Turkish Street Food

One needs a good meal to start the say with, so why not take a quick look at Turkish Street food to start this brand new blog with eh ...

For many, a big part of any holiday is the food you eat, the food you remember and the food you would rather forget. In Turkey, street food is a way of life and simply cannot be ignored. Some of your finest meals will be made instantly in front of you so here is a little taste of what to expect from Turkish street food.

Kokorec, spiced offal wrapped in lamb’s intestine is of course, a tasty treat to tie you over until dinner. For anyone wondering about the necessity of the intestine, it has been suggested this is in order to disguise the taste, raising the issue of whether or not the entire dish should be rethought!! However, when in Turkey ... something that sounds that questionable must be worth a try.



Kahvaltı, or ‘before coffee’. Most of us would shudder at the prospect of anything before coffee but this actually means breakfast, and breakfast can be grabbed from the street in the form of a giant bread polo called simit, reminiscent of a bagel really, but tasty all the same. Having one with a strong Turkish coffee (or so I have been told as I actually hate the stuff!) or with traditional çay, is even better. I always nab one or two from the street sellers as I'm out and about shopping in Manavgat. Only 60 kuruş (about 20p) and really moorish!



Kebabs. Arguably you don’t necessarily need to travel hundreds of miles for one, when getting one in your home country is extremely easy. The overwhelming hunger, the actual need for food, the fact that it is accompanied with lettuce is an easy justification for a late night healthy snack. Don’t forget about the ill-advised flirtation with the kebab man and the overwhelming disgust, the following morning at your gluttony.

Turkey welcomes you to a whole new world of the kebab. At any point of the day, more than one if you fancy, the kebab is street food to start you off. The fresh bread, salad, and meat taste is better than ever and the friendly banter with your street chef will keep you coming back day after day... and I promise you that the kebabs here bear no resenblence to the kebabs I munched in the early hours of the morning after a gig! I'm sure anyone who has tasted this would almost certainly agree - and man - that hot spicy tomato and chilli sauce certainly cleans all nostril hairs in one fair sniff!




Beyin (Brain) is an affordable delicacy as is tripe. This country really does not waste any part of an animal! I can't say I have had the stomach to eat any tripe yet (no pun intended!!!!) as the memory of the smell as mum slowly cooked it for the dog is enough to put me off.  However, brain in various forms, I have tasted and surprisingly enjoyed in small doses.  My first induction was in Morocco when I was offered a burger ... it was clearly a strange coloured looking one, but I ate it.  On being told what it was, I found the idea put me off the rest of my late night snack.  The second time was at a restaurant in Belek (Antalya). Friends ordered the food; mezzes, salad, meat, bread, everything typically Turkish and out came this amazing looking bowl full of something with an array of spices encircling it.  It all looked amazing but I didn't know what anything was. I casually commented on the artistic nature of the bowl's design - only to be laughed at and told it was the skull and inside it was the animals own brain!  Well - that was that - once again I timidly tried some as everyone else was tucking in - and my verdict; slimy yet satisfying! The third time was in the early hours of the morning as 'beyin çorba' (Brain Soup).  The soup was liberally coated with sizzling out the pan melted garlic butter and all I could taste was the garlic.  The brain then, was simply too slimy and I will never try that again!  The garlic unfortunately lasted for days too!  Eugh!  So the choice it yours - would you prefer brain salad, brain soup or brain burger!

Gözleme. Essentially a pancake. Cooked fresh on the street with endless options of fillings they are irresistible and should come with a warning that you will reach new levels of gluttony after your first. They are usually made by women sitting cross-legged at what looks like an over-sized knee-high upturned wok. Within a minute they've made wafer-thin, sweet, breadlike pastry into a large circle about 80cm in diameter with a rolling pin that looks like an elongated pencil! Turning it and flouring it as they go looks much easier than it seems! Youc hoose your filling(sweet, savoury or meaty) and soon they have managed to fold it all together into what becomes the most delicious snack ... Be aware though that many people return from holidays to Turkey a few pounds heavier after eating too many of these!



If this doesn’t fill you up there is plenty of fresh food and fiery flavours on offer on all street corners so it's my recommendation not to leave Turkey without trying some form of this delicious street food. You won't regret it!

Been to Turkey? If so, what is your favourite Turkish street food?