Regional Food
The dishes and desserts that stand out on each city’s table. Local names are kept, with a short explanation on each city page.
Adana
Adıyaman
Afyonkarahisar
Sakala çarpan çorbası (“beard-splashing” soup)
A wedding essential: Çullama köfte
Especially with lentils: Bükme
A meal in itself: Ağzı açık
Our guest at Yemek.com: Afyon sucuğu
With kaymak, mind you: Düğülü haşhaş tatlısı
While we're at it: Afyon kaymağı tatlısı
Every region's is good: Afyon keşkeği
Some call it şepit: Şebit
Better than Ramadan pide: Haşhaşlı pide
Trotter meat in the lead role: Paçık
Special leaves, great taste: İlibada sarması
Onion at its tastiest: Zürbiye
Ağrı
Ankara
Antalya
Antalya piyazı
Makes you love artichokes: Enginarlı Girit kebabı
Lamb ribs, really: Laba dolması
You could also call it wedding soup: Hülüklü çorba
You'll eat them five at a time: Biber frigya dolması
Bulgur or rice, both welcome: Cive
The filling is up to you: Alanya bohçası
As lovely as its name: Gökçesu pilavı
Şilofta
Keeps illness away: Sedik aşı
Wonderfully fragrant: Bergamot reçeli
For lovers of syrupy desserts: Arap kadayıfı
Flavour from fruit: Finike usulü muz tatlısı
Pomegranate molasses and sumac ready? Toros salatası
An Antalya meze: Hibeş
The rose of the Aegean and the Mediterranean: Kabak çiçeği dolması
Ardahan
Artvin
Aydın
Balıkesir
Batman
Bayburt
Bilecik
Bingöl
Bitlis
Bolu
Bursa
Çankırı
Denizli
Diyarbakır
Düzce
Edirne
Elazığ
Erzincan
Erzurum
Eskişehir
Gaziantep
Giresun
Gümüşhane
Hakkari
Hatay
You lose count: Oruk
For lovers of heat: İskenderun döneri
A meze essential: Humus
Bulgur at its best: Fellah köftesi
The best use for bread: Muhammara
From far-off lands: Mütebbel
A labour of love: Şişperek çorbası
As easy as it gets: Hettüş salatası
You sigh just remembering it: Biberli ekmek
A real energy store: Kömbe
You choose the meat yourself: Kağıt kebabı
Treasured above all: Zahter salatası
Plate after plate: Ispanaklı borani
A cheese like no other: Sürk
A fitting finale: Künefe
Isparta
Istanbul
İzmir
Kahramanmaraş
Karabük
You've never seen green beans like this: Uzun fasulye
A true labour of love: Perohi (peruhi)
A feast of meat: Bütün et yemeği
Very different, very tasty: Mısır çorbası
Walnuts suit it so well: Cevizli keşli yayım
A Black Sea beauty: Karalahana (karamancar) yemeği
It will make you fall in love with pastry: Çullu börek
Three in one: Safranbolu bükmesi
Because saffron: Zerde
You'll want trays of it: Safranbolu baklavası
Of course we weren't going to forget it: Bağlar Gazoz
Karaman
Kars
Kastamonu
Kayseri
Kırıkkale
Never without tarhana: un tarhanası
Did we say how much we love it: yoğurtlu tarhana çorbası
One plate fills you up: tuvalak
Also called bulama: katma aşı
For those who aren't full without meat: sızgıt
Nothing is this easy: omaç
You can't get enough of it: madımak
Never leave without trying it: Keskin tava
Syrup desserts are our speciality: sarığı burma
It makes you love pekmez: haside (pekmez peltesi)
Kırıkkale gives pekmez its due: gölleme (batırma)
Kırklareli
Kırşehir
Kilis
Kocaeli
Konya
Kütahya
Malatya
Manisa
Mersin
Muğla
Niğde
Arabaşı çorbası
Niğde usulü cevizli erişte (Niğde-style noodles with walnuts)
Mazaklı köftesi
Ayva boranası (quince borani)
Niğde tava
Niğde tarhanası
Pirinçli elma dolması (stuffed apples)
Söğürme
Niğde usulü etli bamya (okra with meat)
Kabak musakka (courgette moussaka)
Kaymak tatlısı
Halveter (helveter) tatlısı
Niğde usulü kuymak
Beyaz kiraz reçeli (white cherry jam)
Niğde gazozu
