Being Vegan in Turkey is way easier than anyone can imagine. There is a great selection of dishes when it comes to finding vegan food in Turkey.
I tried to compile a list of Turkish vegan dishes for you. I shortly mentioned how they are prepared and I also included ingredients. You can always contact me if you need to learn more about vegan dishes in Turkey and a vegan-friendly tour in Turkey. I can take you to vegan restaurants in many Turkish cities such as Istanbul, Ephesus, Kusadasi and Cappadocia. I hope one day we can try them together. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
Stuffed Pepper
Stuffed Pepper is very similar to stuffed vine leaves. Leaves often include meat inside but stuffed pepper is prepared without any meat. You take some rice and pour it gently in a hollow pepper. Then you seal the top of the pepper with a tomato slice. Your tasty vegan dish will be read after thirty minutes of boiling.
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Imam Bayıldı
Imam bayıldı has a very interesting story. Story says one day an imam (priest in Islam) comes back home and sees his wife baking huge eggplants. He thinks they are covered in meat and he faints thinking his wife used all the meat in the house. Imam bayıldı literally means ”Imam Fainted” 😁. Later he realized actually she didn’t use meat instead she used garlic and tomatoes. This dish is vertically cut eggplants covered in juicy tomatoes and garlic. Vegan dish of imam bayıldı will be ready after forty minutes of baking. This dish is very close to the casserole. Enjoy!
Zeytinyagli Fasulye
This dish is another classic. You prepare it by boiling fresh green beans and adding some tomatoes. Adding pepper, garlic, onion is up to you. The final touch to this vegan dish should be made with olive oil.
Nohutlu Pilav
This is rice with chickpeas. You should season chickpeas with some spices like cumin, red pepper and salt for a day. Later you add chickpeas into the rice and boil it for some time. This dish is really good if you are looking for a complete protein and carbohydrate source during your tour.
Zeytin yagli Enginar
Zeytin yagli is a group of dished we love in Turkey. Zeytin yagli means ”with olive oil”. This group of dishes are cooked with olive oil and mostly served cold. We consume them like tapas in Spain. Enginar means artichoke. You lay flat cut artichoke slices on the tray and fill them with beans and carrots. Then you boil it gently for twenty minutes. Cover it with some good Turkish olive oil and your vegan dish is ready.
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Borulce Salad
Borulce ”Black Eyed Peas” Salad is made by some fresh black-eyed peas boiled and washed with cold water. By doing this you keep them soft inside but hard outside. Later you pour sauce on it. Pomegranate molasses, lemon or vinegar are among the most popılr ones. Later you can dress your black-eyed peas with some parsley and onions.
Mucver
Mucver is basically Zucchini Patties. Take some fresh zucchini and place it in the blender. Later you mix blended zucchini with flour, eggs and olive oil. Start making patties when they are firm enough to be kept together. Burger King and Mc Donald’s will be jealous of you.
Zeytin Yagli Mercimek
Boiled lentils are cooled and places in a very tasty sauce. The sauce should be juicy, is made by frying garlic and tomatoes in olive oil and mixing them with warm water. You can add boiled lentils into this mix. Lentils in Turkey are best consumed with Turkish rice.
Fistikli Pilav
This rice dish is something special and hard to come by. Please contact me earlier if you need to eat Turkish rice with pistachios and nuts in a vegan restaurant. We mix rice with clean pistachios and nuts. Some small raisins are added after the cooking.
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Mantar Tava
This dish is also known as mushroom casserole. Butter fried mushrooms are placed in a flat pan and slowly seasoned in tomatoes. Later parsley and garlic are topped on it. It is a tasty and easy find dish. You can order it in any restaurant in Turkey.
