Turkish food combines culinary traditions from the people's nomadic past in Central Asia with influences of the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Guests are usually able to go into a kitchen and choose from the pots if they cannot understand the names of the dishes. A wide range of international cuisine is also available in the major cities, and standard German and British dishes along the coasts.
Regional specialities:
• Köfte (spicy sausage-shaped meatballs made of minced lamb).
• Shish kebab (pieces of meat threaded on a skewer and grilled).
• Pide (the Turkish equivalent of pizza topped with cheese and eggs).
• Dolma (vine leaves or vegetables stuffed with pine nuts and currants).
• Lokum (Turkish Delight - originally made from dates, honey, roses and jasmine bound by Arabic gum and designed to sweeten the breath after coffee).
Things to know:
Turkey is a secular state and alcohol is widely enjoyed, although during Ramadan it is considered polite for visitors to avoid drinking alcohol in public. Some local restaurants do not serve alcohol. Wine and spirits are heavily taxed and therefore expensive compared with local beers, which are less heavily taxed.
Tipping:
A service charge is included in hotel and restaurant bills. It is customary to leave a small tip (10 to 15%) for barbers, hairdressers, Turkish Bath attendants and waiters in smarter establishments. In inexpensive cafes and restaurants a small gratuity is appreciated. When using taxis, passengers should just round up the fare.
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