Turkey tourist information

Turkish cuisine inherited its Ottoman heritage which could be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines.[1] Turkish cuisine also influenced these cuisines and other neighbouring cuisines, as well as western European cuisines. Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia such as yogurt. The Ottoman Empire indeed created a vast array of technical specialities. It can be observed that various regions of the Ottoman Empire contain bits and pieces of the vast Ottoman dishes.

Taken as a whole, Turkish cuisine is not homogenous. Aside from common Turkish specialities which can be found throughout the country, there are also region-specific specialities. The Black Sea region's cuisine (northern Turkey) is based on corn and anchovies. The southeast - Urfa, Gaziantep and Adana - is famous for its kebabs, mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, kadayif and kunefe. Especially in the western parts of Turkey, where olive trees are grown abundantly, olive oil is the major type of oil used for cooking. The cuisines of the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions display basic characteristics of Mediterranean cuisine as they are rich in vegetables, herbs and fish. Central Anatolia is famous for its pastry specialities such as keskek (kashkak), manti (especially of Kayseri) and gozleme.

Breakfast
A typical Turkish breakfast consists of cheese (beyaz peynir, kasar etc.), butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, green peppers, recel (jam/marmalade; a preserve of whole fruits) and honey. Sucuk/sujuk (spicy Turkish sausage), pastirma, borek, simit, pogaca and even soups can be taken as a morning meal in Turkey. A common Turkish speciality for breakfast is called menemen which is prepared with roasted tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and eggs. Invariably, black tea is served at breakfast. Coffee has affected Turkish culture so much that the Turkish word for breakfast, "kahvalti" literally means "before coffee" (kahve 'coffee' alti 'before').

Eating out
Although fast food is gaining popularity and many major fast food chains have opened all over Turkey, Turkish people still rely primarily on the rich and extensive dishes of the Turkish cuisine. In addition, some traditional Turkish foods, especially kofte, doner, borek and gozleme are often served in fast food style in Turkey. Eating out has always been common in large commercial cities. Esnaf lokantasi (meaning restaurants for shopkeepers and tradesman) are widespread, serving traditional Turkish home cooking at affordable prices.

Summer cuisine
In the hot summer, many Turks prefer to have a lighter meal with summer vegetables and fruits. A summer meal is usually made up of fried vegetables (aubergines, potatoes, courgettes, green peppers) served with yogurt or tomato sauce, sheep's cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons, melons, and summer helva which is lighter and less sweet.

Key ingredients
Frequently-used ingredients in Turkish specialities include: meat, eggplants, green peppers, onions, garlic, lentils, beans, tomatoes. Nuts, especially pistachios, pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, together with spices, have a special place in Turkish cuisine. A great variety of spices are sold at the Spice Bazaar (Misir Carsisi). Preferred spices and herbs include parsley, cumin, black pepper, paprika, mint, oregano and thyme.

Meats
Milk-fed lambs, the most popular source of meat, have a very low yield today. For example Kuzu cevirme (meaning cooking the milk-fed lamb by turning it above fire) which was once upon a time an important ceremony can not be seen anymore. In some regions, meat which was mostly eaten only at the wedding ceremonies or during the Kurban Bayrami (Eid ul-Adha) as etli pilav (pilaf with meat) became a part of the daily diet after the introduction of industrial production. Veal, which was usually shunned, became widespread. However, the main use of meat at cooking is still putting minced meat into vegetable dishes, thus attaining names such as kiymali fasulye (bean with minced meat) or kiymali ispanak (spinach with minced meat which is almost all times served with yoghurt). Alternatively, in coastal towns, cheap fish such as sardines (sardalya) or anchovies (hamsi) is widespread. Combining meat with vegetables or rice or putting meat in soups or in Turkish salty pastries borek or gozleme is typical.

Kebabs

• Shish kebab consists of marinated chicken or lamb meat. Meat on skewers are grilled over an open fire. Although every kind of helal meat is consumed, lamb from milk-fed lambs is especially favored. Fish cooked like shish kebab is also called fish shish.
• Adana kebap - Adana Kebab (Adana Kebap or Adana Kebabi in Turkish) is a long, charcoal grilled, minced meat brochette mounted on a wide skewer. It is named after Adana, the fifth largest city of Turkey, in the Mediterranean region. It is originally known as kiyma kebabi (minced meat kebab) or simply as kiyma in Adana.
• Beyti kebab - is a Turkish dish consisting of ground beef or lamb, grilled on a skewer and served wrapped in lavosh and topped with tomato sauce and yoghurt.
• Doner kebab - (Turkish doner kebap, literally "turning roast"), is a Turkish dish made of meat cooked on a vertical spit and sliced off to order. The meat may be lamb, mutton, beef, goat, or chicken. Alternative names include kebap, donair, doner, doner or donner. Doner Kebab is the origin of other similar Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes such as shawarma and gyros. A version developed to suit German tastes by Turkish immigrants in Berlin has become one of Germany's most popular fast food dishes, and Turkish emigrants export German doners back into their home country.

Fish
Turkey is surrounded by seas which contain a large variety of fish. Fish are grilled, fried or cooked slowly by the bugulama method. Bugulama is fish with lemon and parsley, covered while cooking so that it will be cooked with steam. The term pilaki is also used for fish cooked with various vegetables, including onion in the oven. In the Black Sea region, fish are usually fried with thick corn flour. Fish are also eaten cold; as smoked (isleme) or dried (ciroz), canned, salted or pickled (lakerda). Fish is also cooked in salt or in dough in Turkey.Pazida Levrek is a seafood speciality which consists of sea bass cooked in chard leaves. In fish restaurants, it is possible to find fancy fish varieties like balik dolma (stuffed fish) or balik iskender (inspired by Iskender kebab). Fish soup prepared with vegetables, onion and flour is common in coastal towns and cities. In Istanbul's Eminonu and other coastal districts, grilled fish served in bread with tomatoes, herbs and onion is a popular fast food. In the inner parts of Turkey, trout alabalik is common as it is the main type of freshwater fish.

Popular sea fishes in Turkey include: anchovy hamsi, sardine sardalya, bonito palamut, gilt-head bream cupra or cipura, red mullet barbun(ya), sea bass levrek, whiting mezgit (allied to the cod fish) or bakalyaro, swordfish kilic, turbot kalkan, red pandora mercan, tiranca, and white grouper lagos.

Vegetable dishes
A vegetable dish can be a main course in a Turkish meal. A large variety of vegetables is used, such as spinach, leek, cauliflower, artichoke, cabbage, celery, eggplant, green and red bell peppers, string bean and jerusalem artichoke. A typical vegetable dish is prepared with a base of chopped onions, carrots sauteed first in olive oil and later with tomatoes or tomato paste. The vegetables and hot water will then be added. Quite frequently a spoon of rice and lemon juice is also added. Vegetable dishes usually tend to be served with its own water (the cooking water) thus often called in colloquial Turkish sulu yemek literally "a dish with juice"). Minced meat can also be added to a vegetable dish but vegetable dishes which are cooked with olive oil (zeytinyaglilar) are often served cold and do not contain meat. Spinach, leek, string bean and artichoke with olive oil are among the most widespread dishes in Turkey.

Dolma is the name used for stuffed vegetables. Like the vegetables cooked with olive oil as described above dolma with olive oil does not contain meat. Many vegetables are stuffed, most typically green peppers (biber dolmasi), eggplants, tomatoes, courgettes, or Zucchini in the U.S. (kabak dolmasi), vine leaves (yaprak dolmasi). If vine leaves are used, they are first pickled in brine. However, dolma is not limited to these common types; many other vegetables and fruits are stuffed with a meat and/or rice mixture. For example, artichoke dolma (enginar dolmasi)is an Aegean region specialty. Fillings used in dolma may consist of parts of the vegetable carved out for preparation, rice with spices and/or minced meat.