I Went to Istanbul and Ate All the Food

BREAKFAST

Simit – crispy, circular bread topped with sesame seeds

Bal & kaymak – water buffalo clotted cream and honey

Menemen – scrambled eggs with tomatoes and green pepper

Fındık ezmesi – hazelnut cream paste

Pastırma – dried & cured beef meat

Tulum peyniri – Turkish goat’s milk cheese ripened in a goatskin casing

Ezine peyniri – cows & sheep’s milk white cheese

Beyran Soup – spicy lamb soup

DRINKS

Çay – şerbet – fermented grape juice – pickle juice – ayran – sour cherry juice and Turkish coffee

Candied vegs – tomatoes, walnut and pumpkin and others

Home-style food – dishes prepared daily, depending on seasonal availability

Lahmacun – thin piece of dough topped with minced meat, onions, tomatoes and parsley

Patlıcan dolması – stuffed dried eggplant

Muhammara – hot pepper paste with walnuts & breadcrumbs

Zahter salad – fresh thyme, parsley, onions, pomegranate molasses

Iskender kebab – doner kebab & tomato paste on pide bread

Turşu – pickled vegetables

Midye dolma – stuffed mussels with rice & spices

Midye tava – battered & fried mussels

Tantuni – chopped meat, onion, tomatoes and spices, served wrapped in flatbread

Baklava – layers of yufka (filo pastry) with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup

Kadayıf – shredded wheat desserts, topped with sweet syrup

Kokorec – roasted suckling lamb intestines served in bread

Pide – long flat bread, filled with toppings, like a long pizza.

Dondurma – Turkish ice-cream made with goats milk, sahlep (orchid root) and mastic sap

Tavuk gogsu – Turkish milky dessert made with chicken, milk and rice flour

We have also included some of the recipes for you to try at home, just click on the links. Have look at our other tour page here.

Thank you & afiyet olsun! Istanbul On Food team.

Want to bring some delicious hazelnut paste with you back home? Read here where and what to buy.

Want to brew the tea you have tasted on the tour? Read here what equipment and tea you need before you leave Turkey.

How to cook Turkish coffee and what do you need? Read here.