Elements of Turkish cuisine, glossary and global interpretations –
Ayran – a drink made from yogurt and water with a pinch of salt
Bakla – broad bean, horse bean or favabean
Bal – honey
Balkabagi – orange pumpkin
Beyaz peynir – soft white cheese made from sheep or cow’s milk, referred to globally as feta cheese
Börek – the generic term for savoury pastries and pies
Bulgur – a grain made from cracked wheat berries, can be found in fine and coarse varieties
Çamfistigi – pine nut kernels or pignolia
Çay – tea, harvested in the Black sea region
Cezve – a long handled pot required for making Turkish coffee
Çörekotu – nigella, a small aromatic seed sometimes incorrectly referred to as black cumin
Dolma – generic term for anything with a stuffing
Et suyu – meat stock or broth/bouillon
Güveç – earthenware or terracotta pot used to make casseroles/casseroles
Kabak – summer squash, courgette or zucchini
Kahve – Turkish coffee
Kasar peyniri – hard pale yellow cheese made from sheep or cows milk. Can be substituted with mild cheddar
Kaymak – clotted cream made from water buffalo milk
Kirmizi biber – a type of chilli pepper originally from South America. Available from sweet and mild to ferociously hot
Kiyma – minced or ground meat, sometimes referred to as hamburger in the United States
Köfte – term for meat or vegetables shaped into a ball
Kusüzümü – small black currant, sometimes referred to as bird grape
Maydanoz – flat leaf parsley
Mercimek – red lentils
Meze – appetiser, small portion
Misir nisantasi – cornflour or cornstarch
Nar- pomegranate
Nar eksisi – syrup made from sour pomegranates
Nohut – chickpea or garbonzo beans
Patlican – aubergine or eggplant
Pastirma – air-dried fillet of beef coated in a combination of spices, similar to pastrami
Pekmez – boiled and concentrated grape juice used as a sweetening agent. Can also be found made from mulberries, dates and carob
Pilav – a pilaf or rice dish Pudre seker – powdered sugar, icing sugar or confectioners sugar
Sakiz – mastic gum, used to flavour and thicken sweets. Highly prized by the Ottoman court
Salça – concentrated rich tomato paste, tomato puree
Semiz otu – purslane, also known as lambs lettuce
Sucuk – heavily spiced and seasoned sausage
Sumak – dried berry of the sumac tree. Usually used in its ground form to give a tangy citrus taste
Tahin – an oily paste made from crushed sesame seeds, sometimes known globally as tahini
Tarator – a sauce made with ground nuts, garlic, bread, oil and vinegar
Tava – refers to a frying pan or fried dish
Tepsi – refers to a tray or baking tray used for making pastries
Terbiye – a mix of lemon, flour and eggs added to a dish to flavour and thicken
Un – plain white flour, white all-purpose flour
Yufka – thin, round sheets of ready-made pastry, which measure 60cm/2ft in diameter. Filo/phyllo can be used as a substitute
Zeytin – olive
Zeytinyagi – olive oil
Zeytinyagli – generic term for the method of cooking vegetable dishes cooked with olive oil