Breakfast is a feast
Turkish kahvaltı is an elaborate spread — cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, honey, clotted cream (kaymak), bread, and tea. It's the best meal of the day and can last hours.
🍜 Food & drink in Turkey
Food in Turkey is woven into daily life — how you order, when you eat, what you tip, and which dishes locals reach for on a Tuesday night versus a weekend out.
In Turkey, food & drink comes down to a few things: breakfast is a feast, tea, not coffee, and street food is world-class.
Tea, not coffee
Despite 'Turkish coffee' fame, tea (çay) is the real national drink. Served in tulip-shaped glasses, offered everywhere — shops, offices, barber shops. Refusing tea is almost antisocial.
Tip: Tea is always offered when you enter a shop, even if you're just browsing. Accept it.
Street food is world-class
Simit (sesame bread rings), balık ekmek (fish sandwich), lahmacun (Turkish pizza), midye dolma (stuffed mussels). Istanbul's street food alone is worth the trip.