Turkish Food Guide for First-Timers: Kebab, Köfte & Beyond

Turkish menus can read like a secret code — şiş, köfte, testi, meze. Ten minutes here and you will decode every menu in Side. Class is in session.

The grill words

• Kebab — the umbrella word: meat cooked over or beside fire. Not one dish; a civilisation.
• Şiş (shish) — "skewer". Şiş kebab = marinated cubes grilled on a stick. Lamb, beef or chicken.
• Köfte — hand-shaped grilled meatballs, seasoned and juicy. Türkiye's answer to every comfort-food question.
• Pirzola — chops; at Hawaii, the beloved lamb chops.
• Karışık / mixed grill — a platter of several grills. The smart first order.

The pot words

• Güveç / casserole — clay-dish stew, bubbling when it lands. Lamb or chicken.
• Testi kebab — the sealed clay jug, cracked open at your table. Full guide here.
• Ottoman kebab — slow, rich, in the palace tradition — the sauce is the point.

The table words

• Meze — small shared starters; order the mixed plate and dip bread until the mains land.
• Rakı — the anise spirit that turns cloudy with water. The traditional partner of grilled meat and long conversations. Sip, never shot.
• Çay — tea, in a tulip glass, ending every meal whether you planned it or not.

A menu-reading cheat sheet

See skewers → grilled on a stick. See casserole/pot/pan → slow and saucy. See "for 2" → theatrical and generous (Mixed grills, Testi kebab). See a name you do not recognise (Anatolia, Diyar, Shepherd's) → house recipe; ask the waiter, that is what they are there for.

Ready for the practical exam? The full Turkish menu at Hawaii awaits — book your table.