A quick note on Turkish pronunciation: There are a few letters that are unique to the Turkish alphabet. The letter ‘Ç’ is pronounced ‘ch.’ The same principle applies to ‘Ş’, which is pronounced like ‘sh’. There is only one silent letter in the alphabet, which is ‘ğ.’ The Turkish word for yogurt is ‘yoğurt’ pronounced ‘yo-urt.’ You will also see ‘Ü’ which sounds like ‘ew’ (as in few), and ‘Ö’, pronounced like ‘eh’. There are also two variations of the letter ‘i’, the second of which looks like this: ‘ı’, and sound like ‘euh’.
Rakı, the national Turkish spirit is pronounced rak-euh.
Yes Evet
No Hayır
Hello Merhaba
Okay Tamam
Please Lütfen
Thank you Teşekkür ederim
Thanks very much Çok teşekkürler
You’re welcome Rica ederim
Welcome Hoşgeldiniz
Pardon me Afedersiniz
I’m fine İyiyim
Friend Arkadaş
What? Ne?
How? Nasıl?
Who? Kim?
Why? Neden?
When? Ne zaman?
What’s this? Bu nedir?
Good morning Günaydın
Good evening İyi Akşamlar
Good night İyi geceler
Good Bye Güle güle
See you Gorushuruz
Good day İyi günler
Left Sol
Right Sağ
Straight on Doğru
Here Burada
There Şurada
Over there Orada
Near Yakın
Far Uzak
Forward İleri
The bill please Hesap Lütfen
EXPRESSIONS
“Afiyet Olsun”! is an expression used to wish that a meal be enjoyed. Unlike other cultures the expression is used both before and after a meal.
When anybody wants to express appreciation about food prepared by somebody else he says “Elinize Saglik”! which means” May God give health to your hands”. When proposing a toast, the expression “Sherefe” is used which literally means “to your honor”.
Drinks
•Rakı: The national spirit of Turkey — an unsweetened, anise-flavored alcoholic drink
•Ayran: A cold drink of yogurt with water seasoned with salt
•Çay: Tea
•Süt: Milk
•Bira: Beer
•Kahve: Turkish Coffee
•Sade: No sugar (Turkish coffee comes either with our without sugar which
you need to specify when ordering)
•Az şekerli: A little sugar
•Orta şekerli: A moderate amount of sugar
•Çok şekerli: With lots of sugar
•Kırmızı şarap: Red wine
•Beyaz şarap: White wine
•Su: Water
•Maden suyu: Sparkling water
•Meyve suyu: Fruit juice
Breakfast specials
•Kahvaltı: Breakfast
•Menemen: Scrambled eggs with vegetables, similar to shakshuka
•Börek: Baked pastry made with phyllo dough stuffed with meat or vegetable
•Ispanaklı börek: Spinach börek
•Peynirli börek: Cheese börek
•Kıymalı börek: Ground beef börek
•Açma: a ring-shaped savory bun
•Poğaça: A flaky, savory pastry, served sade (plain) or peynirli (with cheese), kıymalı (minced meat) or zeytinli (black olives).
•Beyaz peynir: Salty white cheese
•Kaşar: A moderately fatty sheep’s cheese similar to the Spanish Manchego
•Hellim: Halloumi
•Sucuk: Dry, spicy beef sausage
•Ekmek: Bread
Street food
•Nohutlu pilav: Rice cooked with chickpeas in a chicken broth
•Döner: A sandwich of stuffed with meat (lamb or veal) cooked on a vertical rotisserie
•Simit: Turkish bagel
•Pide: Flatbread, often with meat or cheese
•Lahmacun: Flatbread with ground lamb
•Kestane: Chestnuts
•Mısır: Corn
•Gözleme: Sweet or savory pancake topped with various of toppings
•Kumpir: Baked potato with stuffing
Meat
•Et: Meat
•Kebap: Grilled meat
•Sish kebap: Meat grilled on a skewer
•Iskender kebap: Döner kebab prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb basted with hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread, slathered with melted butter and yogurt.
•Yogurtlu kebap: Döner kebab prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb topped with yogurt
•Adana kebap: Minced meat kebab mounted on a wide iron skewer and grilled
•Urfa kebap: Spicy Minced meat kebab mounted on a wide iron skewer and grilled
•Tavuk: Chicken
•Pirzola: Lamb chops
•Köfte: Meatballs
Fish
•Balık: Fish
•Lüfer: Bluefish
•Midye dolma: Mussels stuffed with rice
Midye Tava: Fried mussels
•Levrek: Seabass
•Barbunya: Red mullet
•Kalkan: Turbot
•Sardalya: Sardines
•Karides: Shrimp
•Ahtapot: Octopus
•Izgara: Grilled
•Kızarmış: Fried
Popular dishes
•Meze: Appetizers
•Pilav: Pilaf
•Salata: Salad
•Bulgur Pilavı: Bulgur pilaf
•Mercimek corbasi: Lentil soup
•Piyaz: White bean salad
•Dolma: Stuffed grape leaves
•Cacik: Yogurt with cucumber, dill and garlic (Tzatziki)
•Manti: Turkish dumplings filled with minced meat and topped with garlic yogurt, melted butter, dried mint, ground sumac and red pepper powder.
•İç pilav: Rice with liver, currants, pinenuts, chestnut, cinnamon and herbs
•Zeytinyağlı: Vegetables cooked in olive oil
•Yoğurt: Yogurt
Dessert
•Tatlı: Dessert
•Sütlü tatlılar: Milk-based desserts
•Kaymak: Clotted cream
•Yufka: Thin sheets of unleavened flour dough (phyllo)
•Tavuk göğsü: Pudding made with milk and chicken breast (local speciality). It does not taste chicken at all!!
•Baklava: Layered phyllo with nuts or pistachio nuts and syrup
•Sütlaç: Rice pudding
•Muhallebi: Milk pudding
•Lokum: Turkish delight
•Maraş Dondurması: Turkish ice cream made of goat milk and salep
•Salep: Flour made of orchids, used in ice cream or prepared as a hot drink
•Künefe: Shredded phylo pastry ( Kadayıf)with cheese soaked in syrup
•Kabak tatlısı: Pumpkin dessert
Vegetables
vegetable: sebze
artichokes: enginar
asparagus: kuşkonmaz
bean: fasulye
brussels sprout: Brüksel lahanası
cabbage: lahana
carrot: havuç
cauliflower: karnıbahar
corn: mısır
cucumber: salatalık
eggplant: patlıcan
garlic: sarımsak
string bean: çalı fasulye
green pepper: yeşil biber
leek: pırasa
lettuce: marul, yeşil salata
mushroom: mantar
okra: bamya
onion: soğan
pea: bezelye
potato: patates
radish: turp
red pepper: kırmızı biber
tomato: domates
zucchini: kabak
Fruits
fruit: meyva
apple: elma
apricot: kayısı
banana: muz
cherry: kiraz
sour or black cherry: vişne (sour and darker, used for jam and juice)
grapefruit: greyfurt
melon: kavun
orange: portakal
peach: şeftali
pear: armut
pineapple: ananas
pomegranate: nar
strawberry: çilek
tangerine: mandalina
watermelon: karpuz
