Other · Traditional

Turkish cuisine

A bridge between East and West, with kebabs and sweet pastries.

Explore recipes Build a Turkish menu Wine pairings

Food history

Why Turkish cuisine is worth exploring

Turkish food tells the story of geography, trade, agriculture and family cooking. The cuisine has been shaped by the ingredients people could grow, preserve, carry and share, as well as by markets, festivals, migration and regional identity.

Why it is famous

Turkish cuisine is famous for dishes that feel strongly connected to place: everyday family recipes, celebration food, regional specialities and ingredients that give the cooking its recognisable character.

Regional food story

Turkish cuisine is not one single style. Treat the country page as a gateway into regional dishes, local ingredients, family recipes and occasion-led cooking.

How to cook it

Flavours, ingredients and menu ideas

Signature ingredients

Look for the ingredients that define Turkish cooking: staple grains or breads, seasonal vegetables, local herbs and spices, regional cheeses or dairy where relevant, preserved foods, seafood or meat traditions, and sweets linked to festivals or family gatherings.

Cooking style

The cooking style ranges from simple home dishes to more elaborate food for celebrations. Good Turkish recipes usually balance staple ingredients with texture, seasoning and a clear sense of occasion.

Build a menu

Build a Turkish menu by choosing a light starter, a signature main and a dessert that shows the country’s baking or sweet traditions. Add wine or drink pairings where the dish has enough richness, spice, acidity or sweetness to make the match useful.

Starters Mains Desserts

Cook by course

Turkish recipes

Start with a starter, choose a main, then finish with a dessert to build a complete country-inspired menu.

Starters

Turkish starters

Çılbır

Ottoman-style poached eggs served over garlic yoghurt with warm paprika butter.

Starter 20 mins

Kısır

Fine bulgur salad with tomato paste, herbs, spring onion and pomegranate molasses.

Starter 30 mins

Mücver

Courgette, herb and cheese fritters fried until crisp outside and tender inside.

Starter 40 mins

Sigara Böreği

Crisp Turkish pastry rolls filled with white cheese, parsley and a little pepper.

Starter 40 mins

Mercimek Çorbası

A silky Turkish red lentil soup finished with lemon, dried mint and pul biber butter.

Starter 50 mins

Ezogelin Çorbası

A hearty Anatolian soup of red lentils, bulgur, rice, tomato, mint and paprika.

Starter 55 mins

Midye Dolma

Istanbul-style mussels stuffed with spiced rice, currants, pine nuts and herbs.

Starter 1 hr 15 mins

İmam Bayıldı

Aubergines slowly braised in olive oil with onion, tomato, garlic and herbs.

Starter 1 hr 20 mins

Main courses

Turkish main courses

Balık Ekmek

Istanbul grilled fish sandwich with onion, lettuce, lemon and bread.

Main 25 mins

Menemen

Eggs softly cooked with tomatoes, green peppers and olive oil.

Main 25 mins

Hamsi Tava

Black Sea anchovies dusted with cornmeal and fried until crisp.

Main 30 mins

Adana Kebabı

Spicy minced lamb kebabs from Adana, grilled on skewers and served with flatbread.

Main 50 mins

İskender Kebap

Sliced lamb over pide with tomato sauce, yoghurt and sizzling butter.

Main 50 mins

Lahmacun

Thin Turkish flatbread spread with minced lamb, pepper, tomato, parsley and spice.

Main 55 mins

Ali Nazik Kebabı

Grilled lamb served over smoky aubergine yoghurt with paprika butter.

Main 1 hr 5 mins

Tavuklu Pilav

Turkish chicken rice pilaf with buttery grains and shredded chicken.

Main 1 hr 5 mins

Karadeniz Pidesi

Black Sea pide with melting cheese, butter and an egg cracked into the centre.

Main 1 hr 18 mins

Pide

Boat-shaped Turkish flatbread filled with meat, cheese or egg.

Main 1 hr 18 mins

Biber Dolması

Peppers stuffed with rice, herbs, tomato and optional minced meat.

Main 1 hr 20 mins

Karnıyarık

Aubergines stuffed with minced lamb, onion, tomato and green pepper.

Main 1 hr 25 mins

Tavuk Güveç

Chicken and vegetables baked slowly in a clay-pot style tomato sauce.

Main 1 hr 25 mins

Patlıcan Musakka

Turkish aubergine and minced meat bake with tomato and peppers.

Main 1 hr 30 mins

İçli Köfte

Bulgur shells filled with spiced minced meat, onion and walnuts.

Main 1 hr 35 mins

Mantı

Tiny Turkish dumplings filled with spiced lamb and topped with garlic yoghurt and paprika butter.

Main 1 hr 35 mins

Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarma

Vine leaves stuffed with rice, herbs, currants and olive oil, served cool.

Main 1 hr 45 mins

Etli Nohut

Chickpea and lamb stew with tomato, pepper paste and gentle Anatolian spice.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Etli Yaprak Sarma

Vine leaves stuffed with minced meat, rice, herbs and tomato, served warm.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Tas Kebabı

Ottoman-style lamb or beef stew with onion, tomato and potatoes.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Kuru Fasulye

Turkish white bean stew cooked with tomato, onion and optional meat.

Main 1 hr 55 mins

Hünkar Beğendi

Ottoman lamb stew served over smoky aubergine and cheese purée.

Main 2 hr

Perde Pilavı

Ceremonial rice pie with chicken, almonds, currants and pastry.

Main 2 hr 10 mins

Kuzu Tandır

Slow-cooked lamb, traditionally inspired by pit or tandır cooking, until pull-apart tender.

Main 4 hr 20 mins

Desserts

Turkish desserts

Künefe

Shredded kadayıf pastry baked with stretchy cheese and soaked in syrup.

Dessert 50 mins

Revani

Semolina syrup cake scented with lemon or orange.

Dessert 55 mins

Şekerpare

Soft semolina biscuits baked golden and soaked with lemon syrup.

Dessert 55 mins

Sütlaç

Turkish rice pudding, creamy and often browned on top.

Dessert 55 mins

Kazandibi

Caramelised Turkish milk pudding with a dark, chewy base.

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Lokma

Small fried dough balls soaked in syrup, crisp outside and soft inside.

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Aşure

Noah’s pudding made with grains, pulses, dried fruit, nuts and pomegranate.

Dessert 2 hr

Wine and drink pairings

What to drink with Turkish food

When pairing wine with Turkish food, match the structure of the dish first: fresh whites for seafood and herbs, medium reds for tomato, spice or roast meat, sparkling wines for fried or salty starters, and sweet or fortified wines for desserts.

White

Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris

Clean, easy-drinking white with pear, apple and citrus. Good for light starters, mild fish, salads and simple vegetable…

Grape: Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris Region: Veneto, Friuli, Alsace, Oregon