Really Weird Turkish Foods That WILL 100% Surprise You

it's not always döner & kebap anyway!

Aubergine Jam

Hatay / Via google.com

I know, it IS pretty strange. These are full aubergines, with a lot of sugar. Personally, for most households, this isn't a breakfast staple, but it does exist.

Şırdan (pronounced: shur-dhan)

google.com / Via google.com

I know, it know it looks pretty awful but trust me, this tastes pretty darn good! It's a late-night snack that origins from the southern region, specifically from Adana. Stuffed with rice and meat, the outer part is a part of the animal's stomach. Promise it tastes better than it sounds!!

Chicken Breast Dessert

google.com / Via google.com

Looks like pretty regular dessert but guess what, this bad boy is ACTUALLY made from chicken breast. Like, literally. Idk what to say. Speechless.

Grilled Ram Balls

google.com / Via google.com

Awful, the idea that is. From what i've heard these taste pretty good too. These are literally the testicles of a ram, grilled and served. Bon appétit!

Carrot Donner

google.com / Via google.com

This one's from Ankara, the capital of turkey, and it is a dessert made with carrots and hazelnuts, shaped in the form of a donner. Weird, huh?

Spit Meatballs

google.com / Via google.com

OK, i know it makes no sense, but there's a story behind it. Meatballs are popular street-food in Turkey, and you have to use water to shape them into balls. However, for a street-food seller (they have very small space), it is hard to put a bowl of water in front of them! Therefore they SPIT ON THEIR HANDS to shape the meat. I KNOW IT'S CRAZY! But you'd be surprised by how many people queue for these

Kokoreç (pronounced: coco-rech)

onedio.com / Via onedio.com

Kokoreç is a late-night snack, consisting of lamb or goat intestines wrapped around seasoned offal, including sweetbreads, hearts, lungs, or kidneys, and typically grilled. But i SWEAR these are SO good!

Soggy Hamburgers

onedio / Via onedio.com

These may not sound pleasant, but they are regular hamburgers, smaller in size, (with just meat, no lettuce, tomato, etc.) soaked in a delicious tomato sauce. These taste AMAZING, and you will want to have at least 5 of them once you had your first!

Raw Meatballs

onedio.com / Via onedio.com

These are made with bulghur, water, spices, and raw meat. They are NOT cooked; they have the consistency of dough so they are rolled for a long duration to somewhat cook the meat. Idk, they are considered unhealthy so now they make them meatless. I have had both, and honestly, they taste great; just opt for meatless ones!

Tripe Soup

sabah / Via onedio.com

This is a soup again, much like şırdan, made using the linings of the stomach. But you have my word, this smells and tastes awful. However, it is a VERY popular, and a much demanded drunk-food!

Roasted Sheep's Head

Mair Angela / Via tasteatlas.com

These are popular too; during Eid al-Adha, many Muslim Turks sacrifice animals, and there are obviously a lot of heads going around after this practice! So they roast them (or sometimes boil).

What do you think, would you try any of these? Comment below what you think, I really wonder! Now remember, these are the weird ones. But remember, there are A LOT of Turkish food that are just delicious, and authentic.