Boasting a diverse and plentiful cuisine, Turkey is a charter destination certain to satisfy all tastes and preferences. In this article, we take a look at 5 of the best dishes to enjoy on board your superyacht or in the authentic setting of a Turkish street restaurant.
The perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the numerous cultures found around the globe, a private yacht charter vacation is no doubt one of the greatest times to enjoy new foods in an authentic setting.
Indeed, with the choice of tucking into something new in the comfort of the alfresco dining area of your chosen superyacht, or heading to the mainland for a more local experience, there’s no better way of savoring new flavors than by doing so by the water.
Best Turkish dishes to try:
True to this rule, Turkey boasts a number of outstanding national dishes with enough variety to satisfy every kind of taste bud. Ranging from lightly spiced rice dishes to sweet delicacies, the menu in each restaurant and local vendor fuses elements of the Ottoman court cuisine with hints of the Black Sea Region.
With so much to experience, we've have hand-selected five of the best Turkish dishes to sample on your luxury yacht charter vacation.
Symbolic of the way meals are treated as highly social occasions in Turkey, Meze is the name given to a series of ‘mini-courses’ which are provided to diners over the course of a single evening.
Beginning with cold dishes before moving onto hot selections, meze allows you to tuck into whichever Turkish appetizer grabs your fancy most in a highly relaxed setting. Often combining the likes of aubergine salad with spicy pickled beetroot and Antep Ezmesi, this approach to a starter is a tasty treat as well as a fun introduction to Turkish culture.
Typically accompanied by glasses of Turkish ‘raki’, meze can be enjoyed everywhere from high end restaurants to the tables positioned by the street vendors.
One of the most popular traditional Turkish dishes out there, menemen is a mixture of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and eggs, all seasoned to suit individual tastes.
Served in the same metal pans as it is cooked in, the dish earns its signature flavour from the onions and oils which are mixed in with the core ingredients.
Often eaten for breakfast, menemen is the perfect start to a day spent discovering Turkey on board a superyacht
When eating the dish later on in the day, you can expect to find more onions in the mixture and further spices which enhance the overall flavour.
Similar to meze, you can expect to find menemen just about anywhere that is serving food in Turkey.
The owner of a misleading title, mozaik pasta earns its name from the appearance it takes on after being cut.
Heavy and moist, the traditional delicacy is made up of chocolate and broken biscuit, producing an inviting texture renowned for being incredibly moreish.
No doubt best enjoyed with a thick Turkish coffee in an authentic cafe, mozaik is perfect for those looking to satisfy their sweet tooth after a day of cruising the water.
The official name given to Turkish delight, lokum is a national confection with a history as rich as its taste. Indeed, as another culinary heirloom from the Ottoman Empire, the delicacy is symbolically linked with the broader identity of Turkey.
Based on a gel made from starch and sugar, lokum comes in a number of variations, with sliced dates, pistachios, and nuts being found in the more premium options.
Warmly received around the globe, Lokum is undoubtedly one of the greatest elements of Turkish cuisine
Regularly packaged and presented in cubes, it’s a common sight in Turkey to encounter a colorful assortment of lokum arranged in both restaurants and amongst the street vendors.
An appropriate accompaniment to a luxury yacht charter in Turkey, the sweet taste of lokum is no doubt best enjoyed whilst looking across the glistening waters belonging to this part of the Mediterranean.
Based on an ancient recipe developed in the Middle East, pide is Turkey’s answer to pizza. A flatbread that can be enjoyed by itself or with other foods, the possibilities are all but endless when it comes to enjoying this particular treat.
Whilst some prefer to have it sweet and doughy, others like it stuffed with meat and cheese, meaning every member of a charter party can have their particular tastes satisfied when coming together to enjoy this Turkish staple.
Such a fantastically versatile dish is no doubt best enjoyed for either lunch or dinner, forming a suitably authentic taste of Turkey to be indulged either on or by the water.
In order to find out more regarding the cruising grounds around Turkey, please feel free to get in touch with your preferred charter broker.
Alternatively, take a look at all of the superyachts available for rent in Turkey.
