A vast Ottoman-era cuisine straddling the Balkans and Anatolia, anchored by lamb, yogurt, olive oil, and a near-religious approach to bread and breakfast.
What it is
Turkish cuisine inherits the kitchens of the Ottoman court, where chefs from across the empire — Greek, Armenian, Arab, Balkan, Persian — pooled their recipes for the Topkapı palace. The result is one of the world’s most far-reaching cuisines, varying from black-sea cornbread to Mediterranean olive-oil cooking to spice-heavy southeastern dishes.
How it tastes
Lamb and yogurt do most of the heavy lifting. Tomato-and-pepper paste forms the base of countless stews. Pul biber — the dried Maraş or Urfa pepper — adds quiet warmth; mint and parsley garnish everything; bread is at every meal.
Signature dishes & techniques
The kebab catalog alone could fill a book — adana, Iskender, döner, urfa, çöp şiş. Manti, lamb-filled tortellini drowned in garlic yogurt, points to a Central Asian past. Baklava, perfected by Ottoman palace chefs, conquered the world. A Turkish breakfast — olives, white cheese, jam, eggs, simit — is its own mealtime institution.
Find more cuisines by letter
Turkish starts with T and ends with H. Browse other cuisines along the same letter.
Cuisines that contain a letter from "Turkish":