6 Traditional Turkish Dishes You Must Try Once

For most people, baklava and Turkish delight are the only traditional Turkish desserts or sweets they know. But, the rich cuisine of Turkey has much more to offer. These desserts usually fall into one of these three categories.

Desserts in Turkey made with fruits and vegetables include fresh and dried fruits that are stewed. Apricots and figs are transformed into delicious treats once topped with fresh cream. Milk-based desserts include a range of puddings which are sometimes baked. “Keskül” is a milk pudding made with coconut. Pastry-based desserts such as Baklava and Kadayif are soaked in syrup. Turkish cuisine places a lot of importance on elaborate pastries and simple stewed fruits.

# Şekerpare

In the old Turkish, ‘Şekerpare’ means ‘a piece of sweet’. Made with almond dough and semolina these little Turkish cakes are soaked in hot sugar syrup flavoured with lemon until cold when they become melt-in-your-mouth crumbly. This treat is made in nearly every Turkish household and sold in most bakeries and patisseries (which are called ‘pastane’ in Turkey). It is possibly the second most known Turkish dessert after Baklava. Kneading the dough slowly by hand is the key to perfecting this dish. Each piece tastes best when it’s completely soaked in syrup.

# Muhallebi

One of Turkey’s best known milk-based desserts, this rice pudding is often covered with grated pistachios. It is usually flavoured with culinary rose water. Rice flour is usually used to thicken the pudding. Legend has it that this dessert was introduced into Arab cuisine in the late seventh century by a Persian cook. The cook served it to an Arab general by the name of Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra. He enjoyed it so much that he ended up naming it after himself. This dessert is popular not just in Turkey, but also Israel and several other Mediterranean countries.

# Tavuk Göğsü

Considered a ‘signature’ dish of Turkey, the traditional version of Tavuk Göğsü is made with thinly sliced chicken breast, creating something like blancmange. Modern versions use a fine powder instead. Kazandibi is a similar thick pudding minus the chicken. It used to be served to Ottoman sultans in the Topkapı Palace. The more traditional version uses white chicken breast meat. This delicious treat is very similar to the medieval “white dish” (blancmange) that was common in the upper-class cuisine of Europe.

# Künefe

Also called Kanafeh, Kunafah and several other similar variations, this delightful treat is composed of two layers of crunchy pastry (kadayıf) filled with melted cheese and soaked in sweet syrup, this is a speciality of the Antakya region. It is originally from Hatay (Antioch), a city on the South of Turkey, and tastes best with the cheese from that region. Some regions also add ingredients like nuts or clotted cream. Künefe can be served either hot, warm or even cold. A balanced combination of both sugar and cheese makes this sweet treat absolutely delicious!

# Aşure

Popularly called Noah’s Pudding, this dessert is extremely healthy. It’s usually made with a range of ingredients including dried fruits, legumes and whole grain wheat that are sweetened with sugar and fruit juices and cooked all together in one pot. It also contains apricots, raisins, currants, figs, pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, chickpeas, and navy beans It is usually enjoyed during Muharram. Legend has it that the dessert was was made by Noah himself. After weeks on the ark when the waters began to recede and the food depleted, Noah threw bits of everything he had left on the ark into one pot. This is also why this dessert is considered to be the ‘oldest dessert in the world.’

# Pişmaniye

Made by blending flour roasted in butter and sugar, it is then pulled into fine strands. Like many other sweets, it is often garnished with ground pistachio nuts. Often compared to cotton candy, it is actually quite different. Pişmaniye dates back to the 15th century. It comes in several varieties and is either plain or coated with chocolate, topped with ground pistachios or walnuts, and flavoured with vanilla or cocoa powder. Pişmaniye is usually found in tourist gift shops. The advantage of this particular sweet is that it lasts longer and can be stored without refrigeration, thus working as a great gift to bring back after a long voyage.