Every meal we ate here last weekend revolved around meat, more meat and tasty pide-like bread. A heavy meal like this paired rather well with the chilly winter weather we still are experiencing in Turkey.
Since food is always a highlight of our Turkey trips, I thought I'd give you a rundown of what we ate and some of our favorites in Konya.
Top 7 Good Eats in Konya:
1. Etliekmek - This is a local and larger variation of the traditional Turkish lahmacun. Flat bread is baked with ground meat, tomatoes, peppers and onion. We first tried this tasty bread/meal at Damla and then again for lunch at Sifa Lokantasi. One order can easily be split between two people and goes well with a hot bowl of soup.
2. Pismaniye - This is literally referred to as floss candy and looks like a fluffy ball of yarn. I'd say it closely resembles a Turkish version of American cotton candy. We bought two boxes to share with our friends here in Istanbul.
3. Firin Kebab - (oven-cooked meat) My husband enjoyed these melt-in-your-mouth chunks of lamb served with soft pide bread at Konya Mevlevi Sofrasi.
4. Candies - Konya is known for its candies. We saw at least two large sugar factories located outside of the city. One of my favorite candies, and perhaps one of the oddest, is called cezerye. This sweet falls into the Turkish Delight family and is made from reduced carrot juice, az sugar and hazelnuts, then coated with shredded coconut. This fruit roll-up concoction is my new favorite treat!
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| A Bergamot-flavored after-dinner mint candy from Konya. |
5. Hurma - (Dates) Since Konya is considered a more religious city, you will see several shops devoted to carrying just dates - or dates and candy. Dates are the fruit with which the Prophet Mohammed used to break his fasts. We bought a small bag of dates, which will probably end up in some baked treat, such as Grandma's Oatmeal-Date Bars.
6. Tirit - This rich dish is described as Konya's special bread with bouillon, yogurt, onion, butter and sumac. It's traditionally served at weddings and is very delicious!
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| We tried the tavuk suyu at both Damla and Sifa Lokantasi in Konya. |
If you happen to visit Konya, these are the foods I recommend trying and taking home what you can so your friends can sample them too.
Afiyet olsun!
Restaurants in Konya:
Damla, P�r��kl� Mahallesi, T�rbe Caddesi No:53, Konya
Sifa Lokantasi, Mevl�na Caddesi No. 29, Konya
Konya Mevlevi Sofrasi, near the Mevlana Museum, Konya