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The Turkish Food and Beverage Page

If it has to do with Turkish cuisine, you'll find it all here...
er, some of it...
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Our World Food -- Turkey
(in collaboration with Dani Valent, for Lonely Planet Publications) --
was short-listed for the UK's prestigious Andre Simon Award in the 2001!
Includes comprehensive bi-lingual dictionary and Menu Decoder...
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if you'd like to learn more about this book...

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Classical Turkish Cooking:
Traditional Turkish Food for the American Kitchen
by Ayla Esen Algar
306 pages (May 1999); HarperCollins (paper)
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to learn more about this book...

The following word and phrase charts, points of interest, recommendations,
recipes, etc, will only begin to scratch the surface of this delectable subject ...

The Turkish Regional 'Food Kitchens' -- Introduction...

Ed. 5.0
The Adana Food Kitchen

Ed. 5.0
Turkish to English Food and Beverage Glossary
Traditional Turkish Measures

Uncommonly Tasty Recipes...
Carrot Suaté
Cold Bulgur Salad
Shepherd's Salad
Peri's Turkish Potato Salad
Spicy Turkish Sausage
Adana Kebap

Ed. 5 rev 1

Türkçe -- English, Glossary of Terms
Thanks to JS for her kind contributions...

Search the web here...

[A] [B] [C] [Ç] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [i] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [Ö] [P] [R] [S] [S] [T] [U] [Ü] [V] [Y] [Z]
Turkish Definition/Comments

A

Adet
(2k bytes) 'unit of' something...as in, 3 or 4 [units of] potatoes

Ançüvez
(3k bytes) Anchovies

AyIklamak
(4k bytes) [to] clean, pick, sort [rice, vegetables]; to shell [peas, beans]; to bone meat

Ayran
(3k bytes) Turkish drink made with yogurt, water and a pinch of salt -- serve ice cooold, if poss. Really lip-smacking on a hot day...

AzIcIk
(2k bytes) Just a little, a small amount, for a moment

B

Badem (Bademler)
(3k bytes) Almond(s)

Bakla
(2k bytes) Broad bean, horse bean

BalIk (balIgI)
(2k bytes) Fish...While the following is not strictly a list of fish, it's a good place to bring all these fresh seafoods into one place...

Ahtapot -- octopus Akya (Kuzu BalIgI) --
leer fish AlabalIk -- speckled trout

Barbunya -- red mullet Çinekop -- blue fish or young lüfer Çiroz --
salted dried mackerel

Derepisisi -- flounder Dil balIgI -- sole Fener balIgI --
angler fish

Gelincik -- rockling Hamsi -- anchovy istakoz --
lobster

istavrit -- horse mackerel, scad istiridye -- oyster izmarit --
pickerel

Kalkan -- turbut Karagöz -- spottail Karides --
shrimp

Kaya balIgI -- goby Keler -- monkfish, skate, angel shark Kerevit --
crawfish

KIlIç -- swordfish Kofana -- large bluefish (lüfer) Köpek balIgI --
shark

Lâkerda -- salted tunny Levrek -- sea bass Lüfer --
blue fish

Mercan -- Red Sea bream Mersin balIgI -- sturgeon Midye -- mussel

Barbunya
(4k bytes) Small red colored bean, similar in size and flavor to a British/American "bake" bean -- also, a red mullet fish

Bardak (bardagI)
(3k bytes) Glass

Basmati pirin�Ed. 5.0
(14k bytes)Ed. 5.0 A flavorful rice.

bas
(3k bytes) beginning, young

Beyaz Peynir
(4k bytes) A soft white cheese referred to as Feta in most countries, but in Turkey they call it like they see it...'white cheese'. A breakfast staple...

BIçak
(3k bytes) knife

Bira
(3k bytes) beer

Biraz
(4k bytes) a small amount [of an ingredient]

Börek
(3k bytes) Various types of pastry dishes, either non-sweet (tüzlü) or sweet (tatlI). The crust is thin and usually quite crispy, made from yufka, aka millefoy

Börülce
(4k bytes) Black-eyed pea, cowpea

Bulgur
(3k bytes) Cracked wheat, often served in place of rice. It's also the main ingredient in kIsIr

Büyük
(3k bytes) Big

Bugday
(3k bytes) Wheat

C

CacIk
(2k bytes) a kind of cold soup, made with yogurt, cucumber, and garlic [and, if cucumber is not available, then lettuce] -- served as a side dish with spicy foods, in particular.

Ç

Çagla badem(ler)
(4k bytes) Un-ripe, green, "fresh" almond(s).

Çatal
(3k bytes) Fork

Çay
(3k bytes) Tea

Çevirmek
(3k bytes) [to] Blend. Ex. Yumusak olana kadar çevriniz; Blend until smooth.

ÇIrpmak
(3k bytes) [to] whisk, whip, or beat (a food) -- like, eggs.

�ocuk mamasI
(14k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Baby food -- included for you moms out there...:-)

D

Daire
(2k bytes) Circle, circular

Demet
(2k bytes) Bunch of [greens -- parsley, dill, mint...]

Dirilik
(2k bytes) Vigor, energy

Dereotu
(2k bytes) Dill

Dogramak
(2k bytes) [to] cut into slices/pieces, to carve or chop

Domates
(2k bytes) Tomato

Domates p�resi
(14k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Tomato puree, tomato sauce

Dökmek
(2k bytes) [to] Pour

Düzeltmek
(2k bytes) [to] smooth, repair, fix

E

Ekmek
(2k bytes) Bread

Elma
(2k bytes) Apple

Eksi Elma
(2k bytes) Sour Apple

Enginar
(2k bytes) Artichoke

Esmer Seker
(2k bytes) Brown Sugar

Et suyu
(2k bytes) Beef broth

F

Fasulye
(4k bytes) Bean (s)

FIncan
(3k bytes) Cup

FIndIk
(3k bytes) Hazelnut, shape of a hazelnut

FIrIn
(2k bytes) Oven, Bakery

FIrInda pisirmek
(4k bytes) [to] Bake....Kurabiyeyi fIrInda pisirdim; I baked the cookies [in the oven].

Fiyat
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 [food] Price

G

Galeta
(3k bytes) Breadstick

Gereçler
(3k bytes) necessary items, ingredients

H

Hafifçe
(3k bytes) Lightly, gently

Hamsi
(3k bytes) Anchovies

Haslamak
(3k bytes) [to] Boil [something other than water, like vegetables]

HaslanmIs katI yumurta
(6k bytes) Hard boiled egg

Helva
(2k bytes) Dry Turkish sweet made from flour, milk, honey, seseme, and nuts (especially almonds, which dominates the sweet's flavor)

I

IlIk
(3k bytes) warm

i

ince
(3k bytes) thin

ince ince
(4k bytes) very thin, very fine(ly)

incelik
(3k bytes) thinness

içindekiler
(4k bytes) ingredients, contents

iri
(2k bytes) large

islem BasamaklarI
(5k bytes) Step-by-step Procedure

iyice karIstIrIn
(4k bytes) Mix well

iyice temizleyin
(4k bytes) Clean well

J

Jambon Ham...Although you won't find ham products everywhere [due to religion and tradition], they are available in upscale city markets. And poultry, flavored as ham, is found frequently, even in some more rural areas.

Jelatin Gelatin

K

Kabartma tozu
(4k bytes) Baking powder

Kabartmak
(4k bytes) [to] make something swell

Kabuk, kabuklar
(3k bytes) skin, skins, outer covering

KalInlIk
(3k bytes) thickness

Kara biber
(3k bytes) Black pepper

KarIstIrmak
(4k bytes) [to] Mix, mix together

Kasap
(3k bytes) Butcher

Kasar peyniri
(4k bytes) Firm pale cheese made from sheep's milk, easily mistaken for a mild cheddar...

KasIk
(3k bytes) [table]Spoon

KayIsI
(3k bytes) Apricot

Kaymak
(3k bytes) Thick clotted cream. There's a Turkish ice cream flavor named after it, KaymaklI -- which closely resembles rich vanilla ice cream in the US and Europe.

Kaynatmak
(4k bytes) [to] boil [water].

Kek
(3k bytes) Cake

Kesmek
(4k bytes)
[to] cut or carve

kIvIrcIk
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 A type of crinkly lettuce.

Kimyon
(3k bytes)
Cumin

KIymak
(3k bytes)
[to] Chop

Kuru
(2k bytes)
Dry

Kuru fasulye
(3k bytes)
Dry beans

KusbasI
(3k bytes)
Something cut into small pieces

Küçük
(2k bytes)
little, small

Küp
(2k bytes)
cube

L

Lahana
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 cabbage

Limon
(2k bytes)
lemon

M

Makarna
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Macaroni, spaghetti, and the like...

Malzeme
(2k bytes)
Materials, supplies, necessary items, ingredients

Manav
(2k bytes)
Vegetable market

Mantar
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Mushroom

Margarin
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Margarine

Marul
(2k bytes)
Lettuce

Maydonoz
(2k bytes)
Parsley

Mercimek
(2k bytes)
Lentil(s)

Miktar
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Portion

Mum
(5k bytes, upgraded)
Candle

Muz
(3k bytes, upgraded)
Banana

N

Nane
(2k bytes)
Mint

Nohut
(5k bytes, upgraded)
Chickpea, garbanzo

O

Orkinos
(2k bytes)
Tuna

Orta
(2k bytes)
Middle

Ovmak
(2k bytes)
[to] knead

Ö

Ölçü (ölçüler)
(2k bytes)
Measurement(s)

P

Pasta
(10k bytes)
Ed. 5.0 Cake...Don't confuse this word with the Italian word -- with the same spelling.

PastIrma
(2k bytes)
Spicy pressed beef along the same idea as Italian Pastrami...tender and mouthwatering when made with good quality meat.

PatlIcan
(2k bytes)
Egg Plant, Aubergine

Pekmez
(5k bytes, upgraded)
A thick sweet sauce made from boiled grapes that looks like dark treacle. In a pinch, it can be used as a maple syrup substitute on pancakes -- but ya gotta suspend your disbelief.

Pilav
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Rice that has been cooked/prepared -- and is ready to eat.

Pirin�
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 [uncooked] Rice

Portakal
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Orange

Portakal suyu
(14k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Orange juice

pudra
(2k bytes)
Powder(ed)

R

RakI
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 The Turkish National Adults-only Drink -- similar to Pastis, Ricard, and Ouzzo.

Robot
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Food Processor

S

Salata Salad

SalatalIk Cucumber

SarImsak Garlic

Sermek [to] Spread [on]... as when you spread our homemade crunchy peanut butter on bread. oh yeah.

Sert firm, hard

SIcak Hot

Sirke Vinegar

SIvI yag Liquid vegetable oil

Su Water

Sogan Onion

Soguk Cold

Soymak [to] Peel

Sucuk Spiced Turkish garlic sausage. Often sliced and fried -- and served for breakfast. It nicely complements the flavors of other breakfast staples like white cheese, olives, and buttered toast -- with Turkish fruit preserves. Strawberry is our favorite.

Süslemek için as/for ornament

Süsleyin Decorate with...

s�t
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Milk

S

Seker Sugar

Sise Bottle

T

Tabak [tabagI] plate

Tane a piece, one unit of something...

Taze fresh

Tavuk suyu Chicken broth

Tereyag Butter

Tekrar Again...

Ton balIgI Tuna fish

Toz Granulated

Tutam [a] Pinch [of an ingredient]

Tuz Salt

U

Uç End, extremity, tip

Un Flour

Ü

�r�n
(10k bytes)Ed. 5.0 Product

Üzüm Grape

Üzerinde [on] top, the upper surface

V

Vurmak [to] beat

Y

Yaprak
(yapraklar, yapragI) Leaf, leaves

yarIm one-half

Yesil biber Green pepper

Yesil sogan Green onion, spring onion

Yesillikler [mixed] Greens

Yiyecek ParçalayIcIsI Food Processor

YIkamak [to] clean.

Yogurt Yogurt

Yumurta Egg

Yumurta sarIsI Egg yolk

Z

Zencefil Ginger

Zeytinyag Olive Oil

Summer Salad Recipes

OK, now try your newly learned skills. We haven't used any words that aren't in the dictionary above or that you can't find in the measurements guide below the recipes
(or that, with your burgeoning language knowledge, you can't intelligently guess!).
But don't get frustrated...If there's something you don't understand then just write us,
and we'll send you the English translation.

KIsIr
(Cold Bulgur Salad, just right for a hot summer's day)

Malzeme :

1 su bardagI ince bulgur -- 1/2 demet maydanoz
2-3 domates -- 1/2 demet nane
2-3 yesil biber -- 1/2 demet dereotu
5-6 taze yesil sogan -- 1 limon
Tuz, karabiber, kimyon -- 1/2 çay bardagI zeytinyagI

islem BasamaklarI

1. Bulguru ayIklayIp, 1 su bardagI IlIk su ile kabartInIz.
2. Bütün yesillikleri ince ince kIyInIz.
3. Domatesin kabuklarInI soyup fIndIk büyüklügünde dograyInIz.
4. Bulgur kabarInca içine tuz, karabiber, baharat koyup biraz karIstIrInIz.
5. Yesillikleri koyup tekrar karIstIrInIz.
6. DogranmIs domatesi, zeytinyagI ve limon suyunu koyup tekrar kasIkla karIstIrInIz.
7. Salata tabagIna marul yapraklarInI serip üzerine kIsIrI koyup servis yapInIz.

Çoban SalatasI
(Shepherd Salad, best when tomatoes are at their best)

Gereçler :

2 iri sert domates -- l/2 demet maydanoz
1 küçük bas sogan -- 1/2 demet Dereotu
3-4 yesilbiber -- ZeytinyagI, limon, sirke
2 salatalIk -- 1 çorba kasIk kuru nane
Tuz

islem BasamaklarI

1. SoganIn kabuklarInI soyup, yIkayIp, yarIm cm kalInlIkta yarIm halkalara dograyInIz.
2. içersine biraz tuz koyup hafifçe ovup diriligini ve acIsInI azIcIk gideriniz,
3. Soguk suyla yIkayIp salata tabagIna koyunuz.
4. Domatesleri yIkayIp istediginiz büyüklükte kusbasI dograyIp soganlarIn üzerine koyunuz.
5. SalatalIklarI da yIkayIp, kabuklarInI soyup yarIm ya da daire seklinde kIyIp istediginiz incelikte kesip salata tabagIna koyunuz.
6. Biberleri de yIkayIp orta incelikte kIyIp salata tabagIna koyunuz.
7. Maydanozu da yIkayIp salata tabagIna dograyInIz.
8. Salata tabagIndaki karIsIma azIcIk tuz koyup hepsini karIsItIrInIz.
9. Üzerlerini düzeltip limonlu sosu döküp servis yapInIz.

PerihanIn Patates SalatasI
(Perihan's Turkish Potato Salad)

Içindekiler :

2 domates -- 1/2 kg patates (3-4 adet)
1/2 demet dereotu -- 2 limon, tuz
3-4 yesil sogan -- 1/2 su bardagI zeytinyagI
5-10 zeytin tanesi

islem BasamaklarI

1. Patatesleri haslayInIz.
2. Patatesleri ve domatesleri küp küp dograyInIz. Sogan ve derotunu ince ince kIyInIz.
3. Hepsini karIstIrIp servis tabagI ya da salata tabagIna koyup.
4. ZeytinyagI limonu ve tuzunu ilave ediniz.
5. Tekrar karIstIrInIz.
6. Zeytinle süsleyiniz. Soguk servis yapInIz.

Ok. that's enough exquisite torture.
The rest of the recipes will be in English...

Sucuk -- Spicy Turkish Sausage

This recipe comes from our local butcher, Musa Bey, who makes his own. He doesn't have much equipment to automate the process and the recipe reflects that...

Ingredients:

15 kilograms of medium fat ground beef
(if possible include some ground beef from the shoulder of the animal, for flavor)
3 kg of animal fat
250 grams ground sweet red pepper (paprika?)
150 grams ground hot red pepper (cayenne pepper?)
350 grams ground cumin
400 grams salt
120 grams ground garlic
120 grams ground black pepper
sufficient animal intestine sausage casing

Preparation Steps:

1. Knead the mixture very thoroughly by hand.
2. After kneading, let it rest for 2-3 hours in open air.
3. Use the mixture to fill sausage casing made from animal intestines (pack tightly, avoid air bubbles in the casing -- otherwise the casing may later pop open).
4. Stack the cased sausages in a suitably large container and cover it tightly. Let the container stand in the open air for 5-6 hours to allow the sausage to 'sweat'.
5. Remove the sausage from the container and hang it out to dry in fresh air for 7-8 hours.
6. Place the dried sausage in refrigerator (not in freezer) and allow to rest for 5 or 6 days.
7. Sausage is now ready for eating/selling -- or giving (and remember that this is our butcher's recipe, so it makes 'a bunch' of sucuk!)

Sounds pretty good to us...Whaddya think?

SarImsaklI Yogurtlu Havu� Sote
Grated Carrot Saut� with Garlic Yogurt

From our favorite chef's secret recipe stash --
a very tasty, simple and elegant side-dish...

Ingredients:

6 carrots
half cup of olive oil
half cup of yogurt
two garlic cloves
half teaspoon of salt

Preparation Steps:

1. Mash the garlic cloves, mix thoroughly with the yogurt.
2. Grate the carrots, saut� them in olive oil.
3. Add the salt and garlic yogurt to the saut�ed carrots, mix thoroughly and serve cold -- garnished with minced parsley on top. Serves four.

*Traditional Turkish* Measures --
comparison to *Standard American* measures
along with a few everyday ingredients
from the typical Turkish household food cupboard...
We say measuring *cup*; they say measuring **glass**...So what's the difference, eh?
The Turkish su bardagI (the Traditional Turkish measuring glass that holds 200 ml or 6.4 oz of liquid) holds four-fifths of an American cup (250 ml, 8 oz. liquid) So if a Turkish recipe calls for 1 su bardagI of some liquid ingredient, then in American measurement terms, that's eighty percent of an American 'cup' ...
The Turkish çay bardagI (also a Traditional Turkish measuring glass that holds 125 ml or 4 oz of liquid) holds one-half of an American cup (250 ml, 8 oz. liquid) So if a Turkish recipe calls for 1 çay bardagI of some liquid ingredient, then in American measurement terms, that's fifty percent of an American 'cup' ...
A Turkish çorba kasIgI (aka yemek kasIgI aka, just plain kasIk) is about the same measurement as an American tablespoon
A Turkish tatlI kasIgI is about the same measurement as an American teaspoon
A Turkish çay kasIgI is an actual Turkish teaspoon, which is about half the size of an American teaspoon, for measuring purposes.
1 Turkish su bardagI süt and 1 American cup of milk are not equivalent. Running 200 ml and 250 ml respectively, the Turkish portion is four-fifths the American portion. And the same is exactly true of the next two items in this table...
1 Turkish su bardagI sIvIyag and 1 American cup vegetable oil are not equivalent. ...ditto above...
1 Turkish çay bardagI zeytinyagI and 1 American cup olive oil are not equivalent. Running 125 ml and 250 ml respectively, the Turkish portion is one-half the American portion...
1 Turkish su bardagI un and 1 American cup of flour are not equivalent. Running 100 ml and 125 grams respectively, the Turkish portion is four-fifths the American portion...
1 Turkish su bardagI pudra sekeri and 1 American cup of powdered sugar are not equivalent. ...ditto above...
1 Turkish su bardagI toz seker and 1 American cup of granulated sugar are not equivalent. Running 200 grams and 225 grams respectively, the Turkish portion is almost [but not quite] 90% the American portion...
1 Turkish su bardagI irmik and 1 American cup semolina are not equivalent. Running 165 grams and 185 grams respectively, the Turkish portion is about 90% of the American portion...
1 Turkish su bardagI bugday and 1 American cup whole wheat are not equivalent. Running 180 grams and 225 grams respectively, the Turkish portion is four-fifths the American portion...
1 Turkish su bardagI nohut and 1 American cup chickpeas are not equivalent. ...ditto above...
1 Turkish su bardagI bugday nisastasI and 1 American cup wheat starch are not equivalent. Running 120 grams and 150 grams respectively, the Turkish portion is four-fifths the American portion...
1Turkish su bardagI pirinç and 1 American cup rice are not equivalent. Running 200 grams and 250 grams respectively, the Turkish portion is four-fifths the American portion...
1 Turkish su bardagI kIrmIzI mercimek and 1 American cup red lentils are not equivalent. ...ditto above...
1 Turkish su bardagI pilavlIk bulgur and 1 American cup coarse bulgar are not equivalent. Running 175 grams and 220 grams respectively, the Turkish portion is four-fifths the American portion...
1 Turkish su bardagI yesil mercimek and 1 American cup green lentils are not equivalent. ...ditto above...
1 Turkish su bardagI kurufasulye and 1 American cup dried beans are not equivalent. ...ditto above...
1 Turkish su bardagI kuru bakla and 1 American cup butter beans are not equivalent. Running 150 grams and 175 grams respectively, the Turkish portion is abot 85% of the American portion...

Please email us and tell us how we can improve the Learning Practical Turkish Web site.

If it has to do with Turkish cuisine, you'll find it all here... er, some of it...

If it has to do with Turkish cuisine, you'll find it all here...
er, some of it...