Turkey, especially Istanbul, is a dreamy place for street food lovers. There are various kinds of Turkish street foods that you can find on every corner of this city.
You can find all kinds of desserts, leading food, and appetizers on the streets of Turkey. There are so many choices that you need clarification. In this article, we will introduce the top 10 most delicious street foods you should try on your trip to Turkey. There are options from every category on this list that suit all your needs, including dessert, breakfast, main course, and vegan options.
Kestane Kebab (roasted chestnuts)
In the winter, the smell of roasted chestnuts spreads all over Istanbul city. This is one of the tastiest snacks you won’t find in any other place than the cities of Turkey.
Kestane Kebab or roasted chestnuts are primarily offered in cold weather. You can see carts on the corner of streets roasting these nuts. You can relax beside the fire while enjoying a smoky and hot snack.
Boiled and Grilled Corn
The first two suggestions are great for vegetarians and vegans. Another tasty snack you will see on the streets of Turkey is boiled and grilled corn. This is an effortless but delicious snack you can find in the cities of Turkey.
You can season your Grilled Corn with hot sauce, salty water, lemon juice, etc.
This snack is also very popular and common on cold nights in Turkey. This snack is also ubiquitous in other Middle Eastern cities and countries.
Wet Burger (Islak Burger)
Wet burgers are another wonder in Turkey; you will be surprised by the taste. It could be better to steam a burger and moisten the Burger bread, but you must be corrected.
After the burgers are done, they will put them in a steam box for an amount of time after they will hand them to a customer. Also, they will marinate the bread in a tomato and garlic sauce, and they will suck in all the flavor.
The Wet Burgers are small; you might need 2 or three to get packed.
Simit
Simit is a round, tasty Turkish bread encrusted with sesame seeds. They are mostly eaten for breakfast by the local people. You can find the freshest if you start early in the morning. But you can see this special Turkish bread any time of the day.
Simit is a little crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.
If you can’t finish your bread, you can go to the harbor, feed the seagulls, and share a memorable time.
You can eat this bread with or without sides, but we recommend trying it with honey and butter or Turkish cheese and Turkish tea on the side.
Icli Kofte
Icli Kofte means stuffed meatballs in Turkish. This is another Turkish street food you must try on your trip to Turkey. You can have Icli Kofte as an appetizer or as a main meal. Either way, it’s delicious food you can’t get enough of.
This particular food takes work to prepare. Many people tried to make them at home or even in restaurants and failed. And yet it is an easily found street food on the streets of Turkey.
Icli Kofte is a one-bite snack that has an outer and a filling. The outer part of this food is crusty because they will fry it, and the ingredients of this part are bulgur, potato, egg, and spices. The filling is either beef or lamb mince.
Kumpir
Kumpir is another delicious Turkish meal that can be eaten as an appetizer or main course. The great thing about Kumpir is the significant portion and the reasonable price.
Kumpir is a big baked potato with various vegetables like corn, pickles, butter, mushrooms, Olives, carrots, etc. You will choose the toppings you want and fill them with different ingredients.
Doner Kebab
Doner Kebab is the most famous Turkish street food. This food is so well-known that you may see it worldwide in most countries and cities. But you can’t miss trying this food on the mainland of Doner Kebab.
Doner Kebab is made from lamb, chicken, or beef. A large amount of the meat is slowly roasted on a rotating vertical skewer, and they will scratch the outer part of it every few minutes. The chopped parts of the meat will be offered in a sandwich with sides.
Battered Ice Cream (Maras Dovme Dondurmasi)
The unique way of serving the Battered Ice Cream has made it famous worldwide and one of the must-try Turkish street foods. You have probably seen the videos of ice cream sellers in a cart who will put on a show to hand over the ice cream to the customer, or they will ask you to dance for them if you want it.
The taste of ice cream in Turkey is not so much different from ice cream in any other part of the world, but the difference is in the texture and, most importantly, how they serve it.
Battered Ice Cream is made from goat milk and a little Sahlep that helps it stay in shape longer and not melt immediately.
Midye Dolma
A famous Turkish street seafood dish is Midye Dolma, which you should try on your visit to Turkey. This is a one-bite food that is a combination of simple seafood and the traditional Turkish taste.
Midye Dolma is stuffed with mussels, rice, onion, allspice, pine nuts, and spices.
They are served with slices of fresh lemon juice on the side, and you will squeeze the lemon juice on top of it as you are about to put it in your mouth.
Lahmacun
Lahmacun is a famous Turkish street food that you can find on the streets of Turkey. A lot of people know this food as Turkish pizza. It is made of Turkish dough that gets sprinkled with meat, tomatoes, onion, and parsley.
This is the main course that you can have for dinner or lunch. Some places make this food on a wooden fire that gives it a smoky and much tastier taste.
Final words
Turkey has so many different street foods that you won’t be able to try all of them on a couple of days trip Turkey. In this article, we tried to introduce some of the tastiest and most popular street foods you can find on the streets of Turkey. We hope that you will be pleased with your trip to Turkey.
