Vegetable dishes exist in Turkish cuisine, as does their variety. The level to which Turkish cuisine is seasonal is one of its many beautiful qualities. With a few rare exceptions, practically all dishes are only available during the season when their main ingredients are at their peak of freshness, and requests for dishes that aren’t in season are often met with surprise.
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Turkish vegetarian and vegan cuisine’s standout dishes include dolma and sarma, in which nearly anything can be filled (though stuffed vine leaves are most common). The food is frequently prepared with olive oil, which gives the numerous excellent fresh vegetables an extra-light flavour.
Turkey’s geography is diverse, ranging from beautiful seashore scenery to arid desert. It has a large selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, all used in cooking. Particularly on the Black Sea coast, where herbs and vegetables are so widely available, and meat is often considered an expensive treat, many Turks follow what is essential “accidentally” a vegan diet.
But as we promised, here are the five delicious Turkish vegan dishes you can prepare at home. And just one more thing for people who eat meat out there: these recipes are fantastic even without meat, but there are ways to include it if you’re desperate.
Mücver
Zucchini fritters called mücver include feta cheese, onion, and dill. Red pepper flakes are often placed on top of the zucchini before finely chopped or shredded and then cooked in olive oil to give it the faintest indication of heat. Some recipes call for eggs, but they are only included to make things hold together more quickly; it is just as simple to make them without eggs, and the flavour is unaffected.
The first few Mücver are eaten immediately off the rack because this is one of those recipes where you can make massive servings, but when people grow full, you can wait until they cool down, and some people believe that mücver is a dish best-served cold. In other regions, mücver, simply “fritters,” may be cooked with carrots or potatoes, but zucchini mücver is perhaps the most popular and traditional.
İmambayıldı
imambayildi, literally “the imam fainted,” is a giant flat eggplant stuffed with various delicious foods and soaked in olive oil. An onion, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and spices make up the stuffing. The name reportedly originated from an imam whose wife informed him that she had used all the olive oil for just one dish, causing him to faint both initially at the expense of this one dish and secondly after tasting it for the first time due to how good it was!
Lentil Köfte
Red lentils and bulgur are cooked and formed into balls filled with herbs and spices to make lentil köfte or lentil balls. It is usually eaten with a piece of lettuce, cabbage, or vine leaves and is made according to several recipes using rice, onions, currants, and pine nuts. Veggies like peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, or eggplants can also be included. However, initially, it only consists of a shitload of herbs and spices, probably with some tomato and pepper paste for a natural flavour explosion with each bite. They’re a typical dish and a great source of protein for vegans searching for new foods to try!
Kısır
Kısır is a food that is highly comparable to Tabbouleh salad. The bulgur-based salad is made of tomato paste, finely chopped tomatoes, parsley, and garlic. Cucumbers cut just as finely as tomatoes are also pretty popular, as are dry or spring onions. Although pomegranate syrup (nar ekşisi) is famous in many locations, lemon and olive oil are typically used as dressings. Despite those areas being frequently associated with their meat dishes, it is a trendy food in the regions of Osmaniye, Adana, Mersin, Antalya, Karaman, Konya, Gaziantep, Kilis, and Antakya. It is frequently served on festive occasions and is almost always followed with a cup of Turkish tea.
Stuffed Vine Leaves
Okay, this is the most apparent item on the list, but we had to include it. Usually, rice, onions, currants, and pine nuts are used to pack vine leaves. Vegetables can be stuffed with the same basic stuffing. Stuffed vegetables, including peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and onions, are common, and the filling is frequently similar. Although rolling out the stuffed vine leaves can be challenging, it’s often a rite of passage for kids or a family activity as everyone gathers and stuffs their food together before feasting on the delicious food all at once.
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