Alanya cuisine

icon-locationAlanya, Turkish
When visiting Alanya, don't miss dining at a local restaurant serving authentic Turkish food. Turkish cuisine is actually considered the third best in the world. So that definitely says a lot about the dish! At the same time, it also provides a deeper insight into Turkish culture.

One of the best ways to experience Turkish cuisine is to order Meze. Simply put, Meze is Turkey's answer to tapas with a wide variety of small dishes served to be shared. Meze (or mezze) is a set of small dishes served as an appetizer or as a main meal when served with spirits. The individual dishes themselves are often referred to as mezedes or mezedhes. These small plates are shared among a group and are found in Eastern Mediterranean places such as Greece and Turkey (as well as in various Middle Eastern countries). If you are familiar with Spanish Tapas, then you already know about this type of cuisine.

Meze dishes are often served in restaurants and are often determined by whatever they do that morning, not by the diners' choices. There are usually a variety of Turkish cream dipping sauces, delicious fried foods, fresh salads and lots of bread to scoop. You can order lamb, kebabs, beef, fish, rice, grape leaves, vegetables, flatbreads, and more.

Tiny Pogaca cakes are also very popular in the area. These pies can be filled with mashed potatoes, cheese, or minced meat. The cakes are ready to be decorated with sesame or poppy seeds. Restaurants specializing in national cuisine offer a wide range of traditional cakes to their visitors. As a rule, these cupcakes are made with unleavened dough, so it doesn't take long to cook them.

Kebab remains one of the most important local dishes. Local chefs cook Kebab with different types of meat. Adana Kebab is the most popular and loved in the region. This kebab is made with lamb and hot spices. İskender Kebap is a lamb dish with a special taste. For the first time, lamb is grilled on a grill, so it acquires a truly unusual and special taste and aroma.

Kofte is an attractive and very popular meat dish. Almost any restaurant has its own special Kofte recipe. As a rule, Kofte is made from lamb and beef. The meat is minced and shaped like a cutlet. The meat can then be grilled in the oven, boiled in a pan with various sauces, or roasted. Ready Kofte is garnished with fresh greens.

The traditional dolma is also very popular with Alanya's guests. Grape leaves are considered the strangest ingredient of this dish. Minced meat with rice is the main part of Dolma. Grape leaves are stuffed with these ingredients and then stewed. Traditional dolma is cooked in grape leaves, but there are different varieties of the dish, such as dolma in eggplant or onion.

Considered a national cuisine known for its hearty and nutritious soups, Tarhana çorbası is the most popular first dish in the region. This soup features fresh and dried vegetables, but the secret is in the yeast that adds a special flavor to the soup. Visitors, who prefer traditional dishes, will prefer the lentil soup called Mercimek.

The rich choice of salads is another feature of Alanya cuisine. Vegetarian travelers will be delighted to find such a wide range of options and flavors. Choban salad with collard greens is very popular in the region. Kisir salad is a complex combination of fresh vegetables with an unusual serving method - a ready-made salad shaped like a ball. This salad is considered nutritious because it contains bulgur

The best restaurants in Alanya with authentic Turkish food are located a bit away from the tourist areas. Be sure to find popular restaurants by looking where Turkish people eat. At these restaurants, the food is usually better and cheaper than in the tourist areas of Alanya.

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