Know before you go: 10 Turkish delicacies you might want to avoid
There you are, in Istanbul, Marmaris or Izmir. And as a true foodie, you’re not going for limp resort fries, but setting off on a culinary adventure. But oh dear, everything is in Turkish, and you have no idea what’s about to be served when you point at işkembe çorbası and tavuk göğsü. Do you dare? Or would you rather be prepared?
Food is everything in Turkey. That alone makes it one of our favorite destinations. A weekend in Istanbul? Great idea! The cuisine is so diverse and so extensive! We absolutely love Karsu’s grilled fish balls and Turkish noodles with cheese and walnuts. And if your stomach can handle a challenge and you’re the adventurous type, why not try some of these Turkish dishes.
İşkembe çorbası
Soup is very popular in Turkey, and the national pride is tripe soup. No wonder they love it so much; it’s the ultimate hangover cure. Or so they say. A regular fixture after a night out. For us, it’s more of a reason to lay off the alcohol.
Kuzu kelle
A horror movie on your plate. An entire skinned lamb’s head on a bed of tomatoes (or something). Everything is still on it, attached to it. And inside it. Well, at least you’ll have something to talk about when you get home.
Şırdan
Stuffed sheep’s stomach: enough in itself to earn a place on this list. But this dish has something extra—it looks like an erect penis. Fans rave about the spicy rice filling and willingly put up with the strong smell. And, of course, that, um… arousing shape.
Kımız
Nothing is as refreshing as fermented mare’s milk. Kımız is slightly alcoholic, but you’d have to drink a lot of it to have an excuse to eat the aforementioned tripe soup. Well, it’s basically kefir. So very 2017 by now…
Kokoreç
The ultimate Turkish street food: skewers of offal. Pieces of organ meat are threaded onto a skewer and the whole thing is wrapped in intestines. It’s then roasted over a fire on a special barbecue, and time to dig in. Cheap, nutritious and, according to some, incredibly delicious.
Paça çorbası
Another restorative soup, but this time it’s lamb’s feet that go into it. Often the head and other slaughterhouse leftovers too. And yet… The generous amount of garlic, the slowly added egg yolks, the red peppers and the splash of vinegar for extra bite…
Macun şekeri
If pure and natural is completely your thing, this is the biggest abomination on the list. It’s candy, usually sold on the street by vendors in Ottoman dress. It comes in the brightest colors and has the malleability of slime, so your eight-year-old daughter can have a field day. Especially when she gets to twist it into a beautiful spiral around a stick.
Tavuk göğsü
A dessert made with chicken? Yes, really. It’s a pudding made from chicken breast that has been cooked and torn into small pieces. A sort of pulled chicken, but with milk, rice and sugar. You only see it once you know it’s there.
Şalgam suyu
Are you the kind of person who drinks the juice from a jar of pickles? Then şalgam is right up your alley. It has the red color of a glass of Merlot but is actually the juice of some kind of purple root, fermented with bulgur and salt. And just as Merlot pairs so nicely with game dishes, şalgam is traditionally drunk with kebab in southeastern Turkey.
Koç Yumurtası
In other words: sheep’s testicles. Of course. In the United States, they call bull’s testicles “prairie oysters.” Who are they really fooling? Not us, at any rate.
Also read:
- These are the best restaurants in Antalya on the Turkish Riviera that you’ll want to visit now
- Know before you go: 8 Spanish dishes you might want to avoid
- 7 things you can eat, but do you really want to?
