Dining out in Turkey is quite different than what you may be accustomed to, but there are some very tasty cuisine options available. Many of the Turkish restaurants do have menus available in both Turkish and English so translating them should not be a problem!
Main entrees are often times meat or fish kebabs but these kebabs are much different than what people from the West may be used to. The way in which they are cooked, the spices used to flavor the meats as well as the types of meat and fish used in the kebabs differs greatly depending on what region of the country you are in. One of the most popular varieties is called the doner kebab which is made from meat that is placed on a vertical skewer and then sliced off from the outside in. A sis kebab is another type and it is made from cubes of meat that have been grilled on a skewer. Urfa kebabs are made with a lot of black pepper and onions. Iskender kebabs are served with tomato sauce and yogurt and finally there are adana kebabs which are spicy and hot. Turks also include other meat and vegetable dishes too including sac kavurma which is meat that has been stir fried in a flat bottomed pan, guvec which is made from meat stewed with vegetables in a clay pot and kofte is minced meat that is rolled into meat balls and grilled.
There is also seafood available in Turkey and it is quite a delicacy. Seafood in Turkey is of excellent quality. It can be quite pricy if it is not in season, but it is certainly worth splurging on during your vacation. During the months of March and June, the fish that are in season are turbot (kalkan), mackerel (uskumru) and anchovies (hamsi). From July to the middle of August fish is scarce because fishing for many types of fish is not allowed. If you are interested in finding seafood during this time you can keep your eye out for bluefish (cinakop for small or lufer for medium), goatfish (tekir) or red mullet (barbunya). Also look out for the traditional Turkish favorite of balik ekmet, or fish and bread. This is often referred to as the as the fish and chips of Turkey,and is just made with any type of fish that is available at the time. This entrée is grilled and put on small rolls with onions. It is typically washed down with pickle water which is the juice from various pickles . Although it sounds rather strange, it is actually quite good and pairs well together.
If you are actually able to save room for desert after all of this, the Turks tend to go all out on their desserts. Fresh fruits that are in season are the most common dessert. In addition to a wonderful variety of fruits there are plenty of traditional Turkish deserts including the world famous Turkish delight, sutlac which is a type of rice pudding, baklava, kadayif, halfa and ausre.
