EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Turkey
TOP 15 Vegetarian and non-meat Turkish foods (Turkish cuisine guide)
Although Turkey loves meat, don’t worry if you are not a big fan of it. Vegetables, fruits, dairy products, grains and finally sweets will guarantee you a tasty stay.
1. Turkish breakfast
Start your day with a healthy breakfast. Turkish bread or pide with a traditional white cheese – peynir, eggs, wonderful black and green olives, tomatoes and cucumbers will give you good energy kick for a couple of hours. If you prefer a more continental one, no problem, just pick one of the jams, honey or hazelnut butter and enjoy it with pide.
2. Turkish cheese – peynir
You cannot leave Turkey without trying it. White or yellow. Cow, goat or sheep’s milk cheese. Hard or soft. Whatever you want, you can easily get. The most popular one is a white, creamy cheese, that is both eaten everyday for a breakfast and used in cooking. Soft, salty and with a unique taste. This cow’s milk cheese is sold in every shop. Packed in vacuum, or in huge cans or big boxes, usually stays in a salty brine that lets you keep it for a long time. Apart from that, you will also find a regular cheese produced mainly from cow’s milk or from a mix of a cow and sheep’s milk or cows and goat’s milk. It is much more difficult to find a 100% sheep’s milk cheese or a 100% goat’s milk cheese. However, it is still doable. If you ask in a shop for a goat or sheep cheese, you will probably get the one that is a mix with cow’s milk. So, read the label carefully, if you want to be sure what you really get. In small, local shops, where the owner sells only cheese, olives and pickles, it is much more probable, he would answer you honestly and give you what you really want. In many places you can also ask for a free of charge sample, just to taste. Do it, as cheese varies from one region to another. As the cattle eats other plants, their milk has a different flavor and in consequence the cheese has a unique flavor.
3. Fruits and vegetables
For a quick bite, just grab a fresh fruit from a stall. Select these, that are the most regional and seasonal. Avoid imported ones and these potentially stored in fridges. Oranges, tangerines, persimmons, apples, pears, apricots, plums or figs will both refresh you and give a lot of pleasure. If you have an option to cook or prepare a light meal at yours, try different vegetables and fresh herbs. Home-made salads with aromatic herbs are wonderful. Add to them local nuts and olive oil and skip your lunch.
4. Dried fruits
Nothing could give you more energy than dried fruits. Figs, dates and apricots are the best. Freshly, sun-dried, with a sweet and creamy flesh and a delicate skin. Select these organic even though they do not look so nicely. While figs and apricots on stalls are from Turkey, dates are imported. Most of them comes either from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Iran or Iraq. As all of them vary in taste and texture, choose your favorite and have a quick energy booster in your bag.
5. Nuts
Pistachio, hazelnuts or walnuts? Or maybe freshly roasted almonds or peanuts? Salty or sweet, with shells or ready to eat, nuts are a great healthy snack that can be easily packed and enjoyed during the whole day long.
6. Chestnuts
Nothing can have a better taste than warm chestnuts during winter days. Satiating, healthy and so local. Freshly grilled or baked, with a beautifully golden inner part, Turkish chestnuts are sweet and tender. Ideal. Big sized allow you to enjoy them even more. Buy on a street stall a pack of 100 gr, 150 gr or 200 gr and let yourself indulge in their sweetness and softness.
7. Corn
For a small hunger, try a grilled corn from the cob. Delicate, tender, soft inside, with an aromatic charcoal crust and served only with salt. Turkish streets are full of sellers with trolleys offering grilled corn during the wintertime.
8. Vegetarian Danish rolls
If you are looking for something you could take with you to the bus or for a stroll in the park, grab one of rolls from local bakeries. Danish style rolls with cabbage and eggplant or with the original Turkish white cheese peynir are what you might be looking for. Mild in taste, no hot paprika, no extra hot spices and not sweet. Take care of these rolls while transporting, as due to their delicate pastry, they might be easily damaged.
9. Sahlep
Wintertime is also a good time for having a warming drink – Sahlep. Sahlep is made of a special orchids’ variety tubers. It is served with milk, cinnamon, and sugar. Sahlep is sold from local sellers offering them from trolleys and serve in small paper cups. Most of the restaurants also have it in their menu.
Especially during the winter, this drink is something you might be looking for. Sprinkled with cinnamon and served extremely hot, this drink will warm you for a long time. If you finely get addicted, no problem. You can find instant sahlep mixes to be prepared at home. Add some water or milk and relax in warmth.
10. Mezze
A plethora of mezze is waiting for you. No meat, just dairy, vegetables and herbs. Freshly prepared and coming before every meal. As hot as a spicy chili or tomato salad, or a mild yogurt or eggplant mezze all of them will steam your appetite. Don’t forget to try also a classic hummus, beet pembe sultan or şakşuka ragout. For a bigger hunger, choose stuffed grapevine leaves (make sure they are only with rice as some restaurants stuff them with minced meat). If you are still not decided, order a mixed plate with a couple of different mezze. That is also a good option to have a general overview of how Turkish mezze looks like. Doesn’t matter which mezze you choose, Turkish bread served with them creates a perfect composition. Don’t eat to much! Leave some space in your stomach for the main course!
11. Pide
A Turkish style pizza pide is something you cannot miss. Served with local peynir – white mozzarella style cheese, with vegetables and herbs is a Turkish way of eating pizza. Of course, you can have it with lamb or chicken, but the one only with cheese and vegetables is probably, what you are looking for. You will also find pide with cheddar, eggs and fish, so look for the one you really like.
12. Fish and seafood
If you love fish, you will also find something for yourself. Especially in regions close to the sea or river, you will find a lot of options. Starting with these you probably know very well like tuna, seabass, salmon, sardines through a less known red mullet and finishing with a gilt head bream, fish markets are full of them. Add to that mussels and prawns. A lot, isn’t it? And what is nice, you can buy ready to go mussels just from the street stall. Served in a cup with lemon and spices is something you might be looking for on an evening stroll.
13. Imam Bayildi
An eggplant is an extremely popular vegetable in Turkey. Served as a mezze in a paste or spread, grilled or baked and mashed as a dip, or stuffed and served as meal, an eggplant plays a significant role in the Turkish cuisine. If you are a fan of that purple vegetable, try Imam Bayildi. This stuffed with vegetables (carrots, tomatoes and onions are the most typical ones) eggplant is served with rice or bulgur and yogurt. Depending on your preferences, order a hot or mild version.
14. Ayran
Doesn’t matter whether you buy a take-away vegetarian kebab or have a regular meal in a restaurant, select ayran as a drink. Skip all soft drinks you know, nothing carbonated, nothing sweet, just ayran. This watery yoghurt drink is rather savory than sweet. A little bit salty and sour goes well with all kind of meals. Fried or grilled vegetables, pide, meat or kebabs will taste much better when paired with ayran than with any other drink. Do it as locals do and order ayran.
15. Turkish delights - Turkish sweets
Turkish delights. That is the sign you cannot not see or hear. Bazaar sellers and local shops will offer you a lot of it. Natural or processed. With fresh nuts and dried fruits or nougat like. With flowers, herbs and dairy. Almost whatever you dream of, you will get. Some of them are said to be done only with honey, however that is rather improbable. Most of them, even though the seller tries to convince you that it is 100% honey, it is not. Hibiscus’ flowers, rose hip petals, pistachios, almonds, peanuts and walnuts are the most typical. Sweet, mostly chewy, some with a jelly like texture, Turkish sweets are delicate and ideal with a Turkish coffee. Of course, do not forget about baklava! Let yourself have a pause from your diet and enjoy Turkish delights’ sweetness.
Are you curious about other countries' non-meat and vegetarian dishes? Read our country specific posts and check Hungarian meatless dishes.
