Turkey's cuisine, with its roots in the imperial Ottoman kitchen, reflects the rich cultural interaction of its ethnic ancestry: Turkish, Arab, Persian, and Greek. Turkey's fertile land, diverse geography, and seasonal changes provide a great variety of crops, vegetables, and fruits.

Understanding the basics of typical Turkish food will give you a greater understanding (and tastier appreciation) of the local cuisine. This chapter focuses on lunch and dinner. For information on a typical Turkish breakfast (almost always provided by your hotel)
Meze (meh-zeh) is a general name given to an appetizer served in small portions, usually eaten before the main course. There are two kinds of mezes: Soğuk mezes (soh-ook meh-zeh; "cold") are usually cooked in olive oil and—as the name suggests—served cold. Cold mezes can include cheese, stuffed grape leaves, eggplant salad, and cacık (jah-juhk; a thick mix of yogurt, cucumbers, and garlic with olive oil). Steak mezes (suh-jahk meh-zeh; "hot") are traditionally served after the cold mezes, and can include tiny meatballs, grilled or deep-fried calamari or shrimp, or börek (boh-rehk; pastry—see below). Mezes can be filling—save some room for the main course.
Çorba (chor-bah) is a soup, often served at the beginning of the meal. Mercimek (mehr-jee-mehk) çorba is made with mashed lentils, and yoğurt çorbası is made with yogurt and served hot.
Zeytinyağlı (zey-teen-yah-luh; "in olive oil") is a common term for vegetables cooked in olive oil. Vegetables can be a main course or—if they're deep-fried, chilled, and served with yogurt— an appetizer.
Seafood is an essential part of Istanbul cuisine.
Kebabs (keh-bob) are the primary means of preparing and serving meats—generally marinated, skewered, and grilled. Kebabs have different names based on how they are cooked. Şiş (shish) means "skewer," and kebab means any type of meat cut into small pieces and grilled on a skewer. A döner (doh-nehr) kebab is a big chunk of meat that cooks as it rotates in front of a grill; the chef cuts off thin slices that are served either wrapped in pita bread or with a side of rice pilaf. Döner kebabs were traditionally veal or a mix of lamb and veal, but more recently chicken has become popular.
Dolma (dohl-mah) means "stuffed," and typically refers to stuffed vegetables such as bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis, or grape leaves. When stuffed with rice, raisins, or onions—and cooked in olive oil—dolma is a vegetarian dish served as a cold meze. When stuffed with rice and meat, dolma is a main course, often accompanied by yogurt.
Börek (boh-rehk) is a savory pastry made of sheets of rolled dough with various ingredients laid between the layers. Su böreği (soo boh-reh-ee) is prepared with thick sheets of dough that are briefly dipped in boiling water. The layers are then laid on a large tray, ingredients are spread between layers, and the tray is placed in the oven. Sigara böreği (see-gah-rah boh-reh-ee), a deep-fried cheese roll served cold, is a popular meze. (s3)