Street Food

Pide

Kinda of like a Turkish version of pizza. It is a football shaped

Lahmacun

More like a Turkish burrito than a pizza. Add a handful of fresh parsley, onions, and drizzle with lemon juice. Roll it up and dig in.

Kebab

Kebabs are generally meat grilled on skewers. Chicken, lamb, beef, and eggplant are the most common options. The Turks would claim Adana and Urfa kebabs are the most spicy. By American standards though, they are mild. Nothing in Turkey is very spicy.

Döner

Döner is meat grilled on spinning vertical spools. These are almost always chicken or beef. You can usually get these either in bread as a sandwich, as a wrap like a burrito, or on a plate with rice.

Tantuni

Tantuni is kinda like a Turkish cheese steak. It’s almost always served in a wrap.

Kokoreç

You’ll be able to recognize kokoreç because it is grilled on a horizontal rotating spit. It is grilled lamb tripe served as a sandwich.

Kumpir

Baked potatoes with a ton of toppings.

Su böreği

This is a pastry that has cheese and parsley. There isn’t really an equivalent in western food culture. It’s kind of almost like a really light lasagna without tomato sauce.

Midye

Mussels stuffed with rice. You can find these on most sea sides. You buy per mussel. Drizzle with lemon juice before eating.

Çiğ köfte

A direct translation will probably say something about “raw meatballs” but there is no meat in these anymore. They are mandated to be vegetarian by law so you will be safe eating them.

Çiğ köfte is spiced bulger wheat served with green vegetables (usually lettuce and parsley) and lemon juice. You can get these either by themselves or in a wrap.

Balık ekmek

A fish sandwich. In some places like the Eminönü Pier they sell the fish from a boat with pickle juice

İslak burger

These are steamed hamburgers with tomato sauce. They’re almost like the White Castle of Turkey. A good spot for them is Kızılkayalar in Taksim Square.

If you’re curious, go for it. You can do better though.