Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The most famous meat dish is the kebap (
şiş
and döner) but
köfte
,
saç kavurma
(stir-
fried cubed meat dishes) and
güveç
(meat and vegetable stews cooked in a terracotta pot)
are just as common.
The most popular sausage in Turkey is the spicy beef
sucuk
. Garlicky
pastırma
(pressed beef preserved in spices) is regularly used as an accompaniment to egg dishes;
it's occasionally served with warm hummus (chickpea, tahini and lemon dip) as a meze.
A few İstanbul restaurants serve the central Anatolian dish of
mantı
(Turkish ravioli
stuffed with beef mince and topped with yoghurt, garlic tomato and butter).
FRESH FROM THE SEA
Fish is wonderful here, but can be pricey. In a
balık restoran
(fish restaurant) you should
always choose your own fish from the display. The eyes should be clear and the flesh un-
der the gill slits near the eyes should be bright red, not burgundy. After choosing, ask the
approximate price. The fish will be weighed, and the price computed at the day's per-kilo-
gram rate. Try to avoid eating lüfer when the fish are small (under 24cm in length), as
overfishing is endangering the future of this much-loved local species.
VEGETABLES & SALADS
Turks love vegetables, eating them fresh in summer and pickling them for winter (pickled
vegetables are called
turşu
). There are two particularly Turkish ways of preparing veget-
ables: the first is known as
zeytinyağlı
(sautéed in olive oil) and the second
dolma
(stuffed
with rice or meat).
Simplicity is the key to a Turkish
salata
(salad), with crunchy fresh ingredients being
eaten with gusto as a meze or as an accompaniment to a meat or fish main course. The
most popular summer salad is
çoban salatası
(shepherd's salad), a colourful mix of
chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion and pepper.
LOKANTAS
These casual eateries serve
hazır yemek
(ready-made food) kept warm in bain-maries, and usually of-
fer a range of vegetable dishes alongside meat options. The etiquette when eating at one of these
places is to check out what's in the bain-marie and tell the waiter or cook behind the counter what you
would like to eat. You can order one portion (
bir porsyon
), a
yarım
(half)
porsyon
or a plate with a
few different choices - you'll be charged by the portion.
