Türkiye’s Traditional Dishes are VEGAN?! Turkish Street Food in İzmir + Most Underrated Delicacies

Did you know that a lot of Turkish food just happens to be vegan?

VEGAN CULTURES EP. 7 | İzmir, TÜRKIYE – I’m visiting Türkye’s largest city along the Aegean coast to get a taste of the local food culture. From freshly baked Gözleme to stuffed vine leaves, Turkish donuts, the smoothest marzipan and a rare coffee culture, this episode is packed with traditional dishes that are naturally plant-based.

İstanbul Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvAQrrWncSk
İstanbul Part 2: https://youtu.be/gsWtcpFFK_g?si=1OO869Ph9QbaUjpf

📚 My book Naturally Vegan (includes recipes and stories from my travels): https://geni.us/NaturallyVegan

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:48 Lokma
03:26 Ceviz Ezmesi
04:54 Badem Ezmesi
06:13 Antep Fıstık Ezmesi
08:50 Dibek Kahvesi
11:25 Gözleme
14:55 Sarma & Kabak Çiçeği Dolması
17:28 End

IZMIR FOOD TOUR

This tour kicks off with with one of Izmir’s most underrated delicacies: Lokma. It’s essentially Türkiye’s answer to donuts, which get soaked in a rose-water-flavoured syrup. Extremely delicious! I’m meeting Mustafa from Öztat Kardeşler (https://www.instagram.com/oztatkardesler/) to learn how they are made the artisanal way.

Then it’s time for another Turkish delicacy. Ezmesi at Elgani Ezmecizade (https://www.instagram.com/ezmecizadeelgani/). This family-run business knocks out Turkish marzipan from three different nuts: Almonds, walnuts and pistachios. For generations, they use semolina instead of egg to give the marzipan the right texture and to make it more stable. Luckily for me, that means that it’s now naturally plant-based. If you love nuts, you’ll want to try those!

Here in Izmir, you’ll find Dibek Kahvesi as a local, specialty coffee option. I visited Dibek Tahmis (https://maps.app.goo.gl/bhJdidXSKpxhfQrx9) to learn about this uniquely made coffee. The flavour is milder than the more common Turk Kahvesi, but with more developed aroma. I loved it!

For my final stop, I joined the family behind Pervin Teyze (https://www.instagram.com/pervinteyze.restaurant/) and watched Dursun make three iconic Turkish dishes, the most famous of which is Gözleme. These stuffed flatbreads are a popular street food all around Türkiye and she prepared them with a spinach, potato and pul biber stuffing as well as an aubergine, tomato and black pepper filling. She also showed me how to make Sarma, the iconic stuffed vine leaves, before she continued with Kabak Çiçeği Dolması, which are stuffed courgette flowers. They were incredibly delicate, with the sarma having a more robust, almost olive-like flavour. Delicious!

VEGAN CULTURES – THE MISSION

Vegan food is not a modern invention. It’s a modern label. We’ve been eating plant-based dishes for thousands of years, be it for religious reasons, out of poverty or simply because of what was available naturally. This show is about discovering these kinds of dishes – dishes from around the world that just happen to be vegan — so that we can embrace them for a more sustainable plant-based diet.

📣 Let me know in the comments which country I should visit next and what dishes I might find!

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Edit by Trang Nguyen

Get ready
for donut-shaped sweets. Oh my God. Flatbreads cooked
over an open fire. That has a powerful flavor. And hand-shaped marzipan that is made
from three different nuts. If you love walnuts,
this is the one. This episode takes me around
Izmir along the Aegean coast. Here, amidst ancient Greek
ruins and small artisan shops, I get to taste
some of Türkiye’s most famous and least known foods,
all with one mission: they’ve got to be
traditionally plant-based. From stuffed vine leaves and flatbreads
to hand-picked nuts that are turned into a rich
marzipan, Türkiye is far more vegan-friendly
than one might think. So let’s find out what
that’s all about. This city along
the coast has been an important port
since ancient Greek time. But I’m here today to
explore its food and we’re kicking things
off with a popular sweet, Lokma. Translating simply
to morsel or bite in Turkish, Lokma is a mouth-
watering delight that has captivated the tastebuds of locals
and travelers for centuries. These small, donut-like balls boast a flavor
that’s sweet yet exotic, and they just happen
to be vegan. Here in Izmir, there’s no better person
to teach me how they are made than baker and local
Lokma master, Mustafa Öztapaci. He took me under his wing
to show me the secrets to his hand-shaped
Lokma at his shop Öztat Kardeşler. Like many promising
beginnings, this one too starts by crumbling
fresh yeast into flour. Add some water and it’s time for the beast of doughmixers
to get to work. After some serious mixing,
you end up with a smooth but quite loose dough that’s
almost closer to a batter. Then it’s time for a final mix by hand
to check the consistency and make sure that the
gluten is on the right track. After a 40 minute break, the yeasts have worked
their magic and the lokma are ready
for a bath in the hot oil. And this is where skill comes
to play. Whilst many lokma makers
opt for a device that churns out
round balls of dough, Fatti sticks true to his craft.
He swiftly works the liquid dough, tearing off pieces
and using his thumb to give them a perfect
donut-like shape. Flip them over and fry them until they have turned into
crispy, golden perfection. But we’re not done yet. It’s time for a second
bath. This one in a thick sugar syrup
flavoured with rosewater. Once strained from the syrup,
they are stacked on a tray, ready to hit the shop
where I can finally taste one. So here we go. We’ve got our lokma. That feels
crunchy. That feels tough. I thought it would be soft
and it’s still warm. Let’s try it out. Oh my God, it’s crunchy on the outside. The sugar syrup is
dripping down my fingers. That is loaded.
I didn’t expect that. I thought it would be just
really sweet on the outside, but that soft dough inside has soaked up
all of that sugar syrup. And that sugar
syrup is flavored. It’s not just water and sugar. There’s rosewater in there, and you get
a really good hint of that Man, it’s juicy. It’s so intense,
it’s really sweet, but it’s exactly the kind of sweet
treat that you would expect when you look at it.
Super flavoursome. I’m impressed. Lokma. Growing up, one of my favorite
things was marzipan. So when I heard that
there’s a Turkish sweet that’s actually quite similar. I, of course,
had to check it out. Let’s try Badem Esmezi. Esmezi are a collection
of confections that can best be described
as Turkish marzipan. They have been enchanting
the palates of Turks for centuries and originated
from wealthy royal kitchens of the Ottoman Empire. Here, at Elgani Ezmecizade a fifth generation
family business, Erhan and his son Cenk still make three
of these traditional marzipans, turning walnuts, individually
picked pistachios and highly prized
almonds into these sweet delights that just happen
to be entirely plant based. Today, they are my teachers and
let me in on their secrets. The process always starts
the same way. First, plenty of sugar
is dissolved in water to make a rich syrup. Then the ground nuts of choice, in this case
walnuts, and a bit of semolina are added and vigorously mixed until the sugar syrup and nuts
blend into a heavenly paste. The walnut taste paste has cooled down a little bit,
and we’re going to try it. That is delicious, really, really
intense walnut flavor. Wow. So this is going to continue
cooling down. After
spreading it out into trays, it’s pressed out like this
before it gets the final touches
to make it smooth. That’s one marzipan ready
to go. Time for the next one. Almonds. To make the almond
marzipan, first a paste similar
to the one with walnuts is made with both
bitter and sweet almonds. After refrigerating it
for a day to let the flavours mingle,
it’s removed from the vat. Then it is rolled
into a gigantic sausage. Instead of egg whites, Erhan’s family
has used semolina flour for over four generations,
keeping the marzipan fresh for longer
and accidentally turning it plant-based. After slicing each
roll into bite-sized chunks, they are beautifully trayed
up and dusted with a generous amount
of ground almonds. Two down, one to go. Pistachio. Start by adding heaps of raw pistachios
to a sieve and shake it to remove some of the bran. Then grab a chair because it’s time to pick every single individual
pistachio by hand. With a handpicked selection of the finest pistachios, it’s time to transform them
into esmezi Once they are turned
into a similar paste as the marzipans before, a part of the paste
is cut up and ground with a little bit of water to create
an even smoother butter. But that’s not all. By spreading it out
over the marble and scraping it into thin layers,
it becomes almost homogenous. This is the ultimate secret
of the trade, because now the massaged layer of pistachio
butter is encased into
the pistachio paste and rolled in even more ground
pistachios. It’s a method that creates
three different layers of intense
pistachio flavor, all with a slightly different
mouthfeel. Roll them out, cut
them, place them in the tray. And what else? Dust them with a layer of vibrant
green, ground pistachios. We’re finished in the atelier
and now we’re heading to the shop
where they actually sell them. And I can finally try
the finished ones. Let’s go. Here we go. So we made three different
marzipan-like sweets. And here we’ve got our almond
marzipan. We’ve got the pistachio paste and we’ve got the walnut
paste. Traditionally
marzipan is made with almonds. But obviously you can apply the same
method to the pistachios, the same method
to the walnuts. And then you get these three
different flavours. I was told I have to start
with the pistachio. So the pistachio one first. The moment
that flavor kicks in, it’s the purest
form of pistachio and you could see
when they made it. There’s nothing added to it.
This is the colour of the nuts. Usually when I grind up
pistachios, they turn out quite a muddy green. But this is bright green and you can just taste
that as well. That quality in the nuts
translates to the flavour. That is incredible. I’m going
to try the almond one next. This is the almond paste.
So, the marzipan. It’s so soft. Actually, I expected this
to be way sweeter. When you bite into marzipan. It is a sweet treat,
but not overpowering. Essential almond flavour
is packed into this treat. Whenever
I made marzipan at home, I actually had to add
almond extract, which I know
is not the right way to do it. But I didn’t get that flavour
out of the almonds. But you can really, really taste the artisanal
nut flavour in here. And then
we’ve got our walnut one. So this one isn’t cut. It’s only cut
in the tray. So, they press it into the tray. And then they cut it
here in the shop. So, walnuts, a little bit of semolina,
sugar and water. If you love walnuts,
this is the one because that is so extreme
and the walnuts are delicious. There’s no bitterness here, just a wonderful walnut flavour
with that sweetness. This one is a little bit
sweeter than the other ones, but it’s so delicious. Wow. Three wonderful,
incredible things. Here in Izmir, you see a lot of coffee
places selling dibek coffee. Dibek refers to the method they use to grind the coffee
beans, and it apparently
also gives it a very distinguished flavour. So I’m eager to try it out. Let’s try dibek
kahvesi. Coffee connoisseurs,
watch out. This is not your ordinary
caffeine boost, but one of Türkiye’s
most cherished coffee rituals. Dibek kahvesi is Turkish
coffee with a twist. The beans are ground
with a mortar, old enough to have seen generation of youngsters turned into
avid dibek aficionados. Born during the Ottoman
Empire, it has long become a part
of the local culture. And here in Izmir, no one does quite like this man, Bekir Bay. Crafting coffee
with care and precision, Bekir has long made a name
for himself as artisan and coffee maestro, and customers happily
take the plane from Istanbul to stock up at his small shop
at the edge of town. I was lucky enough
to spend the morning with him and see
how the coffee is made. First up, the raw dried coffee beans are roasted until dark
brown and aromatic. Slowly turning them lets them cool down evenly without burning
any of the flavours. Next, they’re added to
the stone mortar, where the slow
but steady rhythm turns them from whole beans
into a fine powder, a process that takes 45 minutes
per batch. It’s this method
that sets dibek kahvesi apart from the more commonly
served Turk kahvesi. Once the coffee is ground, it is sifted for
a consistent texture before it is ready
to be packed up on order. Craving a freshly brewed cup Bekir told me that
he only sells the ground coffee in his shop.
However, I was in luck. Eager to share
the labour of his passion, he pulled up a small stove and filled
a traditional copper cezve with coffee and water. It was then boiled twice
to bring out all the aroma, before it was finally time
to taste it. Okay we’re done. We ground the coffee beans, we packed the coffee beans, and now we’ve got a really nice
looking cup of coffee with this
layer of froth on top. Here we go. Whoaaah. Oh, it’s a bit
milder than the Turkish coffee I had so far where I had
a traditional turk kahvesi. So he grinds the coffee
really fine and you get a little bit
more aroma from the beans. I might prefer
this one, actually. It’s really nice. This place is historic, and you can taste the artisan
at work in this little cup. Delicious. We’ve got one more stop
left on our Izmir food tour. I actually left
the city of Izmir now, and I’m
now in the region of Izmir, near the old Greek
ruins of Ephesus. And here we’re going to taste one of Türkiye’s
most famous dishes, Gözleme. Overlooking
the village of Şirince, this place knocks out
fresh Gözleme, a beloved Turkish street food that’s as versatile as it is
delicious. Made from thin
sheets of dough, it is stuffed with a variety of
savoury fillings, some of which are entirely
plant-based. They are then baked over a traditional
wood-fired griddle, resulting in a flavourful treat that will make your
taste buds sing. But there’s more. Here you’ll also find
one of the seasonal highlights of Turkish cuisine Kabak çiçeği dolması are courgette flowers that are stuffed
with a savoury mixture of rice, herbs and spices, then gently
simmered to tender perfection. The same filling is used
to make another true taste of Turkish tradition, Sarma. These rolled up vine leaves
make an appearance all across the country.
A true labour of love, Each bite reveals layers
of flavour and tradition. So let’s find out
how all of these are made. I’m here now with Dursun and Dursun is going to
show me how to make Gözleme. – Okay
– Okay. Let’s go. Gözleme start their process
with flour, salt and water that are kneaded into
a rough dough. Divide it up into
smaller chunks and it’s already
time to roll it out. Now add some spinach, cooked potatoes,
and aromatic Turkish chili flakes for a humble
but flavoursome filling. Close it up,
then bake them over a traditional saç, a griddle
that is woodfired, cooking the gözleme quickly while giving them
an incredible flavour. Spray on some oil and roast
until golden on both sides. Then they’re
ready to eat, just like that, or cut up into pieces for Turkish
finger food. And here we’ve got our
gözleme, two ways. We’ve got the spinach
potato and pul biber and then the aubergine and tomato one.
That was lightning fast. She was so quick.
She made a fresh dough then quickly rolled out
the gözleme. So, we’ve got our spinach
potato and pul biber gözleme. Pul biber, those pepper flakes instantly
give it a spicy kick. And that dough has this
really nice char flavour. You’ve seen that wood fire. You’ve seen those flames. And that adds flavour
to the dough. That is incredible. The filling, spinach and the
potatoes are really subtle. You get that nice spiciness
from that pul biber. So that is
an essential addition. I would always make sure
to have that. But the spinach
and potato are really subtle so
the real experience of this gözleme, for me, here is the dough,
the little crispy bits. That charred flavour.
That is wonderful. And then we’ve got our aubergine and tomato
one. Same dough, same process roughly. Hot tomatoes in there, you can feel that.
That is piping hot. But definitely
going to be worth it. Heaps of pepper. I didn’t see her add any pepper.
That was already in the mix, but that has a powerful
flavour. Tomato. Very subtle. Adds a little bit of that umami hint.
She adds that oil and that turns it
into a little bit of a greasy experience,
but in a wonderful way. Crispy bits here on the outside. This is a really fun one. I’ve actually never seen the aubergine
and tomato on menus. Spinach and potato
is really, really common, so you can definitely
always order that. The aubergine and tomato
one you have to ask for. So yeah, two types of gözleme.
We’re not finished yet. That was only the beginning. She’s now going to make sarma,
which are stuffed vine leaves. Super excited to try them.
Let’s go. This dish is popular across
most of the Middle East. Here in Türkiye it starts with rice,
spring onions, parsley, mint, plenty of salt, black pepper,
a fragrant Turkish pepper paste,
as well as a tomato paste and of course a generous
amount of olive oil. Mix all of that together
and your stuffing is ready. This dish is a true labour of
love, because each individual sarma is rolled by hand
and neatly stacked into a pan, Then they’re covered
with water and a few lemon slices
before they are cooked until all of the
water is absorbed and the rice is tender. With the sarma blipping away, Dursun prepared a
seasonal highlight. The courgette flowers
are only available in summer and need to be picked
just after sunrise. The only time when the flowers
naturally open on the plant. They are then stuffed
with the same filling she used for the sarma, and
are cooked in the same way. It’s a highlight
of Turkish cuisine that locals are eagerly
looking forward to the entire year. And together with the sarma,
I finally get to try it. And then these are the
sarma, the stuffed vine leaves. Incredible!
What a piece of art. But yeah, usually
with something like that, you can taste that
labour of love when you bite into these. Okay, let’s try a sarma. Those vine leaves
are super delicate. You just bite through. There’s no
resistance whatsoever. You get loads of spices,
but it’s actually not spices. It’s actually the vine leaf.
The vine leaves almost give it an olive like flavour. As if olives have
been chopped up and mixed through the rice. But obviously, we’ve seen
that she hasn’t done that. Really rich,
really savoury dish. And then obviously she also
made the kabak çiçeği dolmasi. So dolma just means stuffed and kabak çiçeği
refers to the courgette flower. So those beautiful flowers
are then stuffed with the same stuffing
as the sarma. That makes it look like
such an artisan dish. Wow. They’re
falling apart, but wow, completely different
to the sarma. They don’t have this vine leaf
olive like flavour. The flowers are very delicate, but they make it into this
really nice artisanal package, as if nature really intended those flowers to be used
for that. Really delicious. Oh god. Messy but good. I could see earlier
that they added a little bit of pomegranate molasses,
but not the kind of molasses that I know, the really thick,
sort of sweet tangy ones, the one they added
was quite liquidy and it’s just tangy, but that tangy flavour works
really well. So I’m actually going
to take this lemon and get a little bit more
on there, of that tangy flavour. That really
brings it all together. What a fun experience.
So that was incredible. She made two different
types of gözleme and then two different
types of dolma. The stuffed vine leaves
and then the stuffed courgette flowers. So again, three or even four different
Turkish dishes that just happen to be
plant-based. That was wonderful. That was the end
of my first Izmir episode, but I’ve got a second one
coming up where I explore more food
from the region, from Türkiye’s famous
sesame breads to wild herbs and traditional dishes
that just happen to be vegan, there’s a lot to taste. If you want to support
my mission to find traditional
plant-based food from all around the world, then hit thumbs up
and subscribe. Thanks for watching
and see you next time!