traditional foods

Most Popular Turkish Foods

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Popular Turkish Food Dishes
Turkish cuisine is fast making a name for itself on the worldwide culinary platform. The combination of flavours and ingredients are blended together to form dishes historically influenced by a number of cultures including the Greeks, Ottomans, middle eastern, and Balkans. Traditional dishes will vary from region to region so on this list, we bring you the most popular Turkish food dishes from across the country.

1. Corba: Delicious Soup


It may be hard to believe, but the simple soup dish is very popular in Turkey so do not be surprised to find some Turks eating it for breakfast. Popular choices are lentil or tomato soup but if you are adventurous with your culinary preferences try tripe, sheep brain or tongue soup. Black cabbage soup is traditional to the northeast of Turkey, in the black sea region.

2. Kumpir : Baked Potato


Kumpir is another form of street food that is popular in the beachside resorts and cities. It is simply a jacket potato with a crisp outer skin and soft inside, mashed up with butter. Choose a variety of fillings to top it off, including cheese, sausage, pickles, and Russian salad. If you are in Istanbul, the most popular area to eat it is Ortakoy.

3.Pide or Lahmacun


Pide is a popular dish in lokantas, that are Turkish restaurants serving cheap and traditional food. A thin crust of pastry is covered with toppings including cheese, egg, diced meat, chicken or tuna, and then it is put it into a high heat stone oven. The nearest equivalent western food is pizza. Another version which is lighter is lahmacun. Both are traditionally served with salad. This is an ideal option for vegetarians as many fillings are available.

4.Kofte : Meatballs


Kofte is the Turkish version of meatballs. Sold in a wrap as street food or served on a plate with rice and salad in restaurants. There are many different types of kofte and their taste will vary depending on the region that recipe originates from. Çiğ kofte is unusual as it is raw meatballs originating from the south east of Turkey and these are traditionally eaten as a snack or appetizer.

5.Baklava : Sweet Pastry


Possibly the most popular Turkish dessert is baklava which will suit anyone with a sweet tooth. Taking it influence from the Ottoman Empire, it is layers of filo pastries, filled with nuts and then covered with a sweet honey or syrup. Purchase baklava from most supermarkets or pastry stores. More about baklava here.

6.Street Kebabs

There are more than 40 different types of kebabs in Turkey but the most popular is the traditional street kebab. Large skewers of rotating chicken or beef are cooked slowly before the cook slices stripes from the outside of the skewer, places them in a pastry wrap, and then fills it with lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. A street kebab is especially delicious with a glass of Ayran. (Yogurt, salt and water.) Read more about Kebabs here.

7.Mezes : Appetizers


Mezes are appetizers, traditionally eaten before a meal or on their own as a snack. Popular mezes include acılı ezme, a hot paste made from peppers, patlıcan salatası (cold aubergine salad) and cacik (yogurt, cucumber and garlic). Mezes are also the traditional food served in the Meyhanes of Istanbul. More about this cultural tradition.

8.Gozleme


Cheap, tasty and very filling, Gozleme is a popular street food sold at local markets. Traditionally considered the working man’s food, it is layered pastry filled with a variety of fillings including spinach, cheese, potatoes and parsley. Cooked on a large grill and normally accompanied with tea or Ayran, it is a perfect choice for lunch and ideal for people travelling on a budget.

9.Menemen


Menemen is not often seen on restaurant menus but most kitchens will make it for you, as it is quick and easy. Peppers, onions and tomato sauce are fried in a pan and then eggs are scrambled into the mixture. It is served with fresh bread and delicious with homegrown olives.

 

Most Popular Thai Foods

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1. Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)

The quintessential Thai aroma! A bold, refreshing blend of fragrant lemongrass, chilli, galangal, lime leaves, shallots, lime juice and fish sauce shapes this classic soup, giving it its legendary herbal kick. Succulent fresh prawns and straw mushrooms lend it body. A versatile dish that can fit within virtually any meal, the distinctive smell reminds you of exotic perfume, while it’s invigorating sour-spicy-hot taste just screams ‘Thailand’!

2. Som Tum (Spicy Green Papaya Salad)

Hailing from the Northeast state of Isaan, this outlandish dish is both great divider – some can’t get enough of its bite, some can’t handle it – and greatly distinctive. Garlic, chilies, green beans, cherry tomatoes and shredded raw papaya get dramatically pulverized in a pestle and mortar, so releasing a rounded sweet-sour-spicy flavour that’s not easily forgotten. Regional variations throw peanuts, dry shrimp or salted crab into the mix, the latter having a gut-cleansing talent that catches many newcomers by surprise!

3. Tom Kha Kai (Chicken in Coconut Soup)

A mild, tamer twist on Tom Yum, this iconic soup infuses fiery chilies, thinly sliced young galangal, crushed shallots, stalks of lemongrass and tender strips of chicken. However unlike its more watery cousin, lashings of coconut milk soften its spicy blow. Topped off with fresh lime leaves, it’s a sweet-smelling concoction, both creamy and compelling.

4. Gaeng Daeng (Red Curry)

Made with morsels of meat, red curry paste, smooth coconut milk and topped off with a sprinkling of finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, this rich, aromatic curry always gets those taste buds tingling. At its best when the meat is stunningly tender, it could be likened to a beautiful woman: it’s mild, sweet and delicately fragrant. And like all true love affairs, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

5. Pad Thai (Thai style Fried Noodles)

From Cape Town to Khao San Road, the default international Thai dish! Dropped in a searing hot wok, fistfuls of small, thin or wide noodles (you choose) do a steamy minute-long dance alongside crunchy beansprouts, onion and egg, before disembarking for the nearest plate. A truly interactive eating experience, half its fun (and flavour) lies in then using a quartet of accompanying condiments – fish sauce, sugar, chilli powder and finely ground peanuts – to wake it from its slumbers.

6. Khao Pad (Fried Rice)

Fried rice, egg, onion, a few herbs – nothing more, nothing less. A popular lunch dish served typically with a wedge of lime and slices of cucumber, the secret of this unpretentious dish lies in its simplicity. The concept is this: you’re the one devouring it, so you dress it. To do so, Thais use everything from prawns, crab or chicken to basil, chili and left-over vegetables, in the process turning an unremarkable pauper into a gastronomic prince!

7 Pad Krapow Moo Saap (Fried Basil and Pork) An incredibly popular ‘one plate’ dish for lunch or dinner, fried basil and pork is certainly one of the most popular Thai dishes. It is made in a piping hot wok with lots of holy basil leaves, large fresh chilli, pork, green beans, soy sauce and a little sugar. The minced, fatty pork is oily and mixes with the steamed white rice for a lovely fulfilling meal. It is often topped with a fried egg (kai dao) you will most likely be asked if you would like an egg with it. Be aware that most Thai people ask for lots of chilli in this dish so if you are not a fan of tingling lips, ask for you pad krapow ‘a little spicy’.

8. Gaeng Keow Wan Kai (Green Chicken Curry)

Morsels of fresh chicken. Cherry-sized eggplants. Tender bamboo shoots. Sprigs of Coriander. Generous handfuls of sweet basil. These humble elements form the body of this seminal curry. But how does it get so gloriously green you ask? Oh, that’ll be the spoons of green curry paste that’s stirred furiously into hot creamy coconut milk. Served alongside a bowl of fragrant Thai rice, Gaeng Keow Kan Gai is the extreme opposite.

9. Yam Nua (Spicy Beef Salad)

If there was such a thing as a ‘Salad Hall of Fame’, Thailand’s zesty own breed, or ‘yam’ as they are known here, would surely take pride of place. Unconvinced? Experience the fresh, fiery thrill of yam nua – with its sprightly mix of onion, coriander, spearmint, lime, dried chili and tender strips of beef – and you won’t be. It perfectly embodies the invigorating in-the-mouth-thrill of all Thai salads, the yummy-ness of yam.

10. Kai Med Ma Muang (Chicken with Cashew Nuts)

Pardon the pun, but tourists go nuts for this stir fried dish. Perhaps it’s the wildly contrasting textures of a dish that saut’s chicken alongside roasted cashews, sweet soy sauce, onions, chilies, pepper, carrot and mushrooms. Perhaps it’s the sweetening dash of honey that appeals. Do you really care? The important thing is that this dish works: it’s simple but scrumptious, a little bit tame and yet still totally Thai.

 

Best Traditional Japanese Foods and Dishes

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The 10 Best Traditional Japanese Foods and Dishes

Japanese food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world and for good reason. Based on “rules of five,” traditional Japanese cooking, or washoku, emphasizes variety and balance. This is achieved through the use of five colors (black, white, red, yellow, and green), five cooking techniques (raw food, grilling, steaming, boiling, and frying), and five flavors (sweet, spicy, salty, sour, and bitter). These principles can be found even in a single meal of one soup and three sides paired with rice, 一汁三菜 (ichiju-ju, san-sai). With its aesthetic of beautifully presented food and the use of fresh, high-quality seasonal ingredients, it’s no wonder that Japan’s cuisine is so delicious and so highly prized by people around the world. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of Japanese food, here are ten of the best traditional Japanese dishes.

Sushi


Sushi is, without doubt, one of the most famous foods to come from Japan. A dish that was born in ancient times, sushi originated from the process of preserving fish in fermented rice. Today it’s made with vinegared rice and fresh fish, presented in a number of ways and shapes.

Sashimi


Centuries before Japanese people were eating sushi, they first enjoyed raw fish without the rice. While the name “sashimi” refers to any thinly sliced raw food, including raw beef (gyuu-sashi), chicken (tori-zashi), and even horse (basashi), fish and seafood are the most popular varieties.

Tempura

Tempura is a dish of battered and fried fish, seafood, or vegetables. Special care is given to the way the ingredients are cut as well as to the temperature of the batter (ice cold) and oil (very hot) for deep-frying, so that every piece is a bite of crisply fried perfection. In the Kanto region around Tokyo, tempura is eaten with a dipping sauce, while in the Kansai region around Kyoto and Osaka it’s dipped in flavored salt.

Yakitori


Yakitori is a dish of bite-sized cuts of chicken grilled on a skewer. It makes use of every part of the chicken — including heart, liver, and even chicken comb — to avoid wastefulness, an important element of Japanese food culture. Unlike other traditional Japanese foods, yakitori has only been eaten since around the mid-17th century, as eating meat was largely taboo in Japan for several centuries.

Miso soup


Miso soup may seem deceptively simple, but it’s an essential Japanese food that’s served with any traditional meal. The soup is made from dashi stock – either fish or kelp stock – combined with miso bean paste to bring a savory umami element to any meal. Tofu and sliced green onions, as well as ingredients like fish, clams, and pork, can be added and may vary by the season.

Tsukemono pickles


Tsukemono are traditional pickles that have been eaten in Japan since prehistoric times. Made with a wide variety of ingredients, including vegetables like daikon radish and eggplant and fruits like ume plum, tsukemono not only add visual appeal to a meal with their bright colors but are also an extremely healthy food.

Udon


Udon is a dense and chewy noodle made from wheat flour. It’s one of the most popular foods in Japan due to its delicious taste, inexpensive price point, and versatility — udon can be eaten hot or cold and customized with any number of toppings. There are three famous regional varieties of udon noodle: sanuki udon from Kagawa prefecture in southwest Japan, kishimen from Nagoya in central Japan, and inaniwa udon from Akita in northern Japan.

Soba


Soba is another type of noodle dish that has been eaten in Japan for centuries. Made from buckwheat flour, soba has a long thin shape and firm texture and is very healthy. Like udon noodles, soba can be served in a hot broth or chilled with a dipping sauce, making it a delicious and healthy option any time of year.

Sukiyaki


Sukiyaki is a one-pot dish of beef, vegetables, and tofu cooked with a sweet soy sauce broth in a shallow cast iron pot. It became highly popular after the centuries-long ban on eating meat was lifted during the Meiji period, and is the perfect way to enjoy Japan’s incredibly rich and tender wagyu beef.

Kaiseki


The ultimate in Japanese fine dining, kaiseki is a tasting course comprised of small, seasonally themed dishes crafted with the utmost precision and attention to detail. Kaiseki was born from the traditional tea ceremony, where small morsels of food were offered alongside the bitter green tea, and over time these offerings evolved into a multi-course haute cuisine meal.