If Turkish cuisine has a single foundation, it is dough made from wheat flour. Beyond ekmek (everyday white bread), pide (flatbread), simit (sesame-crusted bread rings), and mantı (dumplings), an entire family of foods called börek—made from thin, layered sheets of pastry—falls into this category.
The bakers of the Ottoman period believed that after his expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Adam—regarded as the patron saint of bakers—learned the art of bread-making from the Archangel Gabriel. Clearly, the secret is still held dear by today’s Turkish bakers: no other bread quite matches the quality of even an ordinary Turkish loaf. You only realize what a luxury Turkish bread is once you leave the country.
This cherished food is enjoyed in generous quantities and respected by everyone, rich and poor alike. Every neighborhood has a bakery that produces golden, crisp loaves twice a day—morning and afternoon—filling the streets with an irresistible, wholesome aroma. People pick up a few loaves on their way home from work, and invariably nibble the crisp ends before they arrive. After a hard day, holding a warm loaf in your hands is its own reward, a reassurance that all is well.
Ekmek, pide, and simit are meant to be eaten the same day they are baked—and they usually are. Any leftover ekmek goes into a variety of dishes, becomes feed for chickens, or is mixed with milk and set out for the neighborhood cats.
Mantı are small dumplings of thin dough filled with a seasoned meat mixture. They are served with generous spoonfuls of garlic-infused yogurt and a drizzle of melted butter spiked with paprika. This is a meal in itself—a beloved Sunday lunch affair for the whole family, best followed by an afternoon nap.
Börek is a special-occasion food that requires great skill and patience—unless you buy the thin sheets of dough (yufka) already rolled out from a local grocery store. Anyone who can accomplish this delicate task with a rolling pin becomes the most sought-after person in their circle of family and friends. The sheets are then layered or folded into various shapes, filled with cheese or seasoned meat mixtures, and baked or fried. Every household enjoys at least five different varieties of börek as a regular part of its menu.
Alongside bread, pilav (pilaf) is another cornerstone of the Turkish kitchen. The two most common versions are cracked-wheat pilaf and rice pilaf. A good cracked-wheat pilaf—made with whole onions, sliced tomatoes, and green peppers sautéed in butter, then simmered in beef stock—is a meal in itself. Many variations of rice pilaf accompany vegetable and meat dishes. The hallmark of a well-made Turkish pilaf is its soft, buttery grains of rice that roll freely from the spoon rather than clumping together into a mushy mass.