Turkey is a great place to visit not only for its sights, hospitable and friendly people but also for the food! Spending 4 weeks and travelling across the country we had a chance to sample different dishes, while most of them centered around meat (yumm!) here are our top picks.

Pottery Kebab!

We saw this delicious pot of food only in Göreme in Cappadocia. Meat, vegetables and spices cooked for over 2 hours in a clay pot which is then skillfully cracked open at your table, this is aptly called Pottery Kebab. You can find it in most restaurants around Göreme, though remember that you have to order 2/3 hours in advance, usually for dinner.

Pottery kebab in 3 takes

Street Food with a twist

You can find kebabs at every corner and town of Turkey but landing in Şanlıurfa we were surprised to see a rather odd looking seating arrangement near this kebab stall, so of course we had to go try it out. Turns out you seat yourself on one of those toddler sized chairs and order your kebabs. In the meanwhile you chop up your own salads or sides from the vegetables displayed, to top it off you’re given a delicious pomegranate sauce, in unlimited amounts!

Make-your-own salad + kebab + yummy pomegranate sauce

Kebabs

This post wouldn’t be complete without a mention of kebab that rules Turkish cuisine. You can have it doner or durum style as a wrap, which is a quick and easy way for a snack, or you can ask for a Porsiyon where shavings of the kebab are served with salad and fries. Either way you’ll be eating some variation of this quite often during your stay in Turkey so go ahead and experiment!

The fanciest kebab place ever!

To cool it off

To cool off after all the walking around sight-seeing, you have got to try the Turkish buttermilk – Ayran. You can get it freshly prepared in this frothy version or in a pack. We say go for the fresh one!

Fresh ayran

For your sweet tooth

Everyone raves about the Baklava in Turkey and you can find ample amounts of it everywhere, though my personal favourite dessert is Kadayif. Crisp on the outside, soft cottage cheese inside, served warm with syrup – delicious! We even celebrated Pawel’s birthday at or favourite Kadayif place in Urfa.

A plate of Kadayif among Baklava, doesn't it look delicious??

Celebrating Pawel's birthday with the friendly waiters at the patisserie