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Turkish Recipes
Turkey's unique geographical position,
at the junction of the continents of
Asia and
Europe
has had a strong influence on the country's history and cuisine.
It should also be remembered that
Turkey was once the center of the Ottoman Empire
which included territories across the Middle East, in North Africa, and
as well as in Southern Europe.
The Ottomans had influences with many different peoples and cultures,
and were thus able to combine influences from
Arab and Middle Eastern cuisine, as well as
Armenian cuisine,
Greek cuisine and
and Persian cuisine
with traditional Turkic elements such as the use of yogurt in many dishes.
Modern Turkey may no longer encompass the vast amount of territory that
the Ottoman Empire once ruled, but it is still a country of many distinct regions, each with
their own unique flavors and culinary traditions. These include:
- Southeastern Turkey, including the regions around the city
of Adana, is famous for kebabs and mezes,
as well as desserts such as baklava, kadayif and künefe.
- Central parts of Anatolia, including the capital city, Ankara,
is known for both sweet and savory pastry dishes.
- Those regions of Turkey which lie near the Black Sea coast
are known for corn and anchovies.
- The area around the Sea of Marmara (including Istanbul), as
well as the regions on the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea coasts, incorporate typically
Mediterranean styles into their food, and make extensive use of olive oil in cooking.
Here are some popular Turkish dishes:
- Iskembe Çorbasi - A soup made from tripe (the stomaches of cattle). It is seasoned with vinegar and
lemon juice.
- Domates - Tomato soup.
- Tarhana - Tarhana is a a dried food, prepared by creating a fermented mixture of cracked wheat, yogurt
and vegetables. Because of its dryness and acidity, Tarhana preserves extremely well. When eaten, Tarhana
is usually made into a soup. Today ready forms of Tarhana can be found as "quick soups" in many stores
- simply add hot water.
- Hummus - A dip or spread made from ground chickpeas with sesame tahini (ground sesame seeds), lemon juice
and garlic. It is often eaten as a side dish or appetizer, frequently with pide (Turkish pita) bread.
- Cacik - Cacik is the Turkish variant of Tzatziki - A cold dish made with
yogurt, cucumber, dried mint and olive oil.

- Kuskus - The Turkish version of Couscous.
- Dolma - Stuffed vegetables. Dolma can be made using minced (ground) meat ("kiyma")
with onions, rice and spices and served hot, or made using vegetables and served at room
temperature.
- Börek - Dough stuffed with cheese, meat or vegetables.
- Gözleme - A savory pastry made by thinly rolling dough and repeatedly folding.
It is then filled and browned in a pan. There are many different variations, each
with their own names, including
Etli (meat filling),
Ispanakli (spinach),
Karisik (mixed filling),
Katmer (plain),
Kiymali (ground lamb),
Mantarli (mushrooms),
Patatesli (mashed potatoes) and
Peynirli (filled with feta cheese).
- Lahmacun - Flat round pieces of dough, covered with
ground (minced) meat - beef or lamb. It is served rolled up, with vegetables (onions, tomatoes, peppers, etc.)
or pickles, and is often called "Turkish pizza"
- Manti - A Turkish pasta made from dough balls filled with ground (minced) meat.
It is served with yogurt, flavored with herbs and spices, and warmed in olive oil
or butter.
- Keskek - A stew made from meat and barley or wheat.
- Karniyarik - A dish made with eggplant (aubergine), ground (minced) meat, tomatoes, onions and garlic.
- Patlican salatasi - "Patlican salatasi" is
Turkish for "eggplant salad".
Basically the dish is cooked aubergine that is allowed to cool to room temperature, and then mixed with
either lemon juice and garlic, or with yogurt, olive oil and garlic.

- Imam bayildi - Literally translated from Turkish,
"imam bayildi" means "the imam fainted". The dish is actually somewhat similar to
karniyarik, containing eggplant (aubergine), tomatoes, onions and garlic, but does not contain meat.
- Patlican begendi - Another eggplant (aubergine) dish.
This is a hot dish which as well as eggplant also contains meat, cheese, milk and flour.
- Menemen - Eggs with green peppers, onions and tomatoes.
- Döner kebap - Literally translated from
Turkish,
"döner kebap" means "turning roast".
Döner kebap is meat (beef, lamb, mutton or chicken may be used) cooked
on a rotating spit, and served in a sandwich made from pide (Turkish pita) bread.
Today döner kebap is a popular fast food around the world, and salad and
sauces are often added to inside the pide - this idea was invented by the Turkish
community in Germany
who wanted to broaden the dish's appeal.
- Bursa kebab - This dish is known by many names.
It was originally invented by Iskender Iskenderoglu and initially called
"Iskender kebap" (which is a trademark), but variants are found
in many Turkish restaurants around the world.
Grilled lamb slices, cooked in the same fasion as döner kebap,
are basted with tomato sauce and layed over pide (pita)
bread, then covered with melted butter and yogurt.
- Adana kebap - A long grilled kebab made from minced lamb, originally from the city of Adana,
where it is known as "kiyma kebabi".

- Shish kebab - Grilled chicken or lamb, marinated and cooked on a skewer over an open fire. Lamb
from milk-fed lambs is particularly favored.
- Arnavut cigeri - Fried liver.
- Köfte - Meatballs made from ground (minced) meat mixed with bread and egg.
There are lots of different versions of this dish
including
"Çig köfte" which contains raw ground (minced) meat,
and "kadinbudu köfte" which contains rice (and cooked meat).
- Mahmudiye - This dish has its origins in the Ottoman Imperial court.
It is chicken with almonds, apricots, black pepper, currants and honey.
- Sujuk - A traditional Turkish cured sausage made from ground (minced) beef with spices.
The sausage is prepared using a process involving drying for several weeks.
Before eating, sujuk is cooked - it is popular both for breakfast and as a form of
fast food (often eaten with bread).
As well as savory dishes, there are also a wide variety of excellent Turkish desserts and sweet dishes.
These include:
- Lokum - Turkish delight.
- Helva - A traditional sweet made from semolina, tahin (sesame seed paste), wheat flour.
- Baklava - Perhaps the most famous Turkish dessert.
Baklava is a sweet pastry dessert made with phyllo dough, filled with pistachios or chopped walnuts,
and finally sweetened with honey or syrup.

- Kadaif - Kadaif is the name given to a variety of different desserts made from
shredded dough or phyllo pastry. There are a huge variety of different types of
kadaif available - but look out for "künefe" -
a version which contains melted cheese and is served hot with walnuts and pistachios.
Here are some recipe books and cookbooks for
Turkish food:
Related Links:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Carol Robertson
Frog Books Released: 2001-02-16 Paperback (200 pages)
 | List Price: $15.95* Lowest New Price: $9.83* Lowest Used Price: $8.83* Usually ships in 1 to 3 months* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Carol Robertson begins her latest book with tales of her village and seaside encounters in Turkey, transporting the reader into the spirit and tradition of the food about to be prepared. Recipes that follow include everything from Spinach with Yogurt Sauce and Cold Zucchini Salad to Minted Pea Pilav and Eggplant Puree. Vegan dishes are featured as well. |
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By Ghillie Basan
Aquamarine Hardcover (160 pages)
 | List Price: $35.00* Lowest New Price: $19.90* Lowest Used Price: $8.98* Usually ships in 2 to 5 months* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Discover the mouthwateringly senual flavors of a classic cuisine with a blend of 75 authentic and contemporary recipes. |
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By Binnur Tomay
CreateSpace Paperback (60 pages)
 | List Price: $14.99* Lowest New Price: $14.99* Lowest Used Price: $35.40* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: A selection of over 110 recipes from TurkishCookbook.com, a blog by Binnur Tomay, who moved to Canada from Turkey in the mid-90s. This is a collection of delicious, healthy and easy-to-prepare Turkish and Ottoman dishes that will leave you salivating for more. The book contains recipes of all categories with ingredients that are easily accessible in North America. The book has favourites such as Kebabs, Baklava, Turkish Coffee & Tea, Turkish Bread as well as less-known yet equally appetizing dishes. Turkish cuisine emphasizes healthy ingredients such as vegetables, grains, olive oil and yogurt, and the most commonly used meat is lamb. We're sure you'll enjoy this unique addition to your recipe collection! |
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By Nur Ilkin
Interlink Pub Group Hardcover (350 pages)
 | List Price: $35.00* Lowest New Price: $23.10* Lowest Used Price: $23.10* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Turkey has made an enduring contribution to the world's cuisine with its diverse and important gastronomic history and classic--simple yet rich in flavors--recipes. Turkish cuisine is a colorful mosaic, enriched by the recipes and techniques of many ancient cultures--Phoenician, Hittite, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, Chinese, and Greek--and the creativity of the cooks and the geography of the regions they lived in. Inspired by the best of regional cooking, this unique and masterful collection of recipes shares a rediscovery of timeless authentic, healthful, refreshing, and easy-to-prepare Turkish dishes--from classics to lesser known family favorites, and even lost recipes. Written with a zest for food and culture, this book is packed with the delights of Turkey's regions, from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, from Europe to Asia, the Aegean to Anatolia. Using only the healthiest and freshest ingredients--from fresh fruits and yogurt to vegetables, fish, poultry, and meat--the regional recipes are cooked in an infinite variety of ways, with exciting flavor and texture combinations. Eggplant alone can be prepared in more than 40 different ways. In areas where fish, meat or poultry weren't available, cooks created outstanding recipes that utilized grains, pulses, and vegetables. Since Turkish cooking requires no special equipment or unusual ingredients it is generally very easy to prepare. Healthful and tantalizing, simple and delicious, Turkish cuisine is well on its way to becoming the next big trend in cooking as more and more attention is being paid to it as the original Mediterranean diet. |
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By Kari A. Cornell
Lerner Publications Hardcover (72 pages; 1)
 | List Price: $25.26* Lowest New Price: $16.99* Lowest Used Price: $5.50* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here |
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By Binnur Tomay
Binnur Tomay Kindle Edition
 | List Price: $1.25* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Binnur's Turkish Cookbook: Delicious, healthy and easy-to-make Ottoman & Turkish recipes.This book contains over 20 Pastry recipes from TurkishCookbook.com, a blog by Binnur Tomay, who moved to Canada from Turkey in the mid-90s. This is a collection of delicious, healthy and easy-to-prepare Turkish and Ottoman dishes that will leave you salivating for more. The book contains recipes with ingredients that are easily accessible in North America. Turkish cuisine emphasizes healthy ingredients such as vegetables, grains, olive oil and yogurt, and the most commonly used meat is lamb. We're sure you'll enjoy this unique addition to your recipe collection! |
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By H. Vural
Pelican Publishing Released: 2006-09-30 Hardcover (472 pages)
 | List Price: $35.00* Lowest New Price: $22.99* Lowest Used Price: $9.69* Usually ships in 9 to 13 days* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here | - ISBN13: 9781589804197
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Product Description: French, Italian, Persian, and Arab influences are recognizable in this thorough cookbook containing over 300 hundred recipes, including lentil and mint soup, stove-top kebab, falafel, rice pilafs, and baklava. Folk wisdom and parables about nourishment, food preparation, and dining that are inherent in Turkish cuisine traditions add cultural background to the recipes, and colorful photos on each page make this an inspiring and easy-to-use introduction to Turkish dining. |
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By CarolRobertson
Frog Ltd,2001 Paperback
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By NurcayTurkoglu
Leer,2004 Hardcover
| Lowest Used Price: $111.31* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here |
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By Ghillie Basan
Hermes House Hardcover (256 pages)
| Lowest New Price: $8.45* Lowest Used Price: $7.99* *(As of 22:47 Pacific 28 Jul 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Explore the exquiste cuisine of an ancient and splendid culture, Turkey. Excellent how-to explanations and pictures. |
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