Turkish cuisine

Kebab ( , ), kebap, kabob (alternative North American spelling), kebob, or kabab (Hindi and Kashmiri spelling) is a variety of roasted meat dishes that originated in the Middle East.

Couscous () is a traditional North African dish of small steamed granules of rolled semolina that is often served with a stew spooned on top. Pearl millet, sorghum, bulgur, and other cereals are sometimes cooked in a similar way in other regions, and the resulting dishes are also sometimes called couscous.

Moussaka (, , ; ) is an aubergine (eggplant)- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, which is common in the Balkans and the Middle East, with many local and regional variations.

Lavash (; ) is a thin flatbread usually leavened, traditionally baked in a tandoor (tonir or tanoor) or on a sajj, and common to the cuisines of South Caucasus, West Asia, and the areas surrounding the Caspian Sea. Lavash is widespread in Armenia.

upright=1.2|thumb|Modern ceramic wood-fired tandoors

Tahini (; , or, in Iraq, ) is a Middle Eastern condiment (a seed butter) made from ground sesame seeds. The most common variety comes from hulled seeds, but unhulled ones can also be used; the latter variety is slightly bitter, but more nutritious. The seeds are more commonly roasted than raw. Tahini can be served by itself (as a dip), made into a salad dressing, or used as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, or halva.

Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, Capsicum annuum. It can have varying levels of heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce chili powder. The milder, sweet paprika is mostly composed of the fruit of the pepper with most of the seeds removed; whereas some seeds and stalks are retained in the peppers used for hotter paprika.

Dolma is a family of stuffed dishes largely associated with Ottoman cuisine. It mainly includes vegetables and leaves, and occasionally seafood, offal, fruits, and meats, that are hollowed out or wrapped, then filled with a mixture of rice, minced meat, herbs, and spices. The leaf-wrapped type can be specifically known as sarma, but colloquially dolma is used for both.

Pita ( or ; ; ) or pitta (British English), also known as Arabic bread, Arab bread (), Syrian bread, Lebanese bread, and pide (Turkish) is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket. In the United Kingdom, the term is used for pocket versions such as the Greek pita, used for barbecues as a souvlaki wrap. The Western name pita may sometimes be used to refer to various other types of flatbreads that have different names in their local languages, s

flavoured water made by distilling rose petals with water

culinary traditions of Turkey

Shashlik, or shashlyck ( shashlyk ), is a dish of skewered and grilled cubes of meat, similar to or synonymous with shish kebab. It is known traditionally by various other names in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and from the 19th century became popular as shashlik across much of the Russian Empire and nowadays in former Soviet Union republics.

thumb|Coarse bulgur

dish of cabbage leaves with a filling

dish

Kaymak, sarshir, or qashta/ashta ( ; or ; ) is a creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream, made from the milk of water buffalo, cows, sheep, or goats in Central Asia, Turkic regions, some Balkan countries, some Caucasus countries, and the Levant.

Kibbeh (, also kubba and other spellings; ; ) is a popular dish in the Arab world and the Levant in particular, made of spiced lean ground meat and bulgur wheat. Kibbeh is considered to be a national dish of Lebanon and Syria.

Sujuk, sugou or sucuk (/suːˈd͡ʒʊk/) is a dry, spicy and fermented sausage which is consumed in several Anatolian, Balkan, Middle Eastern and Central Asian cuisines. Sujuk mainly consists of ground meat and animal fat usually obtained from beef or lamb, but beef is mainly used in Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Georgia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Lahmacun, lahmajun or lahmajo is a Middle Eastern flatbread topped with minced meat (most commonly beef or lamb), minced vegetables, and herbs such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers, and parsley, flavored with spices such as chili pepper and paprika, then baked. Lahmacun is often wrapped around vegetables, including pickles, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, parsley, and roasted eggplant.

thumb|right|Pastirma

Simit is a circular bread, typically encrusted with sesame seeds or, less commonly, poppy, flax or sunflower seeds, found across the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and the Middle East, especially in Armenia, Turkey and the Balkans. Simit's size, crunch, chewiness, and other characteristics vary slightly by region.

Turkish cold dish based on eggplants, onions and olive oil

pastry from Central Asia

Chebureki ( Cheburek) are deep-fried turnovers with a filling of ground or minced meat and onions. A popular street dish, they are made with a single round piece of dough folded over the filling in a crescent shape. They have become widespread in the former Soviet-aligned countries of Eastern Europe in the 20th century.

thumb|Turşu in Turkey Torshi, tursu or turshi () are the pickled vegetables of many Middle Eastern, Caucasian, Slavic and Balkan cuisines.

type of food

'''Za'atar' ( ; , ) is a versatile herb blend and family of wild herbs native to the Levant, central to Middle Eastern cuisine and culture. The term refers both to aromatic plants of the Origanum and Thymbra genera (including Origanum syriacum, known as Bible hyssop) and to the prepared spice mixture of dried herbs (traditionally Origanum syriacum''), toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and salt. With roots stretching back to ancient Egypt and classical antiquity, za'atar has been used for millennia as a seasoning, folk remedy, and cultural symbol.

potato dish

Pogača (; ; ) is a type of bread baked in the ashes of the fireplace, and later in modern ovens. Found in the cuisines of the Balkans, Levant, Turkey and Hungary; it can be leavened or unleavened, though the latter is considered more challenging to make. It is generally made from wheat flour, but barley and sometimes rye may be added. It can be stuffed with potatoes, ground beef, olive, or cheese, and have grains and herbs like sesame, black nigella seed, or dried dill in the dough or sprinkled on top.

Bottarga is salted, cured fish roe pouch, typically of the grey mullet or the bluefin tuna (). The best-known version is produced around the Mediterranean; similar foods are the Japanese and Taiwanese , which is softer, and Korean , from mullet or freshwater drum. It has many names and is prepared in various ways. Due to its scarcity and involved preparation it is expensive and regarded as a delicacy.

skewered meat dish

Taramasalata or taramosalata (; from 'fish roe' < + Greek: 'salad' < ) is a meze made from tarama, the salted and cured roe (colloquially referred to as caviar) of the cod, carp, or grey mullet (bottarga) mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and a starchy base of bread or potatoes, or sometimes almonds. Variants may include garlic, spring onions, or peppers, or vinegar instead of lemon juice. While not traditionally Greek, smoked rather than cured cod's roe is more widely available in some places, and often used. Bottarga is usually much more expensive than cod roe.

alt=A plate of coconut and chocolate coconut macaroons served on Passover|thumb|A plate of coconut and [[chocolate coconut macaroons served on Passover]] A macaroon ( ) is a small cake or cookie, originally made from ground almonds, egg whites, and sugar, but now often with coconut or other nuts. They may also include jam, chocolate, or other flavorings.

thumb|Qatiq from Azerbaijan thumb|Bulgarian qatiq Qatiq is a fermented milk product from the Turkic countries. It is a more solid form of yogurt than ayran.

'''Ma'amoul''' ( ) is a filled butter cookie made with semolina flour. Originating in the Arab world, the filling can be made with dried fruits like figs, dates, or nuts such as pistachios or walnuts, and occasionally almonds or cheese.

Avgolemono ( or literally egg–lemon) is a family of sauces and soups made with egg yolk and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken.

Haleem or halim is a type of stew that is widely consumed in South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia. Although the dish varies from region to region, it optionally includes wheat or barley, lentils and meat. It is made by slow cooking the meat in lentils and spices. It is served hot with flat breads or on its own. Popular variations of haleem include keşkek (in Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Northern Iraq); harisa (in the Arab world and Armenia); halim (in Afghanistan, Iran, West Bengal, Mauritius, Pakistan and Bangladesh); and Hyderabadi haleem (in India).

Turkish tomato, fresh pepper and optional onion with egg.

cabbage, vine leaf, or other leaf roll

cuisine of the Kurdish people

dish involving filling the cavities of a pepper with other food

Gözleme is a savory Turkish stuffed turnover. The dough is usually unleavened, and made only with flour, salt and water, but gözleme can be made from yeast dough as well. It is similar to bazlama, but is lightly brushed with butter or oil, whereas bazlama is prepared without fat. The dough is rolled thin, then filled with various toppings, sealed, and cooked over a griddle. Gözleme may sometimes be made from prepackaged hand-rolled leaves of yufka dough.

culinary traditions of Cyprus

Turkish meat dish (variety of "döner")

dish

Pastitsio (, pastítsio) is a baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce, which came from the Ionian Islands to Greece. Variations of the dish are found in other countries near the Mediterranean Sea.

dish containing cooked beans in sauce, usually tomato-flavoured

thumb|Packaged mahleb with English, Armenian and Arabic text

type of bread

The national dish of Albania, baked lamb dish in sour cream

Qatlama (, both ), qattama, katlama, kattama, (; , both ), katmer (), katma (), qator, gambir (, ) is a fried layered bread common in the cuisines of Central Asia, Pakistan and Turkey.

thumb|right|100px|A small jar of homemade Gulf-style baharat

Freekeh (sometimes spelled frikeh) or farik ( / ALA-LC: farīkah; pronounced free-kah /ˈfɹiːkə/) is a cereal food made from green durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) that is roasted and rubbed to create its flavour. It is an ancient dish derived from Levantine and North African cuisines, remaining popular in many countries of the eastern Mediterranean Basin, where durum wheat originated.

dish of Levantine cuisine, skewers of marinated chicken pieces

Kačamak is a kind of maize porridge made in parts of Western Asia and Southeastern Europe. Its name is derived from the Turkish word , meaning 'escapade'.

Pottage or potage (, ; ) is a thick soup or stew made by boiling vegetables, grains, and, if available, meat or fish. It was a staple food for many centuries. The word pottage comes from the same Old French root as potage, which is a dish of more recent origin.

Kavurma is a broad type of fried or sautéed meat dish found in Turkish cuisine. The name also refers to canned or preserved versions of a similar dish, prepared by dry frying the meat to render down the fat. Similar dishes are known in Central Asia as kuurdak. It is present in cultures and cuisines of Turkey and neighbouring countries, including the Balkans, most notably in Serbia and Bulgaria.

Popara (Cyrillic: попара, , papara, ) is a dish made with bread. Typically the bread should be old, stale and have a thick crust. It is soaked in either hot tea, milk or water. Sugar, honey, butter, and cheese are often added. It is mostly made in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Turkey, Croatia and Montenegro.

thumb|Kesme Kesme or erişte is a type of egg noodle found in various Central Asian countries. It is also found in Turkish cuisine and is called erişte and “kesme” in modern standard Turkish. The word itself is a nominalisation of the verb to cut or to slice, referring to the slicing of the dough involved in preparing the noodles. The term may refer to the noodles themselves, or the prepared dish made with them. Kesme is traditionally a homemade dish, and not often found at restaurants or cafés. In Turkey, kesme is also known as "erişte", and eaten generally in winter. It is made from flour, eg

thumb|250px|Çılbır with duck-fat sautéed Allium tricoccum|ramps Çılbır or Turkish Eggs is a Turkish dish of poached eggs with yogurt (often with garlic mixed in).