Turkey's food has a legitimate claim to being the finest cuisine in the world — and the Turks will tell you so without embarrassment. What the cuisine does is rare: it is simultaneously sophisticated and democratic. You eat the same flavours in a Michelin-recognised Istanbul restaurant as you do from a street cart in a coastal fishing village. Culture and food are inseparable in Turkey — here's your guide to both.
The Turkish Breakfast (Kahvaltı)
The Turkish breakfast is a meal that takes time, company and a second cup of tea to do justice. It is not a light affair — it is a tableful of small dishes that together constitute one of the greatest breakfast experiences in the world:
- White cheese (beyaz peynir) and yellow cheese (kaşar)
- Black and green olives, olive oil with dried herbs
- Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers
- Soft-boiled eggs or menemen (eggs scrambled with tomato, pepper and spices)
- Honey and clotted cream (kaymak) with fresh bread or simit (sesame bread ring)
- Börek — layered pastry filled with cheese, spinach or meat
- Çay (black tea) served continuously in tulip-shaped glasses
Van city in eastern Turkey is considered the spiritual home of the Turkish breakfast — the Van Kahvaltısı features 20+ dishes and is a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity candidate.
Essential Turkish Dishes
- İskender Kebab: Thin-sliced doner over flatbread, drenched in hot butter and tomato sauce, served with yoghurt. Invented in Bursa — the city in which to eat it.
- Adana Kebab: Minced lamb with hot spices hand-pressed around a flat skewer, grilled over charcoal. The spicy benchmark against which all other kebabs are judged.
- Börek: Thin layers of yufka (filo-like pastry) with fillings — the sigara böreği (cheese-filled cigar rolls) and su böreği (boiled pastry with cheese) are the ones to seek out.
- Meze: A spread of cold and warm small dishes — hummus, baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves (dolma), octopus salad, fried mussels — served before the main in a meyhane (Turkish tavern).
- Lahmacun: Ultra-thin crispy flatbread topped with minced meat, tomato and spice — roll it up with parsley, onion and lemon and eat it like a wrap. One of the world's great street foods.
- Baklava: Gossamer-thin pastry layered with pistachios or walnuts and soaked in syrup. Gaziantep's version (with Antep pistachios) is categorically the best — the city has EU geographical indication for it.
- Turkish Delight (Lokum): Rose water and mastic-flavoured, rolled in icing sugar — the original, from the old shops in Istanbul's Spice Bazaar, is a world apart from the box you get at home.
Tea Culture (Çay)
Turkey consumes more tea per capita than any country on earth — more than the UK, more than China. Turkish çay is strong, red, served without milk in tulip-shaped glasses and offered everywhere at any time. Refusing tea in Turkey is technically possible but culturally confusing — just accept it, wrap both hands around the warm glass and join the conversation.
Turkish Culture & Customs
- Hospitality (Misafirperverlik): Guest-friendship is a cultural cornerstone. Being invited for tea, a meal or a tour of a carpet shop is genuine — no pressure to buy, just the pleasure of company.
- Mosque etiquette: Remove shoes, dress modestly, speak quietly, and do not visit during prayer times. Women should cover their hair inside — headscarves are usually available at the entrance.
- Bargaining: Expected in bazaars and local markets — offer half and meet somewhere in the middle. Never haggle aggressively; keep it light and good-humoured.
- The evil eye (Nazar): The blue glass eye bead seen everywhere is a genuine cultural talisman against the evil eye — a belief that pre-dates Islam in Turkey. Accept one as a gift; it's a sign of affection.
- Atatürk: The founder of modern Turkey is deeply revered — respectful and non-disparaging references are appreciated.
Turkish Arts & Craft Traditions
Turkish craft traditions include: Iznik tilework (the blue-and-white hand-painted ceramic tiles that adorn every historic mosque), hand-woven kilim and carpet weaving (a tradition stretching back 2,000 years), ebru (water marbling paper art) and the whittled woodwork of the Black Sea coast. The Istanbul Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts are the best places to see all of these traditions in context.
Book Your Turkey Trip
Apply for your Turkey visa online, book hotels in Istanbul and one or two other regions, and give yourself time to eat slowly, drink plenty of çay and explore one of the world's most culturally rich and delicious destinations.