Food and Drink

Food and drink in Turkey is a huge part of daily life, and as such there's a wide variety to choose from. The food and drink in Turkey has happily adapted western ways of cooking, however still keeps a level of authenticity within much of the menu. It's safe to say that in many restaurants there will be food and drink for everyone on the menu; from fish ‘n’ chips, pies, steak and chips, to humus, stuffed vine leaves and a huge selection of fish if you're by the coast.

Recent extensive coverage in the media regarding healthy food and drink; five a day and such like, tend to prompt many of us to think more about what we're consuming, however this will never be a problem in Turkey. All the food and drink is so fresh and delicious it's hard to restrain yourself from eating all the fuit and veg you can get your hands on, and all the food and drink in Turkey lends itself perfectly to a balanced and healthy diet.

Generally, a full meal with a glass of wine or a beer won’t even begin to make dent on your bank balance. Obviously, the price depends on what you eat and where, but in most areas you’ll find it easy to fill your boots for around £5!

Breakfast
The traditional breakfast in Turkey includes soft white bread and pastries with butter, and jam, marmalade or honey, and a selection of cheeses and olives, tomoatoes, cucumber and eggs in several different forms, usually set out as a buffet so you can pick and choose as you fancy.

Turkish Food for Vegetarians
If you're a hardcore vegetarian you needn't worry, there's still loads of delicious traditional food on offer in Turkey. Pastries, veggie kebaps and stuffed vine leaves are all vegetarian or at least have veggie options such as spinach and goat's cheese, and are cheap as chips!

Kebaps
Kebaps in Turkey are different to their English counterparts; 1) they can be eaten, and enjoyed at all times of the day and 2) they're a cheap, healthy and delicious snack. Sometimes served with minty yoghurt and salad, choose from lamb, chicken, or even chesnuts!

Meze
Meze is essentially the core of food and drink in Turkey. It is a combination of traditional Turkish dishes, usually consisting of about a dozen tasters of ‘meze’, which are served with the drink 'raki' prior to your main dish. These meze could be hummus, olives, stuffed vine leaves, aubergines, cheese and/or meat pastries, stuffed peppers, pitta bread and more, which between them offer a great array of flavours for you to tickle your taste buds.

Raki
Raki, or ‘Aslan sutu’ as it is more affectionately known, is an alcoholic spirit, served with water. The two are served separately, and you mix them as you wish, if you wish. There are several different brands, but the taste difference isn’t huge so it shouldn’t matter which one you choose.

Beer
Efes and Tuborg are both local Turkish lagers, around 5% proof, and both delicious served ice cold after a day on the beach.

Wine
A popular make of wine in Turkey is 'Sarafin' which comprises cabernet sauvignon, merlot, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. The grapes are grown in over 100 hectares in a region named Saroz.

Wine is a favourite drink in Turkey - with many Turks believing that Turkey was home to wine-making over 5,000 years ago!

Tea and Coffee
Known as ‘cay’, tea in Turkey is served in small glasses without milk. Apple tea is also common which, unsurprisingly, tastes like warm apple juice. Traditional coffee in Turkey is served in decorative small cups, and is, like raki, served with a glass of water so you can mix the two as you wish. The skill is knowing how much sweetness you want in your coffee, you’ll probably work this one out more by trial and error than instinct. The descriptions are as follows; ‘sade’ means plain, ‘az sekerli’ for a little sugar, ‘orta’ for medium sweetness and ‘sekerli’ for full-fat, no-messing sweetness.

Turkish Delight
Arguably Turkey's most famous export, Turkish delight is available in many flavours - and is traditionally served with coffe at the end of a meal.

Click here to check out our handy 'Know the Lingo, Food and Drink in Turkey'...