Who can resist the smell of fresh baked goods when passing by a bakery, especially if it’s a Turkish bakery? I can’t! So, I’ve prepared a great blog post with Turkish words for pastries for all pastry lovers out there!
If you are visiting Turkey, you may have realized there’s a bakery (fırın) on almost every corner. That’s because Turkish people love eating pastries every single day. Some of them even refuse to eat breakfast without bread or simit (Turkish bagel). Though it’s very popular worldwide, Turkish cuisine offers more than döner kebab!
So come, let’s learn about Turkish pastries as well as their names in the Turkish language in this blog post!
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Best-Loved Pastries From Turkish Bakeries
There are a lot of different Turkish pastries available in bakeries, but local people have some favorites. Here are the all-time favorites from a local person’s point of view.
1. Ekmek
Did you know that Turkey is the country that consumes the most bread? Turkish people eat a whopping 199.6 kilograms of bread per year! Bread is the be-all and end-all of traditional breakfasts. As this is the case, it’s no surprise there are many different types of bread in a typical Turkish fırın (bakery), including whole grain bread, sour-dough bread, bazlama, ramazan pidesi, etc.
2. Simit
The simit, a staple of Turkish cuisine, has been made in the country for countless years. It’s also known as a Turkish bagel. Documents and historical allusions about the simit date back to before 1435, the year of Constantinople’s Ottoman takeover.
The simit has gradually changed over time to become a crunchy pastry coated in sesame seeds that goes great with Turkish cheeses and a cup of tea (çay). Other varieties, meanwhile, use sunflower or poppy seeds in place of the more common sesame seeds.
3. Dereotlu Poğaça
The Turkish name for dill is dereotu, and this pastry is loaded with this distinct herb. I’m fond of dill –its fresh scent and aroma, mhmm…thanks to this delicious pastry! Sesame seeds are sprinkled on top of a rich, flavorful bread that is packed with salty white cheese. Like most baked products, this is best eaten fresh out of the oven.
4. Boyoz
Boyoz originated with Sephardic Jews, who were banished from Spain in 1492 and given sanctuary in Smyrna, or present-day Izmir. Boyoz is solely found in Izmir. It can be eaten on its own or stuffed with cheese, chocolate, or potato, and its layers of flaky, buttery goodness resemble those of a French croissant.
Even though eating just one mouthful leaves your hands and face in a crumbly mess, the experience is worthwhile. These have to be consumed when still warm; to blend in with the natives, tuck them into a boiled egg, tomato, or piece of cheese.
5. Pide
Pide is known as Turkish pizza around the world. It’s a boat-shaped flatbread that’s often topped with various ingredients, such as minced meat, cheese, and vegetables. It’s somewhat similar to pizza in shape but has a very different flavor.
6. Tahinli Pide
This sweet pastry is similar to a plain pide, but sesame takes center stage in a circular shape. The dough is filled with sweetened tahini paste before being baked, and the exterior is soft, not very crispy. It’s known as Bursa’s Tahinli, as it originated from the city of Bursa.
7. Baklava
I couldn’t skip mentioning the sultan of all Turkish desserts: baklava. Fine layers of pastry dough, frequently filled with nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey, make up this dish. It’s usually made by putting 10 layers on top of each other by hand after the dough has been thinned to a fine micro-degree. A generous amount of pistachio is used as filling between the layers, but walnut is also common.
Turkish Words For Pastries
Let’s learn Turkish words for pastries, starting with where the magic happens. The Turkish word for bakery is fırın. When you enter a fırın in Istanbul, you’ll need to know what you want to eat to make a quick order in the crowded queue. Learning these words will make the ordering process much easier:
| English Translation | Turkish Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet pastry with nuts and syrup | Baklava | |
| Circular sesame-covered bread | Simit | |
| Savory pastry filled with cheese or meat | Poğaça | |
| Layered pastry with various fillings | Börek | |
| Sweet or savory bread roll | Çörek | |
| Shredded wheat dessert with syrup | Kadayıf | |
| Sweet dessert with shredded wheat and cheese or nuts | Künefe | |
| Semolina sponge cake soaked in syrup | Revani | |
| Noah’s Pudding, a dessert with grains, dried fruits, and nuts | Aşure | |
| Deep-fried sweet dough balls in syrup | Lokma | |
| Cookies with nuts or seeds | Kurabiye | |
| Turkish flatbread with various toppings | Pide | |
| Milk pudding thickened with rice or cornstarch | Muhallebi | |
| Baked rice pudding | Fırın Sütlaç | |
| Soft twisted pastry with sesame seeds | Açma | |
| Small pastries in syrup topped with pistachios | Kemalpaşa Tatlısı | |
| Flatbread with sweet sesame paste filling | Tahinli Pide | |
| Chocolate cake | Çikolatalı Pasta | |
| Fig cookies with fig jam | İncirli Kurabiye | |
| Sweet pumpkin dessert flavored with cinnamon | Kabak Tatlısı | |
| Hazelnut-filled shredded wheat pastry in syrup | Fındıklı Kadayıf | |
| Ring-shaped sweet pastry with powdered sugar | Halka Tatlısı | |
| Layered dessert with thin dough, milk, and rose water | Güllaç | |
| Candied chestnuts | Kestane Şekeri | |
| Cake | Kek | |
| Savory cookies | Tuzlu Kurabiye | |
| Tiramisu | Tiramisu | |
| Three-milk cake | Trileçe | |
| Sweet semolina cookies | Şekerpare | |
| Savory pastry with salt | Tuzlu Poğaça | |
| Flour cookies | Un Kurabiyesi | |
| Cherry cake | Vişneli Kek | |
| Olive-filled pastry | Zeytinli Poğaça | |
| Milk-soaked dessert with walnuts | Sütlü Nuriye | |
| Semolina halva | İrmik Helvası | |
| Coconut cookies | Hindistancevizi Kurabiyesi | |
| Baked pasta (sweet pastry) | Fırın Makarna | |
| Crescent-shaped pastry | Ay Çöreği | |
| Apple pie | Elmalı Turta |
Final Words
Tourists often dream about eating döner kebab and baklava during their travel, but there are many options if you visit a bakery to get a fresh pastry when you’re in Turkey! You can even have a quick local-like breakfast with fresh simit and a glass of hot çay (tea).
