Turkish Cuisine

Turkish cuisine is one of the great cuisines of the world, drawing on Ottoman, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Central Asian traditions. From smoky grilled kebabs and rich stews to a spread of mezes, fresh bread and salads, stuffed vegetables and syrup-soaked baklava, it is generous and endlessly varied, washed down with tulip glasses of black tea, strong Turkish coffee, or the aniseed spirit raki.

What you actually see

• The kebabs - the grilled meats, from doner to the spiced Adana.
• The mezes - the spread of small cold and hot starters.
• Baklava and sweets - the syrup-soaked pastries and Turkish delight.
• Tea and Turkish coffee - the tulip-glass tea and thick, strong coffee.

When to go

Year-round; a long, shared meal, especially a meyhane evening of mezes and raki. Turkish breakfast is a lavish spread worth seeking, and street food, from simit to grilled fish sandwiches, is everywhere.

Honest expectations

The tourist-strip restaurants in Istanbul can be mediocre and overpriced, so follow locals to the busy, unshowy places. It is heavy on meat, though vegetarian mezes abound. The famous street mussels and some stalls carry a food-safety risk in the heat, so choose busy vendors.

Nearby

Every Turkish city has its specialities; Gaziantep in the southeast is famous for kebabs and baklava.