Main Courses
Kebab Varieties
"Kebab" simply means "grilled meat" — and each region has its own specialty:
- İskender Kebab (Bursa): Döner meat on bread, drizzled with tomato sauce and melted butter, served with yogurt. One of the most famous kebabs in Turkey.
- Adana Kebab: Spicy minced meat on a skewer — the Adana version is fiery.
- Urfa Kebab: Like Adana, but without the heat — for milder palates.
- Şiş Kebab: Cubes of meat on a skewer, marinated and grilled — the "classic" kebab.
- Köfte: Grilled meatballs made from minced meat with spices — every city has its own köfte tradition.
- Tandır Kebab: Lamb, slow-cooked in an earth oven — buttery tender, falls off the bone.
Other Main Courses
- Pide: "Turkish pizza" — boat-shaped flatbread with cheese, minced meat, sucuk, or egg. From Trabzon: closed (like a calzone).
- Lahmacun: Thin flatbread with spiced minced meat — rolled with parsley, onions, and lemon. Not to be confused with pide!
- Mantı: Turkish ravioli — tiny dumplings filled with minced meat, served with yogurt and paprika butter. From Kayseri (Cappadocia).
- Güveç: Casserole in a clay pot — meat or vegetables, slowly cooked. Particularly popular in Cappadocia (Testi Kebab: the clay pot is broken open at the table).
- Balık: Fish — freshly grilled on the coast: Çipura (sea bream), Levrek (sea bass), Hamsi (anchovies, Black Sea).