimes contains nuts like pistachios or hazelnuts. Typically dusted with powdered sugar, it’s a popular souvenir and a staple in Turkish hospitality, often served with tea or coffee.

2. Iskender Kebab

One can’t afford to miss the popular meat dish – Iskender Kebab while in Turkey. The thinly sliced lamb along with the rich and warm tomato sauce is served over traditional bread pieces. Experience the rich taste with a tinge of yogurt and butter and enjoy Turkish cuisine.

3.Dolma

Dolma is a classic dish from Turkey made by stuffing vegetables like grape leaves, peppers, zucchini, or eggplants with a flavorful mixture of rice, herbs, and sometimes minced meat.

It can be served hot or cold, often with yogurt or lemon on the side, and is loved for its rich taste and traditional homemade feel.

4. Mezze

Mezze refers to a variety of small dishes served as appetizers in Turkey. These can include items like hummus, stuffed grape leaves, yogurt-based dips, and salads. Mezze is perfect for sharing and is an important part of Turkish dining culture, often enjoyed before the main meal.


5. Baklava

Amidst the plethora of spicy flavours, the sweet and rich flake pastry is too good to be missed. The amalgamation of finely chopped nuts with the soft layers of extra sweetness, the desert can be found on every street of Turkey. The classic taste originating from the Ottoman Empire should be definitely on your list.

6. Shish Kebab

A very famous dish that you might find on the menu of restaurants, Shish Kebab is the royal delicacy served on a skewer with salads or fries. The grilled chicken or lamb may appear simple but it is sumptuous to munch on.

7. Çig Köfte

The raw meatballs, often known as kofte are savoury balls of delicious kneaded bulgar tossed with spices. You can have them served with lemon juice, garnished with lettuce or a flatbread. It’s perfect for the evening when you want to munch on some light snacks.

8. Manti

Inspired by Italian cuisine, this traditional food of Turkey is a unique form of ravioli which is delicious and full of flavours. Manti varies in shape and form, but usually is small and angular pouches filled with bits of meat. The Turkish edition gets eclectic with the addition of a scoop of yoghurt to complement the meaty taste. There is one more variant to serve your taste buds with a coal-grilled stuffing of eggplant.

9. Karniyarik (Stuffed Eggplant)

Who doesn’t love indulging in a warm and stuffed eggplant with a soft and cooked filling of ground meat, tomatoes, onions, and parsley team with black pepper? A perfect delight for a hungry gut, this dish is both mouthwatering and hearty.

10. Simit

One of the most popular street and traditional foods of Turkey that you must have often seen a number of travel bloggers holding and posing is Simit. A delicious concoction of pretzel and bagel, this is the cheapest snack you can binge on while wandering on the streets of Turkey. The circular frame of the bread is filled with sesame seeds and can be eaten with jam, cheese, cream or Nutella.

What’s next?

So if you have plans to cut down your calories to get that beach body you have been working hard for, we advise you to forget that as Turkey cuisine is too hard to resist. We have provided you with the list of the top ten tasty delights of Turkey and we hope that you hop onto these places that serve your tastebuds with flavours. Inspired heavily by Ottoman Cuisine, the traditional foods of Turkey mentioned above has influences from all over the world. From starters to desserts, indulge yourself in the delicacies and enjoy your guilty pleasure through Turkey tour packages. If you are a foodie then don’t forget to check our other travel food guides that will definitely interest you.