Turkey is well know with its long history of various civilizations and cultures. Through many thousand years, people in the region have refined the best ingredients and food with excellent qualities. Below are some simple traditional recipes with easy-to-find ingredients. 
Çiğ Börek
For the pastry:
3 cups flour,
2 eggs,
1 Teaspoon salt,
1 Tablespoon oil,
Water
For the filling:,
Filling with Ground Beef,
1/2 lb ground beef,
1 medium onion,
1 medium tomato,
1 big green pepper,
1 Teaspoon salt,
1 Teaspoon black pepper,
1 Teaspoon red pepper,
1/2brunch chopped parsley,
Filling with Cheese,
1/2 lb. white feta cheese,
1/2 brunch chopped parsley
Preparation:
1. Mix the ground beef, chopped onion, chopped parsley, chopped tomato, chopped green pepper, black pepper, red pepper and salt together to prepare the filling.
2. Make a soft dough with the flour, eggs, oil, salt and sufficient water.
3. Cut the dough into 2 pieces.
4. Roll these pieces into a very thin circle.
5. Cut the rolled circle into even smaller circles by using a circle shaped plate. You canadjust the size of the circles depending on the size of the plate.
6. Spread some of the filling onto one half of each circle, leaving a margin around the edge.
7. Fold over and press down the edges well to form the boreks.
8. Put 1 cup oil in a hot nonstick pan and heat it well.
9. When heated, put the prepared boreks into the pan.
10. Cook and serve them hot.
Mantı (Turkish Ravioli)
Ingredients:
2 1/3 glasses flour,
1/3 glass flour(for the pastry),
2/5 glass water,
1 egg yolk,
1/2 tablespoon salt,
6 glasses meat broth
Ground meat:
200 gr. ground meat,
3 onions,
salt,
black pepper
Sauce:
4 tablespoons margarine,
400 gr. yogurt,
1 teaspoon red pepper,
5 cloves of garlic
Preparation:
Sift the flour, spread it over the rolling board, make a well in the centre and edd the egg, egg yolk, water and salt. Knead them well together until a dough is formed. Cover with a wet cloth and allow to stand for an hour. After an hour, place the dough onto a lightly floured surface, sprinkle flour over the dough around the rolling pin and start rolling evenly again until it becomes a thin layer. Add sliced onions, 2 teaspoons black pepper and a pinch of salt to the ground meat, knead for 2 minutes, do not cook. Cut the pastry into squares of 4-5 cm. width. Spread some of the prepared filling onto each square, cover by bringing together the 4 edges and sealing together.
Pour the broth into saucepan, allow it to boil, add the prepared and filled pastries. Cook on a moderately hot temperature with the lid closed until the pastries grow larger and become softer. After cooking, put into a serving dish and first pour over the yoghurt and crushed garlic mixture, then over that pour the mixture of 2 tablespoons of melted margarine and red pepper. Now your delicious manti is ready for serving.
İskender Kebab
Iskender (or Bursa) Kebap is named after the chef who created the dish and the city of Bursa where he created it. Iskender (“Alexander”) Kebap begins as lamb raised on the thyme-covered slopes of Mt. Uludag (which rises south of Bursa, which is south of Istanbul and the Sea of Marmara). The lamb is roasted as döner kebap, sliced and spread a top diced flat pide bread, then topped with savory tomato sauce and browned butter and served with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of parsley on the side.
Ingredients:
Bread, cut in slices,
Tomato paste (1 Tbls. for each person),
1 Green pepper (for each person),
1 Tomato (for each person),
2-3 Tbls. Yogurts (for each person),
Parsley,
Onion
Preperation:
1. Cut bread into small slices.
2. Put 1 Tbls. tomato paste for each person. Add some water to make it liquid.
3. Put 1-2 Tbls. butter in a pan. After melting the butter, put the tomato sauce. Wait until it gets hot.
4. Put sliced breads to a big serving plate. Pour prepared tomato sauce to the top of thebreads.
5. Then put the fried doner kebap on the bread and sauce.
6. Melt 1-2 Tbls. butter for each person. Pour it to top of them.
7. Put 1 fried tomato and green pepper on each plate.
8. Chop the onions like circles. Put them on the plate.
9. Put some parsley and some yoghurt on each plate.
10. Serve it hot.
Mercimek Çorbası (Lentil Soup)
Ingredients:
1 glass red lentils,
4 glasses of broth,
1 glass water,
1 tablespoon flour,
1 onion,
carrot,
1 tablespoon margarine,
4 slices of white bread,
3 tablespoons margarine,
2 egg yolks,
1 glass of milk,
salt to taste
Preparation:
Chop the onion, put into a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of margarine and saute. When onion is semi-sauteed add the flour and mix well. Wash the lentils, chop the carrot and put them in the saucepan. Pour the broth and water into the saucepan, add salt as desired and cook the soup for 30 minutes until the lentils are pasty. Strain the soup and pour it back into the same saucepan. Bring to the boil. Meanwhile blend egg yolks with milk well in a bowl and mix this into the soup. Remove saucepan from heat after 2 minutes. The soup is now ready to be served.
Cut 4 slices of white bread into cubes. Fry bread in a pan with 2 tablespoons of margarine. Drain off the margarine and put the bread cubes (croutons) on the soup.
Karnıyarık (Stuffed Eggplant)
Ingredients:
6 eggplants,
400 gr. ground meat,
1/3 glass rice,
2 tablespoons margarine,
2 onions,
2 tomatoes,
1 lemon (juice),
1/2 tablespoon salt,
1 bunch parsley,
1/2 teaspoon black pepper,
1 1/2 glasses water
Preparation:
Peel the eggplants in lengthwise strips at 1 1/2 cm intervals. Depending on their sizes cut accross into either 2 or 3 pieces and remove the insides of each eggplant.
Put the margarine and the chopped onions into a pan and saute until the onions are tender. Add washed rice and 1 glass of water, close the lid and cook for about 10 minutes over moderate heat. Remove from heat, add the ground meat, salt, black pepper, the peeled-sliced-chopped tomatoes and chopped parsley, mixing all together for about 5 minutes. Stuff the eggplants with this mixture, place in a pan and cover with a plate. Add 1 1/2 glasses water and the lemon juice and cook over moderate heat for about 40-50 minutes. Remove from heat, place in a serving dish and serve.
Çoban Salatası (Shepperd Salad)
Ingredients:
6 eggplants,
400 gr. ground meat,
1/3 glass rice,
2 tablespoons margarine,
2 onions,
2 tomatoes,
1 lemon (juice),
1/2 tablespoon salt,
1 bunch parsley,
1/2 teaspoon black pepper,
1 1/2 glasses water
Preparation:
Peel the eggplants in lengthwise strips at 1 1/2 cm intervals. Depending on their sizes cut accross into either 2 or 3 pieces and remove the insides of each eggplant.
Put the margarine and the chopped onions into a pan and saute until the onions are tender. Add washed rice and 1 glass of water, close the lid and cook for about 10 minutes over moderate heat. Remove from heat, add the ground meat, salt, black pepper, the peeled-sliced-chopped tomatoes and chopped parsley, mixing all together for about 5 minutes. Stuff the eggplants with this mixture, place in a pan and cover with a plate. Add 1 1/2 glasses water and the lemon juice and cook over moderate heat for about 40-50 minutes. Remove from heat, place in a serving dish and serve.
Baklava
Ingredients:
1 glass flour,
1/4 glass water,
2 eggs,
1/5 tablespoon salt,
1 teaspoon olive oil,
1 1/3 glasses starch
Filling:
1 glass melted margarine,
1 1/2 glasses ground walnuts
Syrup:
2 glasses granulated sugar,
2 glasses water,
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Preparation:
Prepare the dough according to the dough for the baklava recipe. Place the dough pieces on each other on a woodwn board. Cut these pieces according to the size of the tray where they will be cooked. Grease the tray lightly and place one layer of dough over. Pour 1/2 tablespoon melted margarine evenly over the dough. Place only half of the pieces of dough on the tray so that there is one layer of dough, and margarine over that. When half of the dough is used up, sprinkle ground walnuts over. Over the walnuts place another layer of dough, spread some margarine, then another layer of dough, continue until all the pieces of dough are used. Cut the pieces of dough into the shape of baklava, place in a moderately heated oven and cook for an hour until the colour of the baklavas turn golden brown. Put granulated sugar, water and lemon juice into a pan, melt the sugar over moderate heat and boil for about 15 minutes until the mixture becomes a syrup. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes, brush with but.
