We all have our kebab preferences, right? Mine is a chicken kebab with lettuce, onions, NO tomato, add cheese with garlic sauce. Imagine my horror one day when my housemate of almost 10 years brought me home a kebab with beef, lettuce, onion, tomato, and chilli sauce. Poor guy hasn’t heard the end of it since. So does a good old kebab, or as it’s called in Turkiye, kebap, an Aussie (late night) fave, live up to its expectations in Turkiye? What the difference between a döner, a dürum and a şiş kebab? What is a simit? And gözleme….what are they like in Turkiye?

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These next few days I am trying all the food I can while touring Turkiye, your typical grab and go, snack food, street food, restaurant food from Istanbul and Çanakkale. The food is amazing, it’s very much about bread, meat, salad and vegetables, and it’s historic food, so, whats not to love? What else do I love about Türkiye? It’s love for cats and dogs, you can tell a lot about a place by how well it treats its animals!

Simit

Similar to a bagel, yet thinner, crunchier and very delicious.

I start the day with a traditional simit, a Turkish style bagel stuffed with cream cheese, while for those with a sweet tooth there is also chocolate available at the same price of 20 Turkish Lira – about AU$1.04 at the time of writing. Of course you can get them plain as well at half of this price. After I order, the seller warms this up on his small grill and gets it all nice and toasty.

The tastiness has shone through, especially on the sesame seeds. Oh my this is delicious, crunchy yet chewy like an American bagel but not as sweet. It’s thinner, or narrower, in size, which gives it more of a crunch. The cheese spread is mild but a little more like feta, so there is a saltiness to it, but creamy. It’s the perfect way to start the day (even more so when only a dollar).

Dürum Kebap

Dürum kebap is what we call a döner kebab back home in Australia. The dürum is the flat bread the ingredients are wrapped up in, whereas döner is like a Turkish bread roll.

The bread is more tortilla like over the Lebanese bread often used in Australia. It’s thinner and lighter and oh so very good.

Chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion and garlic sauce – there was no option for cheese and I forgot to mention no tomato. It works well. Thinner than an Aussie kebab, it is full of flavour, I can taste the charred bits of chicken and when coupled with the garlic sauce it is divine.

Şiş Kebap

I’m sure we can work out what a şiş kebap is – that’s right, a shish kebab! While in Çanakkale, I bought a serve for dinner and was surprised it came with so many sides!

Cooked in front of me on hot coals, the marinated beef şiş kebap is then placed onto burghal and served with a side salad of tomato lettuce and onion plus onion and parsley that is flavoured with lemon and cumin. There is also some bread to wrap all these delights up. I am particularly fond of the onion and parsley, it goes so well with the meat when wrapped up in the bread.

Gözleme

On my way back from Çanakkale, our tour bus stopped for dinner, most of the group go for something from the bain marie (which most of them complain about later), however, I spy gözleme on the menu.

There are several versions, cheese, cheese and spinach, white cheese, mushroom, grilled meats, roasted meats… as the waiter is reading the long list out it… I start forgetting! I order cheese, spinach and meat. Then comes the next question, do I want grilled or roasted meat.. I go for roasted. As I sit down I notice that right in front of me they are preparing and then flying my gözleme on a hot plate. Simple long wooden stick are used to turn it over time and time again. At the end butter is rubbed over the whole thing before being cut into eight pieces.

Oh my word, this is just amazing, so much better than the Aldi version I sometimes buy at home! It is crispy, buttery and the filling is just divine. Not sure what the meat was, I’m guessing beef, but I devour this delight in under five minutes.

Sigara Böreği 

Turkish cheese rolls – sometimes called cigarette rolls or pencil rolls – are extremely yummy. Think spring roll but with Turkish white cheese similar to feta cheese…

These are so good, albeit a little expensive, but that’s the touristy Old Town in Istanbul for you. While the limp iceberg lettuce is a bit disappointing, the Tzatziki is the perfect accompaniment to these delightful morsels.

Crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, it is the perfect snack food for a cheese lover. I have promised myself I will attempt to make these at home some day.

While tucking in to the Sigara Böreği’s, I was joined by a kitten I named Helen and then her friend I named Troy, they weren’t interested in the food, the just wanted a warm spot and a pat. Thats one of the things I found wonderful about Türkiye, while there may be lots of cats and dogs around, they are all friendly, not feral, and people feed the and treat them with respect. One guide actually told me you will never see a dog on a lead as its considered cruel and the dog should live its best life! There are also severe penalties for harming cats and dogs, even by accident which include prison. I love this!

Ottoman Plate

My final dinner in Türkiye is at Huzur Restaurant in the old town, Sultanahmet. Due to its location it’s quite pricey, but wonderful.

I go for the Ottoman Plate. It is described as lamb cutlet, onion, tomato, spinach, garlic served in a casserole dish with potato and rice.

The lamb cutlets are exquisite, perfectly charred and incredibly tender. The sauce is divine; had it not been on a sizzling hot plate, I might have licked it clean. Fortunately, the rice, added to complement the dish, absorbs every flavour, ensuring I don’t miss a drop of this great dish.

During this meal, I was again joined by a friendly feline, I named him Mehmet. He hoped up on the back of my chair, demanded a few pats, then stretched out and went to sleep – not at all interested interested in my food (probably eats here all the time).

Drinks and sides.

In Çanakkale, I check out the pub next door to my hotel. The place exudes cool vibes, and the drinks are reasonably priced, making it a great spot to unwind.

Though wine isn’t as widespread in Turkey as in the rest of Europe, the Çanakkale region produces commendable wines. This particular wine hails from a vineyard on the Gallipoli Peninsula. As an Australian who appreciates white wine, it carries special significance, creating a meaningful connection.

Cucumbers in freshly squeezed lemon juice!?! I almost had a conniption when they served me this with a glass of wine at Helix Pub in Çanakkale, because this is how I do fresh cucumber at home! I thought I was weird squeezing fresh lemon on my cucumbers, but it turns out it is a thing and the Turks have been doing it for probably a lot longer than I have!

Baklava

While I’m not known for having a sweet tooth, being in Türkiye prompts me to try one of its most famous sweets. Baklava, with roots in the Ottoman Empire, which encompassed much of the Middle East until 1923, becomes a must try, offering a taste of this historical and delectable Turkish treat.

I got for the walnut baklava as opposed to pistachio, it’s super sweet, very sticky, but sugary good.

The food in Türkiye is seriously good—comforting, homestyle, meaty, cheesy, and absolutely delicious. The cuisine embodies the rich history of the nation, showcasing the country’s culinary delights and inviting you to savour every bite. And the kebaps, all of them, are exactly how I like them – take note housemate!

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