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This internationally popular, beige-colored spread is traditionally made with mashed chickpeas, tahini sesame paste, lemon juice, and garlic. People across the world love hummus for its tangy flavor and the fact that it is filled with nutrients.
When served, it is typically dressed with a drizzle of olive oil, and is then used as a dip for vegetables or a flavorful filling for flatbreads such as pita. Even today, not much is known about its origins, although the earliest mention of hummus dates back to 13th-century Egypt.
VARIATIONS OF Hummus
MOST ICONIC Hummus
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Piyaz is a traditional salad. In most of the country, it's a general term for a dish of dried beans, parsley, onions, and sumac. In Antalya, however, piyaz also contains a rich and smooth sauce consisting of tahini, lemon juice, and vinegar. The beans are topped with the sauce, and the dish is usually dressed with chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, hard-boiled eggs, olive oil, and parsley.
Piyaz is often eaten as an accompaniment to köfte and similar grilled meats, but it can also be included in a meze selection.
MOST ICONIC Piyaz
View moreKısır is a classic Turkish salad made with thin bulgur wheat, tomatoes, mint, garlic, parsley, and either lemon juice or sour pomegranate molasses. Red pepper flakes are often added to the salad to make it spicier. Lemon juice is typically used in northwestern Türkiye, while pomegranate molasses is more commonly used in the southeast of the country.
The salad is ideal for buffets and meze, but it is also often used as a side dish for a variety of barbecued meat dishes. It is traditionally served cold or at room temperature.
MOST ICONIC Kısır
İç pilav is a flavorful Turkish pilaf made with a combination of rice (often of the Baldo variety), onions, currants, tomatoes, mint, and pine nuts. It is typically flavored with allspice, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. The ingredients are combined, and when the rice is cooked, the pilaf is ready to be stirred for one last time, then consumed. İç pilav is traditionally used as an accompaniment to roasted or fried meat dishes, but it is sometimes also used as a stuffing.
MOST ICONIC İç pilav
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Zeytin piyazi is a traditional salad originating from Türkiye. It's usually made with a combination of green olives, diced tomatoes, sliced scallions, chopped parsley, lemon juice, red chili flakes, thyme, and olive oil. The ingredients are simply mixed together and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.
This green olive salad is typically served with bread slices, then enjoyed for breakfast or as a part of a meze platter. It can also be served as a side dish to fish and meat dishes. If desired, the salad can be enriched with the addition of chopped walnuts.
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Found in various forms throughout cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East, cacık is a refreshing Turkish dip made with strained or diluted yogurt mixed with finely chopped cucumbers and minced garlic. It is traditionally flavored with olive oil, dill weed, mint, either lemon juice or vinegar, and sometimes even oregano, thyme, sumac, and paprika.
Cacık is served chilled and it is used for virtually everything from various appetizers to main dishes. It pairs especially well with classic Turkish meat fare such as köfte and kebabs of all kinds. As a side dish, cacık is typically enjoyed in place of a salad, diluted with water and eaten with a spoon, like soup.
MOST ICONIC Cacık
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Bulgur pilavı is a nutritious Turkish pilaf that is often additionally flavored with onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and various spices. When the bulgur is tender and ready to consume, it is recommended to garnish it with fresh parsley. The dish is typically served as an accompaniment to casseroles or meat dishes such as kebap, izgara, and köfte.
MOST ICONIC Bulgur pilavı
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Turkish zucchini fritters are traditionally prepared with a combination of grated zucchini, flour, and eggs, while typical additions include white Turkish cheese, onions, and herbs such as parsley, dill, or mint. The fritters are usually pan-fried until golden and are typically served with plain yogurt or yogurt-based sauces on the side.
They make an excellent appetizer or a perfect vegetarian side dish.
MOST ICONIC Kabak mücveri
Kızartma is a Turkish dish consisting of fried vegetables. Although the combination of potatoes and chili peppers is the most popular, you can also use vegetables such as eggplants and zucchinis. The vegetables are fried in oil until they become tender, and they are then served with a thick sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and olive oil.
In Turkey, kızartma is often made at home and for picnics because it's easy to make the dish in advance. It also makes for a great accompaniment to meat dishes.
MOST ICONIC Kızartma
Şakşuka is a Turkish meze dish made with eggplants and zucchinis which are fried in olive oil, then combined with tomato sauce, garlic, and green peppers. When prepared right and served fresh, şakşuka is typically used as a side dish with a variety of grilled meat dishes.
Before serving, it is topped with yogurt that has been seasoned with garlic. The dish is usually served chilled, and it is recommended to pair it with freshly baked lavash bread.
Serve with
MOST ICONIC Şakşuka
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 12 Turkish Side Dishes” list until March 21, 2025, 3,220 ratings were recorded, of which 1,702 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.