Beginner's Glossary of Turkish Food

Ayran
Pronounced (eye-rahn). The other national drink after raki, made with yogurt, salt and water.

Baklava
A favorite treat made with filo dough layered with pistachios or walnuts and soaked with sugar syrup.

Borek
This is a savory pastry called yufka that is rolled, stuffed, or layered with feta, spinach, or lamb.

Cay
Pronounced (ch-eye). Tea, served at all meals including tea time at 10am and 2pm.

Corba
Pronounced (chorba). Soup, served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Dolma
This is anything stuffed, usually with peppers, eggplant, and zucchini.

Dondurma
This is ice cream, the most popular kind being stretchy and called maras, made with mastic gum and salep. (pronounced marash)

Gozleme
Pronounced (goz-lem-eh). A kind of thin savory pancake, usually stuffed with feta, spinach, or lamb. A dessert option is made with Nutella and fruit.

Helva
A sweet flour made with tahini and soapwort root. In shops, it is sold in sticky bricks.

Kahve
Pronounced (kah-veh). Turkish coffee, usually served black or with sugar upon request. Be sure to sip the tea as there are coffee grounds in the cup.

Kahvalti
Prounced (kah-vahl-teh). This is breakfast and literally means ‘after coffee’.

Kaymak
Pronounced (kay-mak). This is delicious, clotted cream made with buffalo, cow, or sheep’s milk.

Kebab
Chargrilled meat usually on a skewer. You’ll find a wide variety of kebabs throughout Turkey with the doner kebab, iskender kebab and patlican kebab being a few favorites.

Kofte
Pronounced (kof-teh). Turkish meatball with ground meat usually served with bulgur wheat.

Kokorec
Pronounced (koko-rech).
Chargrilled sausage made with lamb, often wrapped in lamb intestines. This would typically be categorized as “street food”.

Lahmahcun
Pronounced (lah-mah-joon). Turkish flat bread topped with minced meat, tomatoes, onion and garlic.

Lokanta
A casual restaurant, typically an inexpensive lunch where most dished are displayed and you choose what you want.

Lokum
Turkish Delight served in many flavors. Favorites are pistachio, rose, lemon, hazelnut and mint.

Manti
Pronounced (man-tuh). Small dumplings usually stuffed with minced meat and served with a garlic yogurt and pepper sauce.

Meyhane
Pronounced (may-hah-neh). This is a bar that serves appetizers called meze and served with raki.

Peynir
Pronounced (pay-neer). Cheese, with Kasarli and Beyaz Peynir being some of the most popular.

Pide
Pronounced (pee-deh). You may see signs calling this Turkish pizza. It’s a boat shaped flat bread with different toppings cooked in a wood fire oven.

Restoran
A restaurant more upscale than a lokonta that is open for lunch and dinner.

Salca
Pronounced (sahl-cha). A paste made with tomatoes and peppers used to flavor a variety of dishes.

Salep
Pronounced (sah-lep). A hot drink served in winter, made with powdered orchid tubers; thought to be an aphrodisiac.

Sucuk
Prononuced (soo-jook). A spicy dried sausage, usually made of beef and usually fried.