Anyday of the week, you may enjoy a hearty and nutritious Turkish breakfast; no matter what part of Turkey you are in, it’s everywhere. The Turkish breakfast is not just a meal. It’s an experience, and that experience starts right when you hit the table with fresh, crusty bread and lots of cold cuts, eggs, cheese, eggplants and hummus spreads, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and Turkish tea.

A typical Turkish breakfast is a must-try experience while you tour turkey destinations. The most common dish served at a Turkish breakfast is scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and Turkish cheese and spreads.

Turkish cuisine has been influenced by many cultures over the centuries, so it’s no surprise that there are many kinds of breakfast dishes found throughout Turkey. In some areas, people will eat yogurt or cheese as part of their morning meal, while others might have chopped vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, and spinach.

Turks also enjoy eating olives and pickles for breakfast along with bread like pide or börek. They’ll typically serve these alongside butter and jams made from figs or citrus fruits.

Cheese is another most prominent thing of breakfast. Turks eat more than 20 kinds of different cheeses. The most common one for breakfast is kaymak or beyaz peynir (a creamy white cheese) spread on top of buttered bread slices that are cut into triangles.

While it may seem like much food to start your day off right, it will definitely get you ready to take on your fun day ahead.

Table of Contents

• • Turkey has many different types of breakfast.
  • Turkish Tea
  • Turkish Coffee
  • Turkish Scrambled Eggs
  • Turkish Bread
  • Turkish Cheese
  • Plants and Fresh Produce
  • Sweet & Savory Spreads
  • Turkish Breakfast Ideas (Breakfast plate)
  • Müsli (Cereal)
  • Menemen
  • Pastirmali Yumurta (Eggs & Bacon)
  • Sucuklu Yumurta
  • Kiymali Yumurta
  • Kizarmis Yumurta
  • Cilbir (Eggs on top of Yogurt Bed)
  • Sunny Side Up Omelet
  • Bread & Pastries
  • Pogaca Bread
  • ACMA (Soft Bread)
  • Simit
  • Breakfast Pide
  • Borek
  • Acmasi Borek
  • Sigara Borek
  • Bazlama
  • Spreads
  • Tahini Ezmesi (Tahini Paste)
  • Zeytin Ezmesi (Black olive spread)
  • Bal Kaymak

Turkey has many different types of breakfast.

Kahvalt Taba

Is basically a mini-morning in which all the ingredients of the food come with the same plate.

Serpme Kahvalti

is a mixed breakfast where everyone eats a little bit of everything on the table or on the buffet.

Aç Büfe

Is an Open Buffet breakfast with two choices of foods that guests may select in a variety of menus to suit their requirements. This breakfast is very popular in hotels, most notably all-inclusive but is more popular in big chain hotels. If you’re visiting a restaurant that serves mostly Serpme Breakfast, be sure to inquire about the cost before ordering.

Turkish Tea

Tea is an incorporated piece of Turkish culture rooted in Turkish identity. It is usually served in a tiny, beautifully painted with a curved middle to make it easier to handle.

The black Turkish tea is usually cooked in a double-decker teapot they are staked on each other in the bottom pot the water is boiled and in the top pot, the tea leaves are brewed with water. The tea leaves are boiled for 10 to 15 minutes at a high temperature to reach the perfect brewing condition.

Once the brewing is done the tea is served in a beautiful painted curved glass cup by adding 1/3 of the brewed tea and the rest filled up with boiling water to balance the tea concentration.

Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is composed of water, dark brown sugar and finely ground coffee. It’s prepared by letting the powdery ingredients dissolve in hot water together stirring occasionally for 20 minutes until it reaches to the separated-soluble solution.

Turkish coffee has a very strong test similar to greek coffee, it is served in a Turkish coffee cup with its surface covered with fine foam above up, which makes an indispensable part of Turkish culture.

Turkish Scrambled Eggs

Eggs are an essential part of Turkish breakfast and will be considered incomplete without them. Eggs are made in different varieties such as stirred fried, scrambled with garlic, onions and fresh tomatoes (menemen), or boiled fried with butter and herbs or stirred fried and topped with sausages (Sucuklu yumurta), minced lamb, salami, pepperoni and or doner kebabs.

Turkish Bread

The Turks have a rich history of baking delicious bread. From the traditional simit to the more modern pogaca. Turkish culture has perfected its art of making these tasty pieces of bread.

The bread is mostly cooked traditionally using wood stone clay ovens which really adds up an amazing ancient flavour to it, just to name a few, these bread are made in different ancient recipes and shapes like Pide or ramazn pidesi style flat-bread or bread Misir ekmegi or bazlama, Yufka, pita and simit styles and many many more.

Pogaca Bread This Turkish bread is a type of pastry made with eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla. It can be either sweet or salty. If you love flaky crusty bread that melts in your mouth this one will not disappoint.

Turkish Cheese

Being a Turk cheese means a lot. Cheese is an important part of Turkish food. Turkish people eat more than 20 different types of cheeses, very cheeses have a unique flavour and texture which is why they have gained such a reputation for their fine cheeses. 

One particular kind that I enjoyed was the white sheep’s milk cheese called “Beyaz Peynir. This delightful cheese is made from raw sheep’s milk or pasteurized sheep’s milk mixed with cow’s milk. The flavour varies depending on the quality of ingredients used when making it, but either way, It has a delicate ratio of salty and sweet tastes with a firm texture to make you want more.

When eating this tasty treat I recommend pairing it with some fresh vegetables like tomatoes cucumber and bread.

Another great cheese is Feta and Kasseri. The hard sheep milk cheese will not melt when heated! Also, there’s LOR (white cheese) which comes from milk curds similar to the cottage or peynir civil cheeses it’s usually eaten in Turkey’s Kars and Erzurum regions.

Plants and Fresh Produce

Turks love refreshing healthy breakfasts by adding tomatoes and cucumbers with cheese olives and bread altogether. These fresh veggies are generally topped on toasted bread along with egg and cheese or just eaten separately drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil topped with a little dried mint or oregano.

Sweet & Savory Spreads

Turkish cuisine is one of the most diverse in the world, with influences from Europe, Asia and even Africa. One element that you can find in just about any Turkish dish is a spread or sauce.

These are often served on the side but are also used as an ingredient for making dishes like meatballs or ground beef kebabs.

Just to name a few savoury ones are tahini (pekmez karışımı) is basically the mixture of tahini and grape molasses it can be found in most superstores, another interesting spread made of black olives which I love for its spreadable consistency and unique taste.

Most Turkish moms especially those living in the countryside will spend some time finding fruits to make jams and jellies the traditional way. Some of the most famous sweet spreads are hazelnut spread, strawberry and raspberry jams, or apricot preserves are often used across the country.

Turkish Breakfast Ideas (Breakfast plate)

• Musli
• Menemen
• Pastirmali Yumurta
• Sucuklu Yumurta
• Kiymali Yumurta
• Kizarmis Yumurta
• Cilbir
• Sunny Side Up Omelet

Müsli (Cereal)

The most healthier breakfast dish is made with cereal honey and yogurt chopped dried fruits, seeds and nuts, and topped with fresh fruits. This breakfast is high in fibre, protein and vitamins. It’s best enjoyed cold or hot.

Menemen

Menemen is a popular egg dish in Turkey. It’s like scrambled eggs but spicier and served with vegetables, tomatoes, garlic and onions. It is often eaten with bread and white cheese You can try this dish out at your first stop in Turkey. 

The word Menemen comes from the verb meaning “to mix” which accurately describes how it’s cooked. The ingredients are mixed together without stirring to create an omelette-like texture that is fluffy on top and crispy around the edges.

It is made starting with stir-frying vegetables in butter or olive oil first, then eggs are added and gently stirred to maintain the dominance of the eggs.

Pastirmali Yumurta (Eggs & Bacon)

This dish is found throughout Turkey. The dish consists of beef Bacon and eggs cooked over easy with butter then sprinkled with oregano and black pepper on top. It’s so good that you’ll want more after every bite.

In some parts of Istanbul, Turkey pastirmali is cooked with buttery tomato sauce which is usually added on the top once the egg and bacon are ready.

Sucuklu Yumurta

Sucuklu is a traditional Turkish dish one of the ultimate brunch dishes that consists of fried eggs and dried sausage with (peeled tomatoes in some cases). The dried sausage (sucuk) is made of lamb and beef meat with smoked red pepper and herbs. The dish is served with bread for breakfast or even lunch.

This Turkish recipe has been handed down through generations since it’s so delectable. It’s also easy to make to start with sausage are chopped and stirred fry in olive oil for few minuted then gently creaked eggs cooked along with sausages on low heat with the lid on and finally topped with salt, cumin and red pepper flakes.

Kiymali Yumurta

It is one of the most favourite brunch breakfast dishes, It is usually baked with Whole eggs, lamb minced meat, tomatoes, green peppers, spinach, fetta cheese and topped with black pepper, oregano and basil. It is also be eaten in combination with Mucver(Zucchini Pancakes).

Once it’s ready people eat this along with bread, pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese, jam hazelnut spread.

Kizarmis Yumurta

Kizarmis yumurta means Fried boiled eggs. This is another famous brunch breakfast dish. In this recipe, the eggs are boiled, cooked first, then stir-fried with butter or olive oil, chili pepper oregano, and salt and served with bread olives, pickles, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and cheese.

Cilbir (Eggs on top of Yogurt Bed)

I was shocked at the revelation that there is more to eggs than just boiled or fried. Until recently, I would have never thought of pairing them with yogurt and spicy red pepper butter for breakfast, but now it might be my favorite way to get up in the morning.

The clibir is made with Half fried eggs on top of a garlic yogurt creamy bed and topped with red chili flakes and black pepper. It is served with bread, fresh fruits, tomatoes and cumbers, and white cheese.

Sunny Side Up Omelet

This is another simplest and famous Turkish omelet which is made simply with butter and half-fried eggs with the whole yellow. In this style, eggs are cooked in a copper skillet pan on medium heat until the white part is fully cooked and the yellow part is half cooked then topped with Turkish red chili flakes and Himalayan salt. It is served with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and white cheese alongside tea, bread, and Jam it is no wonder simplest yet one of the best breakfast.

Bread & Pastries

• Pogaca Bread
• Acma
• Simit
• Breakfast Pide
• Borek
• Acmasi Borek
• Sigara Borek
• Bazlama

Pogaca Bread

It makes a great breakfast food. It’s fluffy and delicious. You can enjoy it with your favorite filling or topping.

This Turkish bread is a type of pastry made with eggs, butter, and yeast. It’s slightly sweet and fluffy, which makes it a great breakfast food. However, there are many variations to this recipe. Pogaca bread is made plain, or with raisins or sweet and salty. It totally depends on region to region.

ACMA (Soft Bread)

It is kind of soft look like shrimpy ring Turkish ACMA bread topped with sesame seeds. This soft bread is very famous for Suhur times (Ramadan pre-fast meal). It is widely sold in bakeries by street food vendors. It is eaten as is with tea or eaten as a sandwich filled with cheese, tomatoes, cumber, and lettuce.

Simit

This deliciously soft and crunchy Turkish delight is made and served fresh every day in most of the turkey streets. You will find it in every single restaurant across turkey. It is one of the most prominent street food in turkey as known as Turkish Simit (Bagel).

Its lightly sweetened and saltish flavor will bring delight to your taste buds with this contemporary twist on an old favorite hand-made, crunchy bread served warm at room temperature that is authentic and distinctly delightful.

Breakfast Pide

Turkish breakfast pide is a dish that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The ingredients are typically baked in the oven and include tomato paste, cheese, eggs, vegetables, meat, and spices. Pide has many variations. It is made of pizza dough with cheese and meat, butter, or olive oil to make it crispy on top.

It’s usually eaten with a side salad or yogurt sauce called aci ezme, which adds an acidic flavor to the meal.

Borek

Are you looking for a tasty, delicious appetizer to share with your friends and family? Turkish Borek is the perfect dish, a delicious pastry that can be found in many countries throughout Europe.

It’s most popular in the Balkans, where it is made with puff pastry dough filled with feta cheese and spinach. The name “borek” comes from the Turkish word “börek,” which means pie or pastries of different kinds, so this dish has an Ottoman origin. This simple dish has been modified to suit local tastes over time but remains very popular among locals and tourists alike!

Acmasi Borek

When people think of Turkish food, the first thing that often comes to mind is döner kebab. But there are so many other delicious dishes worth discovering. One such dish is Acmasi Borek.

It’s a traditional Turkish dish made with phyllo dough and ground beef or lamb mixed with onions, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper. The dough is then layered into a baking pan, kind of like lasagna sheets- before being baked in an oven until golden brown on top with crispy edges.

It is served with fresh salad, olives, and Ayran(Yogurt drink).

Sigara Borek

Sigara borek is a Turkish delight that will make your taste buds explode with joy. The crispy filo dough with salty cheese and savory spinach filling is nothing short of pure bliss.

Sigara borek literally translates into “cigar pastry.” This dish consists of feta cheese mixed with minced meat or spinach wrapped inside sheets of phyllo dough and then baked or fried until golden brown on top. It’s one tasty way to get your daily intake of fat and proteins.

Bazlama

Bazlama is a traditional Turkish flatbread that has been around for over two thousand years. It’s traditionally made with wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast which are mixed together to form the dough. The dough then goes through a process of kneading and rising about six times before it becomes ready to be baked in an oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown.

The word “bazlama” comes from Persian and means pastry or cake made with yogurt. This makes sense as this tasty treat is often dipped into yogurt instead of honey-like other pastries. Bazlamas can come in all shapes and sizes.

It is usually eaten in the breakfast with olives, butter, and honey or with soups or used as a wrap during lunch or dinner times.

Spreads

Tahini Ezmesi (Tahini Paste)

This dish is a traditional Turkish breakfast recipes that consists of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and tahini paste. It’s usually served as an appetizer with bread or pita chips to dip in. Tahin Ezmesi is perfect for entertaining because it tastes delicious when room temperature or chilled. So if you’re looking for a healthy appetizer recipe this summer, try the savory tahini spread. It is an excellent source of calcium Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

Zeytin Ezmesi (Black olive spread)

It’s time to learn about zeytin ezmesi or olive paste! This Turkish spread is usually eaten during breakfast with pita bread but can also be used as a sauce on meats or vegetables. You’ll find it in almost every restaurant and household in Istanbul as well as across turkey.

It is a savory smooth, and delish paste as well as brings many health benefits, and it can easily be found in every supermarket in Turkey.

Bal Kaymak

It is an amazingly delicious part of Turkish breakfast. You will find the item with almost every breakfast across turkey. It is simply cream cheese topped with some honey. It is another essential part of breakfast. In some of the regions, Bal Kaymak is topped with pistachios or cinnamon as well.

It is usually eaten as a spread over the bread or eaten with chunks of bread with tea.

Q & A’s

What is a typical breakfast in Turkey?

A typical Turkish breakfast is something that you must try. The most common dish served at a Turkish breakfast is scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and Turkish cheese and spreads.

Is Turkish breakfast healthy?

It is a very healthy meal overall it provides good combinations of vitamins Omega fats, proteins and carbs.

What is Turkey’s most popular food?

In simple words Grilled meats, Doner kebab’ Simit and Cheese.

What is a Turkish village breakfast?

Mostly consists of scrambled eggs, cheeses, olive pickles, jams, cream cheese and honey.

What is the most traditional Turkish food?

Doner kababs and Simit (Seseme Begal)