6 Delicious Turkish Soups That Everyone Should Try

6 Delicious Turkish Soups That Everyone Should Try

Avid, hard-core fans of Turkey often agree their cuisine is an important aspect of Turkish culture,
heritage, and traditions. Indeed, Turks are hearty eaters and indulge in a variety of vegetarian, meat, and
sweet dishes with eagerness and thanks for the food they have received.

Whereas the western world has more or less thrown away traditional eating habits for fast foods and

ready meals, Turks still like to cook with fresh ingredients and sit down at the family table for their time-
honoured practices of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

One type of their cuisine that appears at any of this daily routines is soup. Served as a starter for lunch
or dinner, Turks also sometimes eat it for breakfast, thanks to a tradition stemming from the Ottoman
kitchens, known as Imaret.

According to urban legends, soup is also the perfect hangover cure and hence, after the nightclubs and
bars have closed, soup kitchens often make a roaring trade from the party animals. So, if you are visiting
Turkey, and have been convinced to try their national Turkish soups, here are a few suggestions of
flavours and recipes to try.

Turkish Bridal Turkish Soups: Ezogelin Çorbasi

Known as the soup of Ezo the bride, this flavour has a rather sad love story attached to its humble roots.
The story says that Ezo was an incredibly beautiful woman who lived in the southeastern Gaziantep
region in the early 20th century. Despite her goddess looks, love was never easy for her and her first
marriage failed after her husband had an affair and her second marriage took her across the border to
live in Syria.

Homesick for many years, she died in the 1950s after bearing nine children, but her story and recipe at
this point had become a legend and the soup is a soothing comfort for brides and their uncertainty for
their future. Traditionally made from lentils, what sets this soup apart is the addition of bulgar and
cayenne pepper and paprika as ingredients rather than garnishes.

Lentil Turkish Soups: Mercimek Çorbasi

By far, one of the most popular Turkish soups consumed by Turks is lentil and for vegetarian travellers,

this is a hearty meal because traditional Turkish restaurants serve it in abundance with small side salads
and cheese bread. A small sprinkling of garlic pepper, chilli flakes, and/or melted butter is perfect to
drizzle as a garnish and add a little extra kick to your taste buds. According to the traditional recipe, the
lentils are soaked overnight and cooked for a long time to make it smooth in texture, although modern
Turkish housewives favour the ease of a hand blender instead.

Highland Meadows Turkish Soups: Yayla Çorbasi

This soup that might not be to everyone’s liking is a strange regional cuisine from the Black Sea region of
Turkey, an area that is highly green in landscapes and mountainous, hence giving it the nickname as the
highland meadows of Turkey. In this area, traditional farming methods are still used and dairy products
are fresh which is ideal since a staple ingredient of this dish is yoghurt. Also including rice and one egg
yolk, melted butter and chili flakes are sprinkled over the top as a garnish but also to add diversity to the
range of tastes.

Cabbage Turkish Soups: Lahana Çorbasi

Another favourite of the Black sea regional cuisine, Cabbage soup may seem like a boring alternative,
but for vegetarians especially, it is one of the tastiest soups thanks to the addition of beans to diversify
the taste. Again, traditionally garnished, with paprika and melted butter, you may not see this option on
the menu of most local soup kitchens, but it is worth looking on Google for the recipe if you want
warming, hearty meals in winter.

Sheep’s Head Turkish Soups: Kelle Paça Çorbasi

Travellers from the western world, who long ago, discarded any traditions of making use of every bit of
meat, may originally bulk at the idea of eating sheep’s head in a steaming broth, yet it is not as disturbing
as it sounds. Originally stemming from the Middle East, this soup is a hot favourite especially for the late-night revelers after a drinking session.

In the southeastern district of Gaziantep, soup kitchens displaying the head skeleton of a sheep in a
window also make a roaring trade from this flavour. The tongue or meat from the shinbones can also be
used but is incredibly tender because of the extended boiling time and when combined with the other
ingredients of hot chilli flakes, garlic puree, and oregano, this Turkish soup provides quite a kick.

Tripe Turkish Soups: Iskembe Çorbasi

Once known to the western world as poor man’s food, tripe is still highly favoured throughout Turkey and
often appears on menus of most soup kitchens. Recipe versions differ from region to region but it is
generally agreed that because of the subtle taste of the tripe, a heavy garnish of chilli flakes and garlic is
essential for this dish.

6 Delicious Turkish Soups That Everyone Should Try

Author: Maximos Real Estate