western-asia
Explore 193 foods connected to Turkey, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
Start with Dolma →
The local shortlist
10 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
Open the guide →
The full directory
193 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
دلمه
Vegetables such as peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, or zucchini hollowed out and stuffed with a mixture of rice, pine nuts, currants, and sometimes ground meat. The olive-oil vegetarian version (zeytinyağlı dolma) is served cold and is a staple of the Turkish meze table.
United Arab Emirates
Ντολμάδες
Greek stuffed grape leaves with rice, herbs, and olive oil, rolled into small parcels. A meze and Clean Monday staple, tangy and herby, served cold with lemon, a national dish.
Turkey
Turkish ice cream made with milk, sugar, salep (orchid root powder), and mastic, giving it a uniquely stretchy, chewy texture that resists melting. Vendors perform theatrical tricks with the ice cream, stretching and flipping it with long metal paddles. The Kahramanmaraş region is particularly famous for its high-quality dondurma.
Istanbul, Turkey
Soslu döner
A cone of stacked, seasoned meat (usually lamb or beef) slow-roasted on a vertical spit, shaved to order as the outer layer crisps. The ancestor of the shawarma and the gyro, döner is served in bread or wrapped in lavash with tomatoes, onions, and parsley. It is the most widely recognized Turkish street food worldwide.
Turkey
Dugun corbasi, the egg-and-lemon-thickened wedding soup with browned butter, is a named ceremonial soup still served in restaurants.
Turkey
Turkish bread, treated as sacred and eaten with nearly every meal. The most common form is a large, crusty loaf (somun) with a soft, airy interior, baked in wood-fired or gas ovens. Regional varieties include the thinner, crispier bazlama and the sesame-topped susamlı ekmek.
Bulgaria
Екмек кадаиф
A dessert made from a special dried bread base that is rehydrated and baked in syrup, then topped with kaymak. Originating from Afyonkarahisar, it has a pudding-like, syrup-soaked texture with a crispy top. Served warm with a dollop of clotted cream.
Turkey
Erişte are hand-cut egg noodles dried on household racks and simmered with walnut and crumbled cheese — an Anatolian pantry staple distinct from mantı.
Erzurum, Turkey
Erzurum kuflu civil peyniri, the blue-moulded string cheese matured in earth pits, is a singular Turkish cheese with protected-origin recognition.
Konya, Turkey
A long, thin flatbread topped with a layer of finely minced meat, onions, tomatoes, and peppers, baked in a stone oven until crisp. Originating in Konya in central Anatolia, it resembles lahmacun but is larger, longer, and has a higher ratio of bread to topping.
Aegean Region, Turkey
PDO three-milk white cheese from Çanakkale.
Turkey
Ezogelin Çorbası is a smooth Turkish soup of red lentils, bulgur, rice, tomato paste, onions, and dried mint, served hot with lemon and bread.
Turkey
A bulgur-based köfte simmered in tomato sauce, a homely Anatolian dish.
Gaziantep, Turkey
A Gaziantep dessert made by wrapping a single sheet of phyllo dough around a smooth, bright green paste of early-harvest Antep pistachios. Unlike traditional baklava, it is mostly pistachio paste with just enough phyllo to hold it together, creating an intensely nutty, sweet flavor.
Gaziantep, Turkey
The PGI pistachio baklava of Gaziantep, layered filo with Antep pistachios, sold throughout the city's baklava shops.
Black Sea Region, Turkey
The round "plump" hazelnut of Giresun on the Black Sea, protected by geographic indication, prized for its high oil content and thin skin — the benchmark Turkish hazelnut.
Greece
Ελληνικό γιαούρτι
Greek strained yogurt, thick and creamy, made from sheep or cow milk. A national breakfast and dessert staple, served with honey, walnuts, or fruit, a healthy and iconic dairy.
Lebanon
فريكة
Wheat harvested green, set alight so the chaff burns off, then dried and cracked, giving a smoky, chewy grain.
Turkey
Casseroles baked in a clay güveç pot, a central Anatolian staple.
Turkey
A hand-rolled village flatbread folded over fillings such as white cheese, spinach, potatoes, or minced meat, then cooked on a heated griddle (sac) until lightly crisp and golden. Women are often seen rolling and cooking gözleme at market stalls and roadside stops across Turkey.
Turkey
A traditional Ramadan dessert made with thin layers of cornstarch-based pastry soaked in milk with rose water and sugar, layered with walnuts and garnished with pomegranate seeds. Considered by some historians as a precursor to baklava, güllaç is light and delicate, consumed primarily during the fasting month.
Black Sea Region, Turkey
The Black Sea anchovy, fried, grilled or baked in a pilaf — a regional obsession.
Black Sea Region, Turkey
Hamsi tava, the pan of Black Sea anchovies fried in cornmeal, is the defining winter dish of the coast and is ordered by name.
Black Sea Region, Turkey
Hamsili pilav, anchovies baked over spiced rice, is a distinct named Black Sea dish rather than a rice permutation.
Marmara Region, Turkey
Hardaliye, the lightly fermented Thracian grape drink flavoured with mustard seed, is a named regional beverage with commercial production.
Turkey
Haydari is the thick strained-yoghurt-and-garlic meze stiffened with cheese and dill — set-firm where cacık runs thin and soupy.
Marmara Region, Turkey
Hosmerim, the warm fresh-cheese-and-semolina dessert of the Marmara region, is a named sweet.
Turkey
A dish whose name means 'the sultan liked it,' consisting of grilled eggplant puréed with béchamel sauce, cheese, and milk, topped with stewed lamb chunks in tomato sauce. The combination of smoky eggplant and rich meat makes it an Ottoman palace classic.
Turkey
A small beef patty griddled, dipped in a garlicky tomato sauce and steamed under glass on the counter until the bun is translucent-wet. Sold two-at-a-time from Taksim counters since the 1960s.
Marmara Region, Turkey
A köfte specialty from Adapazarı (Sakarya) in northwestern Turkey. Grilled meat patties are dipped in a light tomato sauce and served inside a loaf of crusty bread that has been softened with the same sauce. The bread absorbs the meat juices and tomato flavor, creating a comforting, messy sandwich.
Turkey
Pumpkin slices baked with sugar until caramelized and tender, served cold with tahini drizzle and crushed walnuts. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin is enhanced by the caramelization, while the tahini adds a nutty contrast. A popular autumn and winter dessert.
Erzurum, Turkey
Kadayif dolmasi, the Erzurum walnut-stuffed kadayif parcel fried and syruped to order, is a distinct regional form sold in its own shops.
Turkey
Ladylike' köfte: oval meatballs with an egg-butter centre, breaded and fried.
Aegean Region, Turkey
Cleaned squid cut into rings, soaked in milk, dipped in flour batter, and deep-fried until golden and crispy. A staple meze of Aegean and Mediterranean coastal cuisine, served with garlic sauce and lemon wedges. Ranked #1 on TasteAtlas's Top 100 Turkish Dishes in 2026.
Turkey
Kandil simidi, the small aniseed-and-sesame ring baked for the five Islamic holy nights, is a named calendar food with a hard seasonal identity.
Black Sea Region, Turkey
Karalahana corbasi, the Black Sea collard soup with cornmeal and beans, is a named regional soup unlike any carried Turkish soup.