Kumphir
Kumpir is a popular Turkish dish that’s best described as a stuffed baked potato. It’s typically an oversized baked potato cut in half and filled with slices of various vegetables, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, grated cheese, olives, sausages, and other condiments. One of the best places to try Kumphir is Ortaköy, a popular district in Istanbul.
Tulumba
The tulumba dessert that entered Ottoman cuisine centuries ago for its richness and sweetness is a Balkan-inspired dish. This popular Turkish sweet is surprisingly crispy, soft, and juicy at the same time. It’s deep-fried in oil and dipped into sugar syrup to make it sweeter with a golden-brown crust on the outside.
Lahmacun
Lahmacun is popular street food in Turkey that, is a round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat, tomatoes, onions, parsley, black pepper, and isot (red chili pepper), then baked in wood-fired ovens. It is a favorite lunchtime snack in Turkey and one of the most common foods found at restaurants. Turkish people put parsley, onion, a little tomato, and lots of lemon in their lahmacun and make it a wrap.
Kofte
One of the most popular Turkish foods is meatballs. Turkey has hundreds of different recipes for this national delight; almost every city in the country seems to have its specific recipe. Köfte is cooked at home, served at restaurants, and is even street food. Depending on the recipe, it may include bread crumbs, garlic, onion, egg, and ground beef meat or lamb meat. In short, you will have plenty of chances to enjoy this iconic Turkish food during your visit to Turkey.
Kunefe
The traditional recipe for Künefe is believed to originate from Hatay, a Turkish city with strong ties to Syrian cuisine. Künefe is a cheese-filled, crispy dessert made with kadayıf, which is shredded wheat. If you’re looking for something sweet but not too heavy, this dessert is your perfect choice. Künefe has an ideal balance of sugar, shredded wheat, and unsalted cheese.
