What’s in Every Turkish Kitchen? | Pantry Series Ep.1

Welcome to Part 1 of Turkish Pantry Essentials!
In this episode, we’re diving into the most essential ingredients in Turkish cooking—staples like olive oil, butter, tomato & pepper paste (salça), yogurt, and fragrant spices.
Whether you’re new to Turkish cuisine or want to cook more authentic meals at home, these ingredients are the foundation of hundreds of traditional dishes.
🥣 Learn how we use them in everyday recipes like mantı, kuymak, yayla soup, and more!

00:00 Intro, Flavor builders
00:40 Olive Oil & Butter
03:44 Salça (Tomato and Pepper Pastes)
07:33 Acuka (Spicy Breakfast Spread)
09:23 Spices
11:40 Yogurt

⬇️ Salça-making tutorials:
How To Make Tomato Paste https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqEab89YWQ4
How To Make Pepper Paste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B77CTfQ8rUM
➡️ How To Make Yogurt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu3fJDpMU74
➡️ KUYMAK; The Black Sea Regional Dish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwixv1wi4B0

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for Part 2 (Grains & Legumes) and beyond!

#TurkishCooking #TurkishPantry #EssentialIngredients #TurkishFood #OliveOil #Yogurt #Salça #TurkishRecipes
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Behind every rich and comforting Turkish 
dish, there is a set of ingredients we reach almost every day. Welcome to my 
new series, Turkish Pantry Essentials. A threepart guide to the core ingredients 
that shape everyday cooking in Turkey. In the first episode, we are starting with 
the flavor builders. Olive oil and butter, tomato and pepper paste, yogurt, 
and essential spices. Let’s begin with the backbone of almost every 
Turkish dish, olive oil and butter. In the western parts of Turkey where the olive 
trees grow, olive oil is the main cooking fat. We don’t use it just for salads. It is the base 
of countless warm dishes, olive oil dishes, soups, and even some desserts. Imam Bayilda 
is one of the best examples of how we use olive oil in Turkish cuisine. It’s a soft, 
slowcooked eggplant stuffed with onions, garlic, and tomatoes, then soaked generously 
in olive oil. Served cold, it’s rich, silky, and truly lets the olive oil shine. A good 
quality extra virgin olive oil is a must in Turkish kitchen. On the other hand, in the 
Black Sea coast, we are known for high quality, beautiful butter. So it is often the secrets 
behind the deep aromatic comforting flavors. For example, when I make pilow, I usually start 
by melting a good amount of butter and then add olive oil, which also prevents the butter from 
burning and adds a beautiful aroma to my pillow. Also in yogurt soups or other soups, we usually 
make the finishing touches by melting some butter, sauteing a pool bear chili flakes with 
it which becomes a beautiful red sauce. Then we pour it on top of manta on yogurt or dried mint which becomes a green mint sauce. As my mother-in-law always says, if you pour that 
much butter on me, I would be delicious, too. And she’s not wrong. Another great regional dish where 
you can truly taste the richness of Turkish butter is kuimak. A beloved recipe from the Black 
Sea coast, the homeland of this famous golden butter. Kuak is made with just three ingredients. 
Corn flour browned in butter, followed by water and a generous handful of melting cheese. What 
makes it special is that all three ingredients, the butter, the corn flour, and the cheese are 
local Black Sea products, each full of character and tradition. If you like to try it yourself, 
you can find the full recipe in the link below. Another flavor essentials in Turkish cuisine is 
salcha. These are either tomato paste or pepper paste. These paste are burst of flavors used as 
a base in stews, soups, main dishes. They bring depth, color, and concentrated flavor, especially 
when fresh tomatoes or peppers aren’t in season. We usually saute a spoonful with onions to 
build a rich base or turn it into a quick tomato sauce to pour over patbreads. Then 
top with k or kebabs. Just a spoonfuls of these paste salcha can add richness, color and 
deep umami taste. The funny thing is Turks got introduced by tomatoes in the 18th century and 
we loved it so much that it is widely available throughout Turkey. During Ottoman period, we were 
using dry fruits and spices to flavor our dishes. I filmed separate episodes exactly on how to 
make tomato paste and pepper paste since it’s the basic ingredients. Here I have about 2 and 1/2 
kg of tomatoes. Before preparing the second layer, I just sprinkled some salt. And when you let it 
sit, it releases its water. Then you cook it, mash it, strain it and continue to cook and it 
becomes a tomato paste. If you have garden with growing tomatoes or cheap you can buy from 
the market, it’s nice to make it yourself. The same method goes with the red pepper paste. 
Either sweet or hot, you can make them at home. So, if you are interested, make sure to check 
them from the description box below to watch how you can make them at home. If you cannot 
find Turkish style tomato paste, Italian ones are also very similar. You can try. If you can’t 
find pepper paste where you live, you can blend tomato paste with a bit of sweet paprika or hot 
paprika or use roasted red peppers. It won’t be same but it will come close. Of course, when it’s 
the season, which is right now here in Istanul, it’s July. We have beautiful tomatoes and a 
green and red peppers. So, we use abundantly in our dishes. Especially for bular pillows, 
with vegetables, stews, eggplant dishes, beans or any kinds. We always begin with the butter and 
olive oil. Then sauteing some onions of course and garlic if using then peppers and tomatoes. Well, but even in summer, 
we always add a bit of paste even along with the tomatoes to give 
extra color and boltness to our dishes. So, it is not depend on the season. We 
always use it during summer or winter. Let me show you one of my favorite ways to use 
both tomato and pepper paste. It’s called ajuka. A bold, flavorful spread made with pantry staples. 
You’ll find it on breakfast table, mezip platters, or simply served with warm bread. To start, I 
heat olive oil in a pan and add three to four spoons fulls of tomato paste and one tablespoon 
pepper paste. Since my pepper paste is hot, I used less. Then I cook them slowly until 
they darken in color and oil begins to shimmer. This step builds flavor. Then I 
stir in sliced garlic. Add ground cumin, some black pepper and pul bear. Especially 
if your pepper paste isn’t spicy. I finish it off with crushed walnuts and 
a sprinkle of dried thyme. The texture becomes thick, rich, and slightly 
nutty. Let it cool and you’ll have a spread that’s delicious on its own or 
paired with cheese, olives, and eggs. And the best part, it keeps in the fridge for 
days, getting even better as the flavors blend. I just decorated the top with a back of a spoon, 
placed the walnut half, and drizzled some more olive oil. If you haven’t tried auka before, this 
might become your new favorite way to use salcha. To complete the flavor foundation, let’s talk 
about the spices. Well, Turkish cuisine isn’t very spicy, but it is incredibly fragrant. We build 
flavor with few well chosen spices that enhances not overpower. For my chicken shish marinade 
for example, I always use a blend of pulbear, sweet paprika, cumin and kikick thyme along 
with yogurt and pepper paste. These spices bring heat, color and earthy depth to 
the chicken, especially when grilled. In chik of the spices are everything along 
with olive oil. Mainly I use isot pepper, smokey pepper flakes, red pepper flakes, 
cumin again, black pepper along with other spices like cinnamon, allspice, a little 
ginger and more. The flavor builds slowly as you need it into the bular. On my recipe, 
I use easier version using food processor. Arapa is a spicy tray bake of peppers, 
tomatoes, and meat. Here as well, I season it simply with cumin, 
pulbear, paprika, and black pepper. These spices soak into the vegetables and meat 
and make the oven do all the work. And let’s not forget the famous Turkish butter sauces. We 
often sizzle kulby bar or dried mint in butter and pour it over dishes like any kind of 
soups manta or chilber Turkish pached eggs. That sizzling finish adds aroma and a 
comforting richness you can’t resist. Now, let’s talk about yogurt. A true staple in 
Turkish kitchens. Yogurt is a true cornerstone of Turkish cuisine and actually a gift from 
Central Asian Turk nomads to the world. The word yogurt itself comes from Turkish and 
the technique of fermenting milk was first practiced by our ancestors centuries ago as a 
way to preserve dairy while traveling. It is not just a side dish. It’s a part of meal 
itself. In its simplest form, it’s served alongside warm pilow or grilled vegetables 
or next to dishes like iscandar kebab where it lightens the richness and enhances the flavor 
beautifully. We use yogurt in soups for marinades, make a drink iron. One of the easiest and most 
refreshing ways we use yogurt is to make iron. added some salt, about four of a teaspoon, and 
whisk them together until smooth and foamy. You can adjust the thickness by using more or 
less water depending on your preference. Iron is perfect alongside grilled dishes, 
pastries, or just as a cooling drink on a warm day. In hot days, you can also 
add some ice cubes to keep it cold. Or we use making juk which is a cold side dish 
or a cold soup. You can say using cucumber dried mint. Again you can also dice them very finely. 
Sometimes I also do that. Add delicious yogurt, cucumbers, some salt. Give it a stir. And then 
I add some chopped dill from the freezer. You can always use fresh and dried mint. Splash of 
water to loosen it up and give it a stir and it’s ready to serve. You can drizzle some olive oil on 
top or garnish with few mint leaves if you like. It’s light cooling and perfect as a side dish or 
even a dip. I recently shared how to make yogurt at home and it is truly nothing compared to the 
one you buy from the markets. I steered gently with a spoon. They looked beautiful and thick. 
I even turned the jar upside down to show you. I couldn’t wait to taste it. And believe me, 
it’s so much better than storebought yogurt. But storebought plain yogurt also would 
work as well in the recipes. Make sure it is unsweetened natural ones and 
if possible full fat. For example, in ya chbasa we use a beautiful creamy yogurt 
base and then top it with butter and mint sauce which is comforting and simple authentic 
classic soup. So my friends, these are the core ingredients I turn to almost every day. 
simple, powerful staples that bring Turkish dishes to life. In the next episode, we will move 
deeper into the pantry and explore the grains, legumes, and carbs that keep us nourished and 
satisfied like bular, red lentils, chickpeas, and rice. If you enjoyed this video, don’t forget 
to give thumbs up, leave a comment, and share the video. And if you like to explore more recipes 
using all these staple pantry essentials, make sure to check the links below. I’ll see you next 
time with part two of Turkish pantry essentials.