21 Flavors of Turkish Food | Turkish Food Guide (video)

21 Flavors of Turkish Food | Turkish Food Guide

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This video is a compilation of  what I experienced and learned about while traveling a short period in Turkey. This Turkish Food Guide by all means, is not a cumulative list of Turkish cuisine.

Turkey has a fascinating Ottoman history and culture of farming, fishing and livestock and you will find this reflected in their food as well. Between Istanbul and Cappadocia, I experienced different flavours which varied with the lifestyle.

 If you want a more in depth coverage on my food experiences in Turkey, read about my Turkish Flavours food tour, where I delve deeper into how food connects with Turkish culture.

1. Doner Kebabs

2. Simit

3. Pomegranate Juice

4. Pide

5. Midye Dolma (Stuffed Mussels)

6. Olives

7. Nuts & Grains

8. Cheeses

9. Dried Fruits & Vegetables (hanging)

10. Spices

11. Honey(comb)

12  Homemade Jams, Preserves & Syrups

13. Carob (from Locust Tree Seed Pods)

14. Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

15.  Sigara | Borek

16.  Chorba (Lentil Soup)

17. Baklava

18. Turkish Delight

19. Halva

20. Turkish Coffee

21. Turkish Tea

Note: My diet was limited to vegetarian options . I didn’t document my experiences with mezzes (side dishes, which occasionally can be vegetable based) ; but they were largely what I ate.

Traveling Greece and Turkey back to back, I noticed that there are many similarities in food. Some dishes you will find in both countries, but they will have different names and are prepared perhaps a little differently.  My food video, 11 Greek Food Faves , gained some controversy on YouTube between Turks and Greeks.

This was my first time realizing food could be a controversial topic to the point of war, hostility, name calling and hate comments. As much as I try to be well-rounded in my approach to filming, I can’t always document what I don’t eat. So I occasionally get negative comments on YouTube  about my vegetarian diet and the foods I showcase like, “Dumb bitch, should’ve had the lamb!” to “…who the fuck puts tomato sauce in souvlaki jeez…“.

You’d think people were putting carnal sex in their mouths to attack so vehemently about what may feel like a trivial matter. But it’s showed me that people are proud, protective and opinionated about their food, even if the world is a large, round planet with millions of individual tastes and lifestyles.