What Greek and Turkish Cuisine Share - Bodrum (2024)

What do Turkish and Greek cuisine have in common? And how do they differ? Is Baklava Greek or Turkish? And rolled grape leaves? Which country made the first olive oil? What about phyllo pastry? So many mouthwatering questions. One thing is sure, these two countries, situated side by side in the Mediterranean sea, have both been heavily influenced by their Mediterranean culture, which comes out in their culinary processes. They share a similar climate, the prosperous Mediterranean sun, and many of the same landscapes. While their histories differ, they both have a shared but unique heritage, which is beautifully and subtly reflected in their cuisine.

To better understand their cooking, let’s take a look at their history. One of the first residents of Greece, ( 2700 BC), the Minoans, domesticated grains, made the first wines from wild grapes and pressed the first olive oil, which soon became foundational to the Greek economy.

After that, the ancient Greeks arrived from the Ural mountain area, bringing with them cattle and bees for making honey. This people invented bread, developed the wine-making process, cultivated orchards of fruit and nut trees, ancient olive groves, figs, pistachios, and gathered greens.

Turkey, on the other hand, by its mere location, was influenced by Asia and the Middle East, as well as Europe, and of course Greece. It is one of the few self-sustaining countries in the world, thanks to its size and diversity. Much of its culinary heritage can be traced back to the period of the Ottoman Empire, but it also comes from many of its neighbors: wine from Greece, sugar, rice and sweets from Persia, skewered meats (shis-kebabs) and flat breads show nomadic influence.

The Ottomans, among other things, served to bring variety, freshness, color, and refinement to Turkish cuisine, which has been exported throughout the world.

Some dishes are virtually the same within the two countries, while others radically differ. Both the Greeks and Turks have a delicious chicken soup they make, both with a bit of lemon, but the Turks add a bit of yoghurt (a Turkish invention) to theirs and use only egg yolks, while the Greeks use whole eggs. The herbs, spices and vegetables are slightly different as well.

Both the Greeks and the Turks make tasty salads from a variety of raw fresh vegetables; the Greeks may add Feta cheese, while the Turks may spice it up with peppers.

Both the Greeks and the Turks prepare stuffed vine leaves. The Turks have a traditional recipe invented for the Ottoman sultan that uses cherries, dried currants, cinnamon, parsley, dill, and allspice along with long grain rice, lemon juice and olive oil. A typical Greek such preparation (called dolmades) would be made of risotto rice, fennel, mint, onions, lemon juice and olive oil.

And of course, baklava is a heralded treat of both nations. The Greeks refined the pastry, perhaps first developed by the Assyrians, into its famous thin leaf appearance (phyllo means leaf in Greek) and concocted the pastry with honey and walnuts. It was the Ottoman empire that added the pistachios and other spices like, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves.

To eat Turkish or Greek cuisine is truly a celebration of the blending of peoples, ideas, and flavors, all subtly woven together in a savory tapestry, a delight for the eyes.

What Greek and Turkish Cuisine Share - Bodrum (2024)

FAQs

What Greek and Turkish Cuisine Share - Bodrum? ›

Both the Greeks and the Turks make tasty salads from a variety of raw fresh vegetables; the Greeks may add Feta cheese, while the Turks may spice it up with peppers. Both the Greeks and the Turks prepare stuffed vine leaves.

What food is similar in Turkey and Greece? ›

Lamb: Lamb is by far the most popular choice of meat in both Greece and Turkey. While Lamb came from the Ottoman Empire, the Greeks put it to full use with their authentic, world-renown gyros, kebabs, and grilled lamb chops. Turks use lamb meat for their traditional meatball recipes along with hundreds of other dishes.

What Greek food has Turkish origin? ›

Some Greek dishes are inherited from Ottoman cuisine, which combined influences from Persian, Levantine, Arabic, Turkish and Byzantine cuisines: meze, kadaifi, halva, and loukoumi.

Are Turkish and Greek similar? ›

Greek and Turkish languages are quite distinct in origin and structure. But even there, I would first hear the rhythm, pace, and intonation of the passerby speaker and immediately assume the person was speaking Turkish.

What is Turkish food similar to? ›

Turkish cuisine with traditional Turkic elements such as yogurt, ayran, kaymak, exerts and gains influences to and from Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Eastern European cuisines.

What foods do Turks and Greeks share? ›

Both countries are known for creating delicious kebabs, such as skewered lamb, served with a cucumber and yoghurt mint dip. As both countries have large coastlines, fish and seafood are also commonly served in both locations.

What do Greece and Turkey have in common? ›

They share a similar climate, the prosperous Mediterranean sun, and many of the same landscapes. While their histories differ, they both have a shared but unique heritage, which is beautifully and subtly reflected in their cuisine.

What are Turkish Greeks called? ›

The Greeks of Turkey are referred to in Turkish as Rumlar, meaning "Romans".

Is Borek Turkish or Greek? ›

The English name borek comes from Turkish börek (Turkish pronunciation: [bœˈɾec]), while burek is the form used in the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Other variants include byrek in Albania and Kosovo; boureki in Greece; byurek (Bulgarian: Бюрек) in Bulgaria; bourek and brick Annabi in Algeria; brik in Tunisia.

Is tzatziki Greek or Turkish? ›

Tzatziki is Greek, no other country can claim the most famous Greek food in the world (it's a few centuries older than Greek Mousaka)!!! The Ottoman Empire, ruled over Greece from the 16th century until World War 1.

Do most Turks have Greek ancestry? ›

It turns out the “Turks” ancestors are likely to be Greek / Italian. It is unlikely that the overwhelming number of Turks are of “Turkic” ancestry. It is more likely that the overwhelming modern Turks share a European ancestry.

What is harder Greek or Turkish? ›

If you are a native speaker of English or another Indo European/Western European language, Turkish is much harder than Greek. If you are a native speaker of a Turkic language, such as Azerbaijani or Uzbek, Turkish is much easier than Greek. 2.

Does Turkish have any Greek words? ›

For example, on the coasts of Asia Minor, Greek words are found in the maritime and fishing vocabulary. Words that entered into Turkish through the influence of Greek are easily identifiable by specialists because these words morphologically show the intonation characteristic of the Greek language.

Are falafels Greek or Turkish? ›

Falafel's History

Culinary historians and anthropologists often disagree about its precise origins, but a substantial amount of evidence attributes the genesis of modern falafel to Egypt. It is believed that Copts, an Egyptian Christian community, initially crafted the dish using fava beans, labeling it 'ta'amiya'.

Are kebabs Greek or Turkish? ›

Kebap, is Arabian origin food that integrated into Turkish and Greek cuisine. Iskender Kebab, however Turkish original meal found in Bursa. Durum (Doner kebab, wrap) is also Turkish original. The reason is simple, Turks like their food.

What Greek things are Turkish? ›

Yoghurt, Dolma, Baklava, Karagöz and Hacivat belong to the Turks. Why are the Greeks trying to claim them? Yes while most of the Turks believe they may be of Turkish origin but they definitely also belong to the Greeks too. The word “Yoghurt” is Turkish.

How does Turkey compare to Greece? ›

Geography: Turkey spans both Europe and Asia, while Greece is entirely within Southeast Europe. Population: Turkey has a much larger population of over 84 million, compared to Greece's 11 million. Languages: Turkish is the official and dominant language of Turkey. Greek is the official and dominant language of Greece.

What countries have similar food to Greece? ›

Greek food is a part of Mediterranean food, a term that encompasses the cuisine of all the countries of the Mediterranean. In brief, it's Mediterranean food with characteristics and ingredients common to other Mediterranean countries like Spain, Italy, Turkey, Malta, Lebanon, etc.

What meat is similar to Turkey? ›

10 Main Course Alternatives to Turkey for Christmas
  • Duck. Another festive bird that offers flavorsome fat is duck. ...
  • Chicken. While chicken might not be the fanciest bird around, it can be a real crowd-pleaser and simple to prepare in a pinch. ...
  • Beef. ...
  • Venison. ...
  • Fish. ...
  • Pork. ...
  • Ham.
Dec 16, 2020

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