With dishes named "Lady's navel, Sultan's Favourite, The Priest Painted and Ladie's Thigh" prepare for a tempting eating experience.

One of the most exciting aspects of a holiday is trying out new food and drinks. Turkey is ranked among the top five countries in the world for cuisine and no holiday is complete without a taste of some of Turkey's famous specialities. In most major resorts today, you will find a huge variety of "eateries" - whether you are looking for a quick hamburger, a hot and spicy Indian, Italian, French, Chinese or good old British food, you'll probably be spoilt for chice. However, as the saying goes "While in Rome".....

Food in Turkey is generally inexpensive, the price reflecting not so much the quality of the food itself but the standard of decor and service in the establishment. It is much easier to be led into a tourist restaurant where the staff speak English, but for the real taste of Turkey, try and be adventurous and venture into less predictable "lokantas" - especially at lunch time - to see what's on offer.

LOKANTAS

As in France, working people like to eat simple, well-prepared food at midday. In most lokantas you'll find a selection of meat and vegetable dishes which have been prepared and placed in warm serving dishes to await the noon rush. A few favourites of the country are: Kuru fasulye, Pilav: Beans and rice Kizartma: Fried peppers, aubergine, courgettes or potatoes served with warm yoghurt Tas Kebab: Lamb stew served with rice and salad Even if you don't know the Turkish names, you can walk up to the heated 'display' cabinet and point to the dishes you want. Most lokantas do not serve alcohol, so if you don't want a fizzy drink, try an 'ayran' (yoghurt and water drink) which is both healthy and refreshing.

TURKEY'S ANSWER TO 'FAST FOOD'

If you are after fast food, the Turks could almost be said to have invented it! Shish Kebabs, Doner kebabs and cop (pronounced "chop") shish (mini kebabs on little sticks) are available everywhere. There is also the Turkish pizza (called Pide) which is sold in special Pide restaurants. You can choose between meat or cheese toppings and then watch it being made and placed in a special oven to cook.

SOUP KITCHENS!

These establishments are very similar to lokantas - as above, during the day you can eat a selaction of stews, but at night, a variety of soups. These establishments can often be open 24 hours and even at 04:00 in the morning, you will see them full of Turkish people after a night of dancing having a bowl of soup before going home to bed!

SEAFOOD

Seafood is the big favourite of coastal areas and you'll often pass tempting displays of fish outside restaurants on the sea front. Grilled fish is wonderfully healthy and tasty and perfectly suited to a few glasses of the famous Turkish "raki". Don't miss out on starters such as Octopus Salad or fried Calamar (squid) rings to really get in to the local lifestyle. Just a word of warning, fish can be very expensive so before ordering from the display, ask your waiter to weigh it and give you a price before ordering.

STARTERS

(Mezes) Most Turkish restaurants will have a delicious selection of 'mezes' which are displayed in a glass chiller cabinet where again, you can point to the dishes you want. Most Turkish peopl would select several and have them placed (on small side plates) in the middle of the table so that everyone can "dip" in.

 

The following listings, recipes and texts will further your understanding of this cuisine, whether planning for a future trip, or to enjoy at home. "C" is pronounced "j" in Turkish. The Turkish alphabet uses letters with the cedilla, or tail. For pronunciation purposes, the spellings have changed here from the cedilla "c" or "s" for example: to "ch" and "sh" for phonetic purposes.

ashure
a pudding made of cereals, dried and fresh fruits, nuts, sugar and spices, referred to as "Noah's pudding."

ayran
a drink of beaten yogurt, cold water and salt.

beyaz penir
a medium soft brined cheese.

borek
filled pastries in various shapes, baked, fried, or grilled.

cacik
grated cucumber with diluted yogurt, garlic, salt, sprinkled with dill and olive oil.

cezve
a tapered cup with long handle for making Turkish coffee.

dolma
any filled or stuffed vegetable. The term means to stuff, the most famous filled grape leaves

helva
a sweetmeat dessert of flour, semolina, butter, sugar, milk, and nuts.

kadayif
finely shredded pastry used to make a dessert. It looks like shredded wheat cereal.

kavurma
lamb cut into small cubes, braised and browned, for use in stews.

kofte
any dish made with ground meats, or bulgar and rice meat mixture; skewered, baked, and fried versions exist.

leblebi
roasted and dried chickpeas used an appetizer much like salted nuts; yellow salted, unsalted, white or mastic leblebi is common.

lokum
Turkish delight, made of sugar, cornstarch, gelatin, grape juice and flavoring agents.

manti
small pastries filled with minced meat, similar to ravioli, but very small.

oklave
: a long smooth rolling pin, tapered, 24-32 inched long, used to roll flatbreads and filo.

oturma
similar to stuffed vegetables, only fried, and filled with browned spices then simmered.

pastirma
heavily spiced sun dried beef

pekmez
grape molasses used like molasses

pide
a flattened, oval bread served plain, or meat filled. "Turkish pizza"

pilaki
a bean dish cooked in olive oil, served cold with lemon.

piyaz
any kind of dried bean salad with egg and vegetable.

sach
the curved griddle used to cook yufka, filo, or borek

pilaki
a bean dish cooked in olive oil, served cold with lemon

piyaz
any kind of dried bean salad with egg and vegetable

sarma
any dish of wrapped leaves of grape, or cabbage; fillings are either minced meat or rice.

sucuk
a preserved meat product similar to pepperoni, made of lamb and beef.

sumak
the ground berries of the edible sumac, used to give a tart lemon taste to food.

sis kofte
commonly known as shis kebab in the west, pieces of meat or kofte formed around skewers and grilled

tandir
a beehive shaped oven in the wall or free standing, used to cook pide and other breads.

tatlisi
the Turkish work for sweets, or desserts.

terbiy
a sauce of egg with lemon juice, used in some koftes, dolmas and vegetable dishes.

yufka: ready made thin flatbread made upon a sac.

 

General Food Terms

aci: hot or bitter

ak ekmek: white bread

anchuez: anchovy

armut: pear

aschi: cook

az pishmish: rare

az shekerli: slightly sweet

badem: almond

baharat: spices
bal: honey
balik: fish
bardak: drinking glass
beyaz: white, as in white beans
beyaz sharap: white wine
bezelye: pea

biber: pepper
biftek: beefsteak

bira: beer

buz: ice

buzlu chay: ice tea

buzlu su: ice water

ceviz: walnut

cay: tea
chig: raw

chilek: strawberry

chorba: soup

dereotu: dill

dolma: stuffed vegetable

domates: tomato

dondurma: ice cream

ekmek: bread

ekshi: sour

elma: apple

erik: plum

et: meat

fasulye: bean

findik: filbert or hazelnut

fincan: cup

gazo: soda drink

gul: rose

guvech: earthenware casserole

ham: green

ham sheker: brown sugar

havuc: carrot

hazirlop: hard-boiled

hiyara: cucumber

incir: fig

ishkembe: tripe

kahvalti: breakfast

kahve: coffee

kakao: cocoa

kara: black

kara biber: black pepper

karanfil: clove

karides: shrimp

karnibahar: cauliflower

karpuz: watermelon

kavun: melon

kayisi : apricot
kekik: thyme

kizartma: browned in oil

kozleme: grilled

kuru: dried

kuzu: lamb

limon: lemon

lokanta: restaurant

mantar: mushroom

maydanoz: parsley

meyve: fruit

misir: corn

mutfak: kitchen or cuisine

muz: banana

nane: mint

nar: pomegranate
orta: medium, as in medium sweet coffee

orata shekerli: medium sweet, as in sweetened coffee

pancar: beet

pane: breaded

pazar: farmer's market

peynir: cheese

pilaki: dish with olive oil and onions, served room temperature

recheli: jam

sakiz: the resin from the mastic tree, Turkish term

sarimsak: garlic

sicak: hot

soguk: cold (silent g)

sulu yemek: home cooking

sut: milk

sarap: wine

sheftali: peach

seker: sugar

shishe: bottle

tava: frying pan, food which had been breaded and fried

taze: fresh

tuz: salt

un: flour

uzum: grape

yarim porsiyon: half, a regular size portion

yeshil: green as in green peppers

yeshil zeytin: green olive

yumurta: egg

zeytin: olive

zeytinagli: olive oil

The importance of Turkish food has been also evident in the structure of the Ottoman military elite, the Janissaries. The commanders of the main divisions were known as the Soupmen, other high ranking officers were the(Turkish Food) Chief Cook, Scullion, Baker, and Pancake Maker, though their function had little to do with these titles. The huge cauldron used to make pilaf had a special symbolic significance for the Janissaries, as the central focus of each division. The kitchen(Turkish Food) was also the centre of politics, for whenever the Janissaries demanded a change in the Sultan's Cabinet, or the head of a grand vizier, they would overturn their pilaf cauldron. "Overturning the cauldron," is an expression still used today to indicate a rebellion in the ranks. It was in this environment that hundreds of the Sultans' chefs, who dedicated their lives to their profession, developed and perfected the dishes of the Turkish Cusine (Turkish Food), which was then adopted by the kitchens of the provinces ranging from the Balkans to Southern Russia, reaching Northern Africa. Istanbul was the capital of the world and had all the prestige, so that its ways were imitated. At the same time, it was supported by an enormous organization and infrastructure which enabled all the treasures of the world to flow into it. The provinces of the vast Empire were integrated by a system of trade routes with refreshing caravanserais for the weary merchants and security forces. The Spice Road, the most important factor in culinary history, was under the full control of the Sultan. Only the best ingredients were allowed to be traded under the strict standards established by the courts.

Food in Marmaris is either extremely good or disappointing. The good part is the very fresh organic produce which taste much better than its cultured counterpart. Fruit and vegetables are extremely cheap and if you are on a self catering holiday, you will have no problem here. There are lots of small grocery shops and two large supermarkets. English is not well catered for in the shops, the vast majority of items are Turkish and sometimes you are not sure what you are buying. Take a Turkish friend with you for advice.

As for eating out, the worst thing to do is to try and eat as you would at home. While many small restaurants and cafes will try to cater to European palates the results are usually uninspired.

There are, of course, exceptions to this (see the restaurants recommended by About Marmaris) trend but on the whole eating 'International Cuisine' means paying too much for something that may look right but probably doesn't taste the way you thought it would.

If you get off the beaten track then you're going to be eating Turkish food (use the menu on the right for in depth food info). Most of the time this is a good thing. Many guide books will tell you that Turkey has one of the world's 3 great cuisines. This is probably true but it's unlikely that you'll get to sample much of it for yourself. The great dishes of Ottoman tradition tend to rely on a house full of women at home all day with nothing to do but prepare intricate and subtle dishes. You'll probably only sample Turkish cuisine at this level if you're prepared to pay for it, or, if you're invited into peoples homes.

What you will find however is enough variety to keep you interested for a couple of weeks. Turkey has some great street food and if you find a good restaurant then you'll enjoy the freshest of ingredients prepared with care.

A quick run down of the forms of eating available might be helpful:

Street Food
 This covers the majority of kebaps (Turkish for kebab - see kebab pages for more), lahmacun, pide (Turkish for pizza - see pizza page for more) and an assortment of burgers and sandwiches. Things you can eat quickly and cheaply and available wherever 2 or more are gathered together.

Lokantas
Usually cheap Turkish restaurants serving pre-cooked food kept warm over burners. Most night bus stopovers carry dishes of this type and although they may not look great they're often pretty good.

Iskembe joints
Iskembe is a tripe based soup that claims to prevent hangovers as long as you eat it at 3:00am. Ask a local where to find this traditional corba (soup)

Restaurants
In all the areas frequented by tourists you'll find general purpose restaurants serving Turkish food and dishes influenced by European and American tastes. It will probably be worth your while to seek out the more authentic places. Not necessarily very easy in places like Marmaris or Kusadasi. You're going to be petitioned by waiters as you walk past anyway and this doesn't make it any easier to take your time. Anywhere selling food has to post a price list, by law, check your bill and ask the price on items that say per kilo before you order.

 

Fish Restaurants
In Marmaris you'll find some very good fish restaurants. The general idea is that you start with hot or cold Meze (starters) and then move on to a plate of fish. Not cheap, especially compared to the street price of fish, but usually pretty good.

You can book a reataurant on line through  Marmaris.org. Advised especially if you have a group celebration during your holiday. We have also arranged a generous discount for people who book through us.