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Turkish recipes, foods, cuisines, dishes, travel inspiration & blogs. Discover a whole host of food delicacies from Turkey.

Turkish Mercimek Köftesi Recipe

Mercimek Köftesi is a traditional lentil dish from Turkey consisting of red lentils, fine bulgur wheat, onions, tomato paste, red pepper paste, spices and herbs. The lentils are boiled first and when they are done cooking, the fine bulgur is added to the still hot lentils where it absorbs the remaining lentil water. The lentils …

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Bamia Recipe (Middle Eastern Okra & Beef Stew)

Bamia is an okra and beef stew popular throughout the Middle East. The meat and okra are cooked together with tomato paste, spices, water and pomegranate molasses to name a few of the ingredients. They are stewed in the tomato sauce until the meat becomes tender and the sauce thickens. Bamia or Bamya is the …

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Turkish Dondurma (Stretchy Ice Cream) Recipe

Dondurma, also called Maraş ice cream, refers to all types of Turkish ice cream that include ingredients such as salep (ground-up tuber of an orchid), cream, mastic (plant resin), whipped cream and sugar. What makes Dondurma unique is its resistance to melting as well as its solid, stretchy texture – famously allowing vendors to play …

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Traditional Börek/Burek Recipe

Börek (also known as Burek, Byrek or Boureki) covers a range of pastry dishes made by layering thin phyllo dough, with fillings such as cheese, minced meat, spinach and seasonings, along with a creamy egg yogurt mixture which is baked into a crispy and flaky pie-like dish. Börek is commonly associated with Turkey but it …

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Authentic Turkish Delight (Lokum) Recipe

Turkish Delight is a type of soft, chewy sweet made from syrup and cornflour, flavored with rosewater and dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Turkish delight may contain nuts, such as pistachios or hazelnuts, or dates which are suspended within the gel-like structure. The Turkish name for Turkish Delight is Lokum which translates to morsel or mouthful. Origin …

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Turkish Sahlab Recipe

Sahlab, also spelled sahlep or salep, is a flour prepared using the tubers of the orchid genus Orchis (including species Orchis mascula and Orchis militaris). Sahlab is served in several drinks and sweet dishes, particularly in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, especially in the Levant, where it is a traditional winter drink. However, …

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Turkish Ayran Recipe (Yogurt Drink)

Ayran is a Turkish yogurt-based drink and is prepared using yogurt, chilled or iced water, and salt. Often, ingredients like black pepper, lime juice, and herbs such as dried mint are also added to enhance the flavor. One can also find some carbonated versions of ayran. The Turkish delicacy is known by many other names …

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Lahmacun Turkish Pizza Recipe (Or Armenian Pizza)

Lahmacun (pronounced LA-ha-MA-chewn) is also known as ‘Turkish Pizza’ or ‘Armenian Pizza’. It is actually significantly different from a traditional Italian pizza, with no cheese to be found in the dish. Lahmacun is made using a round, thin dough topped with minced meat, vegetables and an array of spices. The thin crust is one of …

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Turkish Food: 28 Must-Try Traditional Dishes of Turkey

Just at the intersection of where East meets the West, Turkey’s cuisine is a reflection of its melting pot of cultures. It is largely inherited from the Ottoman Empire cuisine which in itself was a fusion of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Armenian, Balkanian and Mediterranean cuisines. Most Popular Turkish Dishes Turkish food varies …

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