Welcome back, food lovers!

If you remember, a couple weeks ago I made a post about Greece and its tasty, colorful food. Today, we are traveling to a country that shares a border with it- drumroll please… Turkey!

Turkey is known for having the oldest markets in the world, its unique geographical location (it’s located in both Asia and Europe), the immense and beautiful mosques it has, and the legend of Santa Claus, which can be traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas, who is believed to have been born in Turkey.

Mhmm… I feel like I forgot to mention something in that list… Oh! Turkey is also known for its DELICIOUS foods! So get ready to get hungry! 🙂

       1. Lahmacun

Lahmacun (pronounced LAH’-MAH’-juhn) is pretty similar to pizza, but definitely has its differences. Lahmacun is a Turkish street food that can be found all over the country, but unlike pizza, it has a thin dough and no cheese on its surface and is usually eaten folded or rolled. Its toppings include minced meat, tomatoes, onions, and herbs, which are topped with spices like chili pepper and paprika. It’s then baked until the dough is golden and crispy. Maybe we can get Piatto Felice in Redifer to serve lahmacun?? 😉

       2. Cağ kebab

This dish originated from Erzurum Province and dates back to the Kipchak Turks who lived in this region between the 11th and 12th century. It’s only one of the huge varieties of kebabs offered in Turkey and is made from a combination of lamb ribs and leg meat. The meat is first marinated with onions and spices for about 12 hours and only then placed on a skewer and cooked horizontally on a wood fire. Traditionally, it is eaten straight from the skewer once it’s fully cooked but can sometimes be wrapped in a warm, freshly baked flatbread.

       3. Kisir

Kisir is a classical staple of Turkish cuisine and takes as little as 10 minutes to make! It’s made from only 3 main ingredients: bulgur (which is a cereal food made from different types of wheat), parsley, and tomato paste. For some more taste, onion, garlic, olive oil, cucumbers, and lemon juice are typically also added to the mix. Very easy, yet so very tasty- which is especially good for college students who don’t feel like cooking but want to try something healthy!

       4. Su böreği

Su böreği, which means “water borek” (borek is a type of Greek spinach pie), are very famous Turkish pastries that just make you want to eat more and more. They are made from layers of very thin dough called yufka, and were brought to Turkey by nomadic herders a couple of centuries ago. This delicious pastry is eaten all over Turkey, but can also be found throughout Europe, where each country has its own different version of it. Unlike kisir (the previous dish I mentioned), su böreği has a reputation for being one of the hardest boreks to make (but don’t let that discourage you from trying!).

I hope you enjoyed learning about the flavorful cuisine of Turkey, and let me know what you think of it when you travel the world! 

Bir dahaki sefere görüşürüz! (“See you next time!” in Turkish)

Oren 🙂