Recent years have seen many people shift from eating animal products in favour of a plant-based diet. However, for some, removing meat, fish, eggs and dairy from meals may appear to limit choice, and those not familiar with vegan food often believe the diet to be limited, bland or tasteless. Thankfully, in Türkiye, that’s not the case as many of the countries most well-loved dishes are vegan – simply highlighting the fabulous local vegetables, fruits, nuts and plant-based proteins available from the local producers and farmers markets.

Chefs know the power behind any great dish lies in top-quality ingredients. But when it comes to pleasing a vegan guest, especially when they’ve requested a Turkish themed night and there are already multiple diet preferences onboard, knowing what to serve can be challenging.

Senem, Irem and the 360 Yachting team specialise in supplying top-quality provisions – but we don’t just stop there – we also help organise theme nights and can suggest local dishes or ingredients ideal for special diets. Here’s a look at some incredible Turkish vegan dishes sure to impress the majority – not just the vegans onboard!

INCREDIBLY TASTY TURKISH VEGAN DISHES

Cig Kofte

Cig Kofte, literally translated as “raw meatballs”, is originally far from vegan. It’s a dish that dates back hundreds of years, traditionally made by kneading raw ground meat and spice by hand and originated in the Sanliurfa region of southeast Türkiye. But times have changed. Raw meat spoils quickly, so a vegan variation developed using a tasty mix of fine bulgur wheat, onions, tomato paste and spices. These ingredients are then kneaded into a rough paste and shaped into traditional bite-sized pieces in the palm of the hand. Vegan cig kofte is now so popular that specialist shops, street vendors and supermarkets sell it throughout Türkiye, and it’s a great addition to a meze table or a beach picnic.

Cig kofte is generally served as a wrap for those on the go or from a central platter. If the latter, diners make their own by wrapping a few cig kofte in a leaf or two of crisp iceberg lettuce or thin lavas flatbread, add a little rocket or flat-leaf parsley, then top it with a good squeeze of fresh lemon and a drizzle of pomegranate syrup – tasty!

Kisir

Sticking with bulgur as a base, have you tried Turkish kisir? If not, do as it’s a wonderful vegan salad packed full of flavour that some liken to Lebanese tabbouleh – but in our opinion, it’s even more delicious and zingy as the dressing contains pomegranate molasses. It’s a great dish as a BBQ side or for lunch, and it tastes even better the next day!

Kisir is essentially a mixed salad using bulgur (or you could use quinoa). The bulgur is mixed with finely chopped cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions, and lots of fresh local herbs, all combined with a generous helping of tomato and red pepper paste, a good drizzle of fresh lemon, good quality olive oil, plus that all-important sweet pomegranate syrup.

Imam Bayildi

Imam Bayildi, when translated, means “the Imam fainted,” and it’s one of Türkiye’s most famous signature dishes and makes for a fabulous vegan main. It’s another of the countries quirky recipes that comes with an interesting story. According to popular belief, the divine taste combo of a whole aubergine filled with a tangy tomato and onion sauce, then cooked with local olive oil really did make an Imam faint. However, others believe the amount of olive oil used in the dish may have had something to do with it!

This dish plays an integral part in Ottoman cuisine and Turkish food culture, so if you’re entertaining vegetarians or vegans and intend to hold a Turkish night, it’s a dish worth popping on the menu, and Karniyarik, the meat-filled variation, should equally impress any meat eaters.

Yaprak Sarma

Yaprak sarma consists of fresh or pickled vine leaves stuffed with a tasty vegan filling of onions, rice and spice. These attractive green finger-style rolls are cooked and drizzled with olive oil and generally served as a starter or as part of a meze selection.

The filling for yaprak sarma varies from chef to chef, but one of the most popular is vegan and contains rice flavoured with an aromatic blend of mint, mixed spice and cinnamon. Yaprak sarma may be fiddly to make, but it’s certainly worth the effort as they taste sublime and should impress most diners.

Acili Ezme

For Chef, Turkish meze dishes are impressive, easy to prepare ahead of time, and many of them are plant-based, so ideal if there’s veggies or vegans onboard. (Take a look at our post on popular Turkish meze).

For those that like their food spicy, acili ezme is an excellent meze option and vegan to boot. It’s a spicy mix of finely diced tomato, peppers, onion, chilli and parsley, all drizzled with a refreshing pomegranate and lemon dressing. The word ‘ezme’ means mashed, but acili ezme typically has a slightly coarse texture and is ideal for serving with other vegan mezes like hummus or stuffed vine leaves, with traditional flatbread or crudites on the side.

Piyaz

Packed full of protein and oh so tasty, Piyaz is a traditional Turkish bean salad that’s super-healthy and vegan. There are many different regional varieties of piyaz in Türkiye, made with different beans, but the base is generally the same; beans, finely chopped tomato, red onion, and parsley all drizzled in a tangy lemon, sumac and olive oil dressing.

Piyaz is typically served as part of a meze selection or to accompany grilled meat or BBQ dishes. Although, in Antalya, you find a version that includes tahini (crushed sesame paste), often served as a vegetarian/vegan main.

Simit

One vegan-friendly street food loved by almost everyone in Türkiye is the sesame encrusted simit. These tasty bread rings resemble bagels and are available everywhere – you even see vendors wandering the streets with big trays of simit precariously balanced on their heads!

Simits are crisp on the outside and wondrously fluffy on the inside. Instead of being boiled like a bagel, the dough is twisted into circles then dipped in sweet water before dredging in sesame seeds. They are usually made without dairy or eggs, so a fabulous vegan snack or bread alternative.

Taze Fasulye

Vegetarians and vegans will delight at taze fasulye, a dish of fresh green beans simmered in a base of onions, tomatoes, ’salca’ tomato paste, olive oil and carrots. It is one of many fabulous zeytinyagli dishes for which Türkiye is famed – all plant-based containing olive oil. (See our post on zeytinyagli /Turkish olive oil dishes)

The secret of all olive oil dishes, including taze fasulye, is quality fresh vegetables and excellent olive oil. The beans are snapped or chopped into bite-size pieces in this dish and added to the base, then simmered with the oil and a little water in a covered pot. This dish is usually served from a central plate or alongside Turkish rice or bulgur as a healthy Turkish vegan main.

NEED SPECIAL DIETARY OR QUALITY VEGAN PROVISIONS?

If you are hosting guests with special dietary requirements, be it a gluten or lactose intolerance, plant-based diet or anything else, please CONTACT US.