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…not to miss when you are in the Van region

For breakfast -try one of the ‘kahvalti salonu’ shops. They offer various cheeses, eggs (fried or boiled), olives, fresh butter, and honey & cream, if you prefer a sweet start to your day. These are the places to have milk or coffee to your breakfast, or stick to the obligatory cups of tea.


‘Bal ve kaymak’ -Honey and cream served with piles of fresh local bread (‘pide’-the flat bread, or ‘ekmek’ the fresh loaf)

Van is the home of ‘otlu peynir’ -white cheese (can be either of sheep’s or cow’s milk) with mountain herbs, conserved in salt. Walking around, you will see big heaps of it in cheese shops, some of them selling cheese prepared by nomadic families living in the surrounding mountains.






Absolute specialty, you cannot find anywhere else in the country, are ‘jejerun’ and ‘devseyiti’. On the left you see ‘jejerun’ - bread coated in egg adn flour, fried in oil. ‘Devseyiti’ contains flour, black pepper, some sugar, butter and water, simmered together for hours.

For dinner, try ‘ayran asi’ -the local yoghurt soup cooked with mint and cracked wheat. A highly recommended, refreshing option for a hot summer evening. (Do not be surprised however, that you will be served bread, fresh mixed salad and ‘ezme’ -a mix of finely chopped tomato, onion, parsley and chili- before your soup arrives. These are the obligatory and free appetizers, no matter what you order after.)

‘Keledos’ is another regional staple - chickpea, wheat, leek, beans cooked together until tender, topped with a sauce of chili and oil, and herbs (mint, thyme). You can choose it as an appetizer - but be careful with your main course, this is a fillling dish! Vegetarians should watch out, because it may come with or without meat (etli or etsiz).

 You will most often find ‘kiremit’ translated as ‘tile’ in the local restaurants, however, this definitely is not a flat dish in any sense. Meat and vegetables are mixed in an earthenware pot, and the dish is cooked slowly in a hot oven. The actual type of the ‘kiremit’ will depend on the kind of meat inside.









Or, if you prefer to have control over your own food, go to the barbecue restaurant (ocakbasi) at Tamara Otel - however, be prepared to fork out more for your dinner here, than in a lokanta.There, you can pick from the wide selection of marinated meats, you barbecue yourself mangal-style at barbecue tables for up to 8 persons. And don’t forget to sample the excellent cold meze selection - our personal favourite is the aubergine salad with tomato and parsley











When you go to Dogubeyazit, the dish to try is ‘abdigor koftesi’. This giant meatball (kofte) is served on a bed of rice. Order some  ‘tursu’ (pickled vegetables) to it and wash it down with ‘ayran’ (savoury yoghurt drink). Unless you have extreme appetite, this is a meal to share with friends.

Afiyet olsun!