27 Delicious Turkish Foods Everyone Must Try

A Turkish staple, köfte is balls or patties of ground beef or lamb, and can be served stewed, in sandwiches, over salads, or plain with yogurt.

This flat and crispy bread is traditionally topped with minced meat, salad, and lemon juice (thought the above is a beetroot vegan option!), and can be wrapped, folded in half, or pulled apart to eat.

Cheap and available on any street corner, it's the perfect light lunch or snack while touring.

Turkish savoury pastry comes in many varieties, most popularly filled with minced meat or spinach and cheese. Börek can be rolled, served as puffs, or layered like lasagna, and served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. Anyway you have it, börek is always flaky and delicious.

Nutty, syrupy, pastry dessert is never better than when served in Turkey. Often topped in ground pistachios, baklava is sweet and unique, and should be eaten fresh!

It's common to have meze, or a range of cold appetisers, with drinks or in place of a full meal. Dinner guests are provided with around 20 choices, bean dishes, salads, and spreads on small dishes to eat with bread.

Lokum, or Turkish Delight, is a nougaty dessert served with a variety of flavours and fillings and often topped with powdered sugar. It's always best fresh, as pre-packaged versions tend to go too light on the fillings and too heavy on the sugar, drying it out.

Meat on a stick originated in Turkey, wouldn't you know? Sis Kebab is typically lamb, chicken or fish served on a wooden or metal rod, often with bread. Dip it in yogurt or eat it on its own; it's always tender, savoury, and delicious.

This variation of börek is a strange and amazing cross between lasagna and pastry. Su böreği (or water börek) is made from dough softened and cooked in milk and eggs. Stuffed with cheese and spinach, it's a moist and filling snack.

Chocolate cake made with chocolate sauce and broken biscuits is artful to look at and and delicious to eat. Available in almost any cafe, mozaik cake is also a go-to for Turkish mums, most of whom can whip up a no-bake version in no time.

Döner is a typical slow cooked meat sandwich, made with chicken, lamb, or beef and served with vegetables, spices, and garlic yogurt. Döner is usually available from takeaways, but don't be fooled, it's exponentially tastier than McDonalds.

A popular order at any kebab house, iskender kebab is long strips of lamb cooked in tomato sauce and served over rice and pita bread with yogurt.

This unique Turkish dessert, made from cheese baked with shredded pastry dough and topped with pistachio, is a common treat for nights out as it's difficult to make at home.

A Turkish fish sandwich is best enjoyed along the water - whether you're enjoying the seaside of Bodrum or taking a lounge by Istanbul's Bosphorus, it's common to see floating fish restaurants docked to the shore, and you mustn't miss the opportunity to be served on one of those!

A trip to Turkey is not complete without tasting salep, a warm and cozy drink made from orchids and topped with cinnimon. Pure salep is illegal to export due to depleted orchid supply, and so is only consumable within Turkish borders.

True Turkish coffee is strong, thick, and best served with a fresh piece of Turkish Delight, baklava, or a slice of mozaik cake to take the bitter aftertaste away.