Turkish Street Foods

Kofta or köfte are walnut-sized fried meatballs, usually made from ground beef or lamb. It is a popular Turkish meze dish that is often prepared for special occasions and cocktail parties, since the meatballs are quite easy to prepar... READ MORE

Döner kebab is a delicacy that is known throughout the world, consisting of grilled pieces of meat that are shredded from a vertical skewer. The meat is typically seasoned with fresh herbs and spices. Originally, the meat used in döner w... READ MORE

Kokoreç is a traditional dish that's also popular in other countries, especially in Greece, where it's known as kokoretsi. However, there are some differences between the Turkish and Greek versions. In Greek cuisine, people use lam... READ MORE

Gözleme is a Turkish flatbread consisting of flour, water, yeast, olive oil, and yogurt, which prevents the flatbread from going too brittle. The dough is filled with ingredients such as meat, vegetables, eggs, various cheeses, or mushrooms, ... READ MORE

Tantuni is a traditional street food dish from Mersin, consisting of thinly sliced beef or lamb that is seasoned with Turkish spices and herbs, usually cooked with onions and tomatoes. The combination is cooked in specially designed tantuniREAD MORE

Even though lahmacun is popularly nicknamed Turkish pizza, it's origin is disputed and can be traced to Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkiye. It can be found at numerous street stalls as well as in virtually any traditional restaurant, bu... READ MORE

Su böreği, which translates to water börek, is a variety of Turkish borek that has a reputation as being one of the most difficult boreks to prepare. It is traditionally filled with cheese and parsley. The dough sheets need to b... READ MORE

Turkish simit is a circular bread that's commonly accompanied by either tea or ayran (salted yogurt drink) and consumed for breakfast with fruit preserves or in savory combinations with cheese, pastırma (salt cured beef), and fre... READ MORE

In Türkiye, this staple street food item is prepared with a whole baked potato that is cut through the middle and comes filled with a combination of puréed potatoes, butter, and kaşar cheese. The potatoes are usually large in ... READ MORE

The cylindrical sigara böreği is a famous Turkish deep-fried pastry. These small, crispy rolls of thin dough are stuffed with a creamy mixture of cheese and parsley. They are traditionally made with sheets of thin yufka dough, a comm... READ MORE

Midye dolma is a popular Turkish street food item consisting of mussels that are filled with an aromatic blend of rice, herbs, nuts, and spices such as raisins, pine nuts, saffron, black pepper, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, parsley, and dill. To c... READ MORE

Çiğ börek is a börek variety hailing from Türkiye. This börek is especially popular among Türkiye's Tatar community. The dough is made from water, sugar, flour, oil, and salt, while the filling is made with... READ MORE

The Turkish egg-topped flatbread filled with cheese, pepper and tomato, known as yumurtalı pide (lit. egg pita) hails from the Kayseri region in Middle Anatolia where locals sometimes also use another Anatolian delicacy as a topping for this type ... READ MORE

Midye tava is a delightfully good Turkish street food that is also served as an appetizer or a snack, consisting of fried mussels on a stick. Crispy and flavorful, the mussels are first battered, then deep-fried in a big metal cauldron. Hot oil is... READ MORE

Kol böreği is a Turkish börek variety made with puff pastry that is shaped into a spiral. The pastry is filled with a variety of ingredients such as cheese, spinach, potatoes, or ground meat with pine nuts and currants. The name... READ MORE

Boyoz is a Turkish pastry that was brought over to the country by Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Spain in the late 15th century. Nowadays, it is prepared exclusively in Izmir, following the original recipe. The pastry is made with flour, sunflow... READ MORE

Typically associated with Çeşme, kumru is a toasted sandwich prepared with an artisanal bread that is typically enriched with chickpea flour. It was originally prepared with sinik, a circular bread that was sold by street vendors, ... READ MORE

Kuzu kelle is an intriguing Turkish dish employing an unusual ingredient – the sheep’s head. It is prepared in two traditional ways; boiled and served cold, known as kelle söğüş; or roasted and served hot, more famil... READ MORE

Nohutlu pilav is a traditional dish that's usually sold as street food. This pilaf is made with a combination of white rice, chickpeas, oil, butter, onions, and vegetable stock. The ingredients are cooked and once done, nohutlu pilav is served eit... READ MORE

Grilled sardines are a simple, traditional seafood dish especially common in coastal Mediterranean areas and during summer months, when fresh sardines are plentiful. The dish is straightforward and emphasizes the natural flavors of the sardines: t... READ MORE