How well do you know Turkish food?
Turkish cuisine blends Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions. Six questions, from easy to hard.
Did you know?
- Hatay and Afyonkarahisar are also UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy, so Türkiye has three cities in the network. Hatay is known for dishes shaped by its many cultures, and Afyon for its clotted cream and sucuk.
- Mantı, small dumplings filled with spiced meat and served with garlic yogurt and chilli butter, are especially associated with Kayseri. Cooks there are proud of making them so tiny that dozens fit on a single spoon.
- The Ottoman palace kitchen at Topkapı once employed hundreds of cooks, each specialising in areas such as sweets, bread or pickles. Some recipes from this era are still recreated today.
Where continents meet on the plate
Turkish cuisine brings together influences from Central Asia, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The Ottoman palace kitchens, with hundreds of cooks, refined many dishes, while regional home cooking kept local traditions alive. The result is a cuisine of grilled meats, vegetables cooked in olive oil, pastries, soups and sweets.
The Turkish breakfast
A traditional Turkish breakfast, or kahvaltı, is a spread of small plates: cheeses, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, honey, jam, bread and tea. It is often long and social, especially at weekends, and breakfast cafés are popular across the country.
Vegetables in olive oil
Dishes called 'zeytinyağlı', such as stuffed vine leaves and green beans in olive oil, are served cool or at room temperature. They are especially common in the Aegean region, where olive trees and fresh vegetables are plentiful.
Regional specialities
Each region has its own dishes: fish such as hamsi on the Black Sea coast, spicy kebabs and pistachio sweets in the southeast, and herb-rich dishes in the Aegean. Many cities are known for a single famous dish, from Adana kebap to Kayseri mantı.
Tea and hospitality
Tea is served in small tulip-shaped glasses throughout the day, and offering tea to guests is a central part of hospitality. Türkiye has one of the highest rates of tea consumption per person in the world, much of it grown along the Black Sea coast around Rize.
Soups, breads and meze
Soup is often eaten at any time of day in Türkiye, from lentil soup at lunch to tripe soup late at night. Bread accompanies almost every meal, and fresh loaves are bought daily. Meze, small plates of dips, salads and vegetables, are shared at the start of a meal, especially in coastal restaurants, turning dinner into a long and sociable event.