Turkish Cuisine

Say what you will about its politics, but Turkey is a delicious country. From kabobs and complimentary appetizers to spices and seasonal drinks, Turkey offers a variety of flavorful foods. 

BREAKFASTS

 

Picture this: an assortment of high quality cheeses, spicy sausage links, hard boiled eggs, warm toast, fresh fruit jams, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, green and black olives, and finger-sized meat pastries. Are you hungry yet? Known as kahvalti, literally meaning "before coffee", this is the quintessential Turkish breakfast. Hot chai is served alongside the meal, which is ended with a cup of Turkish coffee. Gooood morning!

If you prefer a smaller breakfast though, menemen is another traditional choice. Cooked with eggs, onions, tomatoes, green peppers and spices, menemen is served inside the piping hot metal pot it was cooked in & typically comes served with a basket of warm bread rolls. While most Turkish families do not eat kahvalti or menemen every day, both are absolutely worth a try for any traveler!

 

LUNCHES

Carnivores live it up with doner kabobs, raw meatballs and spicy sheep intestine sandwiches called kokorec. Does the photo of doner kabob above seem foreign? It shouldn't - you may already know it as "shawarma" (especially in Arabic countries) or "gyros" (in Greece).

Other popular lunches include more familiar American foods like hamburgers, wraps, sandwiches and pizza. Some upscale restaurants also feature Chinese, Japanese and Mexican food. But why bother traveling to Turkey if all you eat is American food?

 DINNERS

Kabob restaurants are commonplace and cheap, often serving either an assortment of free bread / rice / yogurt / onions, or soup / salad / fries as complimentary appetizers. Most kabob houses are half upscale restaurant and half fast food - you're seated in a fancy booth but served quickly.

All kabob dishes are plated with bulgur rice and salad for ~15-30 TL (~$7-$15) depending on the type of meat ordered. Turkish tea, called chai, is typically served after meals although you can order specialty black or fruit teas if you prefer. Whatever foods you choose, afiyet olsun (bon appetit)!

* Note: none of the pictures in this post belong to me

Turkish Local Interview: Hande Akdeniz

Throughout my blog you've been experiencing life as told by a foreigner so I wanted to interrupt that trend by getting a local's opinion! Hande Akdeniz, a computer engineering student at Hacettepe University has kindly agreed to answer questions on living life as a local in Turkey.

The infamous Hande Akdeniz

Me: Thank you for agreeing to this interview! How are you today, Hande?

Hande: Actually I m glad to interview with you Melody Thanks. I am a bit tired because of my school routine but it's better nowadays. so i m happy about being with you

M: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

H: I am 21 years old and still a student at Hacettepe University as you have already said, studying Computer Engineering in Ankara. I also was born in here in Tunalı

It's my 4. year at university, and it's really busy in this year at school so i have not much time but when i find time for other things i really like to be with my friends

and i used to interested in kick boxing and fitness, i know it's not looking like that now :) otherwise i have a small family as my parents and one sister.

Studying for exams

M: What's life like for you in Turkey? What does an average day look like for you?

H: Turkey is a really good country to travel but living here, nope not as good as travelling . Because it's hard to study hard to find a good job and it's a disadvantage.

i mean everyone wants to live a good and comfortable life. but in Turkey it's a little bit hard . 

i can say sometimes i wish i would born another country a developed country. but i m not so depressed not at all i m happy to have like my family or friends. And i can say i m trying to be survive :)

M: What do you love about Turkey and living here?

H: i love foods :D because all cities has different meals and turkey is a big country. you can find any kind of food here for you.

i also like my neighborhood people are so modern and kind here.

besides there are many place to see in turkey if you have time and money you cannot get bored in Turkey it's not possible :)

finally it's a sarcastic reason . if you live here you can improve yourselves (and your personality) so easily . because everywhere you go, there is a challenge to solve :D 

 

M: Where would you recommend a traveler to go in Turkey? Any particular cities, attractions or annual events? What is the most underrated city in Turkey?

H: i really love the west part of Turkey . maybe i miss sea :D i do not know but istanbul is really popular for foreigners because of the historical places and 

There are some natural beauties like Pamukkale or Kapadokya etc. yeah you know there are many places as i mention before also how can i say.. east is really mystical and more traditional

M: How did you learn English? You speak better than nearly anyone else I've met here.

H: I started to learn at primary school. Generally it's same for every student. And it continue at highschool and also many of universities but it's not enough to learn just at school you should do also practice in your real life 

i found a chance about it and i m doing some other practices like watching movies&TV series or reading some english books and also books of my lessons mostly in english so i just have to learn it :)

Enjoying Izmir

M: What are your plans after you graduate? Is there anywhere you'd like to travel & if so, where?

H: ahh :) actually i would like to move, work and live abroad a couple years ago. i also want to study  Master of Business Administration after graduate from engineering. 

but now when we talk about reality i have a boyfriend and he lives in izmir . i really would like to go there and work there as a computer engineer. i hope i can go abroad for travelling with him :) who knows.

M: Can you teach us a little bit of Turkish? What's an important, useful or funny phrase?

H: yes of course :) first it's familiar for you 'naber kanka?'  lol it means "what's up bro?" :)
and here is some common words such as
hi = selam
how are you? = nasılsın?
please = lütfen
thanks = teşekkürler
i am Hande = ben Hande
nice to meet you = tanıştığıma memnun oldum (it's a little bit hard i know :D)
i love you = seni seviyorum
and finally it's the most useful sentence for a foreigner when somebody ask or say to you something you can say "seni anlamıyorum" = "I don't understand you"

M: Haha! For anyone confused, Hande's first phrase is making fun of me - I accidentally said "naber kanka" instead of just "naber" to her when we first met.

Lounging in Dikili

M: Now then, is there anything you'd like to change about Turkey? Or is there any popular misconception you'd like to clear up? Can you share some advice about traveling in Turkey for our American readers?

H: yesss!! as a student of course it's education system . i think it's really useless and old it needs reforms. 

about misconception i couldnt think anything. for American readers i just can say come and see :) you will not have regrets.

M: Finally, has Turkey changed since you were a child? If so, how?

H:Actually yes or no i have no answer because my age it's not so old and i may could not understand what has changed. :)

Thank you so much for your time today! We've learned a lot more about Turkey now that we've gotten an insider's perspective. Hopefully your answers will help our readers make a more educated decision about traveling to Turkey.

* Note: none of the pictures in this post belong to me