Turkey and especially Istanbul is a dreamy place for a street food lover. There are various kinds of Turkish street food that you can find on every corner of this city.
You can find all kinds of desserts, main food, and appetizers on the streets of Turkey. There are so many choices that you may get confused. In this article, we are going to introduce the top 10 most delicious street foods that you should definitely try on your trip to Turkey. There are options from every category on this list that suits all your needs including dessert, breakfast, main course, and vegan options.
Kestane Kebab (roasted chestnuts)
In the winters the smell of roasted chestnuts spreads all over Istanbul city. This is one of the tastiest snacks that you won’t find in any other place than the cities of Turkey.
Kestane Kebab or roasted chestnuts are mostly offered in cold weather. You can see carts on the corner of streets that are roasting these nuts. You can relax next to 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 that you will see on the streets of Turkey is boiled and grilled corn. This is a very simple but delicious snack that 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 very common in other Middle Eastern cities and countries.
Wet Burger (Islak Burger)
Wet Burgers are another wonder in Turkey that you will be surprised with the taste. You may think that it’s a bad idea to steam a burger and moisten the Burger bread but you are wrong.
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 in size and you might need 2 or three to get full.
Simit
Simit is a round very tasty Turkish bread that is encrusted with sesame seeds. They are mostly eaten for breakfast by the local people. If you start early in the morning you can find the freshest ones. But you can find this special Turkish bread any time of the day.
Simit is a little crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.
If you couldn’t finish your bread you can go to the wharf and feed the seagulls and share a memorable time.
You can eat this bread with or without sides but we recommend that you try it with honey and butter or Turkish cheese and a Turkish tea on the side.
Icli Kofte
Icli Kofte means stuffed meatballs in Turkish. This is another Turkish street food that you have to try on your trip to Turkey. You can have Icli Kofte as an appetizer or as a main meal. Either way, it’s very delicious food that you can’t get enough of it.
This particular food is not easy to prepare. A lot of 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 big portion and the reasonable price.
Kumpir is a big baked potato filled with various vegetables like corn, pickles, butter, mushroom, Olives, carrot, etc. You will choose the toppings you want and you will fill them with different ingredients as you please.
Doner Kebab
Doner Kebab is probably the most famous Turkish street food. This food got so famous that you may see it in most countries and cities all over the world. 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 special way of serving the Battered Ice Cream has made it very famous all over the world and one of the must-try Turkish street foods. You have probably seen the videos of ice cream sellers in a cart that will put on a show for handing over the ice cream to the customer or they will ask you to dance for them if you want the ice cream.
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 the way that they serve it.
Battered Ice Cream is made from goat milk and a little bit of Sahlep that helps it stay in shape longer and not melt right away.
Midye Dolma
Famous Turkish street seafood is Midye Dolma which you should definitely try on your visit to Turkey. This is a one-bite food that is a combination of simple sea foods and the traditional Turkish taste.
Midye Dolma is stuffed mussels that are stuffed with 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 taste and it is much tastier.
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 that you can find on the streets of Turkey. We hope that you will be pleased with your trip to Turkey.