In Turkey they love meat but also have great vegetarian options. It’s easy to find diverse, affordable and rich treats anywhere, once they eat many dishes that are meat-free. Sometimes you just need to ask for a meat free option and they will sort that out for you.
They have amazing markets, street stalls, food stores with great veggies, fruits, fresh juices, nuts, sweet cubes of lokum (Turkish delight), dates, tea, coffee, spices (literally piles), dried fruit, lentils, bulgur, rice, beans, bread, olives and cheese.
What I recommend:
Vegan Gözleme – it’s kind of a Mexican quesadilla. Thin dough filled with cheese, spinach and onion cooked on a griddle. • Dried Fruit and Nuts. • Pide – Turkish pizza, no tomato sauce, made from dough and various toppings. • Lahmacun – other kind of Turkish pizza but with a thinner, crispier base and is eaten rolled up. It’s usually made with meat, but they will do with a vegetariam topping. • Kısır – bulgur salad with pepper, tomato paste, parsley, onion, garlic, pomegranate molasses, or lemon, lettuce, cucumber, spices and herbs. • Şakşuka – Aubergine and tomatoes. • Mercimek Köftesi – red lentils and bulgur with spices. • Mücver – grated zucchini, courgette, potatoes, egg, onion, dill, cheese and flour. • Vegetarian Kebab. • Meat Free Meze. • Freshly Squeezed Pomegranate Juice. • Turkish coffee.
