Just for Fun: Seven “Best” Turkish Foods

When Tas decided to share her cheeky and genuinely pretty accurate list of worst Turkish foods (looking at you leblebi!), my inner Turk compelled me to cover the other end of the spectrum. Food is a passionate issue, especially here, and the thought of ruffling feathers with an arbitrary ranked listing is honestly pretty appealing. So please don’t hesitate to inform me of where I’ve gone wrong, because I’m all up for ‘further testing’. The more food-related love we spread, the more food we get to eat, the happier we all are. Thus, I present in descending order, the seven best Turkish foods.

Spoiler alert: I don’t have a sweet tooth and beverages were omitted because otherwise this would just turn into a love note to ayran.

7. Menemen
I have an unfounded theory that at least 25% of Instagram posts in Turkey are of breakfasts. (This is understandable, as a proper Turkish breakfast is as tasty as it is aesthetically pleasing.) Menemen is the one mingling at social functions, making sure everyone’s in the group chat, and reliably being there in times of need. Properly prepared, it makes getting out of bed on Sunday morning and begrudgingly venturing to your favorite cafe a worthwhile endeavor.

6. Kokoreç
If we’re being honest, when I’m headed home at 4AM after a rambunctious Saturday night with dreams of a massive breakfast the following morning, I’ve been known to stave off the anticipation by shamelessly inhaling a delicious kokoreç. Hands down the best late night food and as a bonus, you can even coerce your unwilling ‘healthier’ friends into getting a çeyrek portion.

5. Balık Ekmek
No trip to Karaköy/Eminönü is complete without hesitantly convincing yourself that it’s necessary to sit on a tiny chair by the Bosphorus and indulge in one of these. Probably gonna have to get something pickled as well.

4. İskender
As Tas mentions in her piece, normal döner can sometimes disappoint. İskender on the other hand? Never dry, always willing to lend you a bready shoulder to cry on, and has a 100% track record of sending you home a pudgy, happy human.

3. Lahmacun
They’re cheap, you get a free salad out of it, and you roll them up into massive looking flatbread cigars. You will never be cooler than at this moment.

2. Ezogelin / Mercimek Çorbası
Yes, this is cheating since it’s technically two different types, but let’s go ahead and acknowledge that lots of restaurants don’t do the best job of distinguishing them. Regardless, it’s AMAZING, versatile enough to be had at basically any time of day, and depending on how shameless you’re willing to be with the bread, you can actually turn it into a seriously filling meal.

1. Mantı
Unless they’re expecting to go on a first date afterwards with someone way out of their league, I will – without hesitation – immediately lose trust in a person if they order this without garlic. Mixed with yogurt and those lovingly crafted little dumplings of delight – it is the perfect food. The one food to rule them all.

Disagree with our rankings? Let us know in the comments! (Also, be sure and check out our piece on the seven “worst” Turkish foods.)