Top 10 Common Foods Between Iran and Turkey in 2024
A research about common foods between Iran and Türkiye, two old friendly and neighboring countries
Iran and Turkey are two neighboring countries with almost common customs and foods. From religion to some of the cultures of these two countries, they are very similar.
In the menu of the two countries, some of the foods are always common. Even names and, in some cases, the price of food are very close together
So that Iranians usually go to Turkish restaurants safely and with the mentality that they are not going to encounter a strange menu of Chinese or East Asian cuisine; they can easily and with sufficient information.
Usually, the types of kebab, dolmeh, and ash are shared with these menus. In this article, we will explain 10 common foods between Iran and Turkey.
Top 10 common foods between Iran and Turkey
1 | Dolmeh or stuffed |
2 | Zereshk polo ba morgh |
3 | Ash reshteh |
4 | Baghlava or Baklava |
5 | Doner or Donar Kebab |
6 | Koofteh |
7 | Lamahjoon |
8 | Bademjan shekam por |
9 | Halva |
10 | Lamb kebab |
1. Dolmeh
The first of the common foods between Iran and Turkey is dolmeh barge mo. In Iran, this dish includes ingredients such as meat, rice, onions, yellow split peas, carrots, herbs, lemon juice, tomato paste, spices, sugar, turmeric, salt and pepper.
Persian stuffed onion is also one of the famous dishes between Iran and Türkiye.
The major difference between Turkish dolmeh and Iranians is the lack of meat. Turkish dolmeh is not just like Iranian dolmeh, and it does not have meat, and from substances such as rice, onions, tomatoes, dill, mint, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, pepper, sugar, lemons will be prepared and made.
Turkish Cabbage Rolls (a.k.a Lahana Sarmasi or Dolmasi) is a flavourful dish made of cabbage leaves filled with spiced meat&bulgur mixture.
You can prepare these stuffed cabbage rolls ahead and reheat them before serving them to your dinner guests. Perfect dish for entertaining!
2.Zereshk polo ba morgh
In most Turkish restaurants, rice with chicken, and in Iranian restaurants see chicken with barberry. This is one of the common dishes between Iran and Turkey, and it is very simple and tasty.
In Türkiye, it is served with saffron and eggplant, and in Iran, it is served with barberry and potatoes. Zereshk polo ba morgh in Iran is also widely used as the best food at parties
3. Ash reshteh
Ash reshteh is one of the common foods between Iran and Turkey. Turkish ash is only made with lentils, but other vegetables are used to prepare it. Vegetables such as tomatoes, celery, and onions.
One of the most important ingredients in the Turkish ash is the juice of sheep bone, which is mainly added to the soup. In Turkish food, we see high-fat foods.
4. Baklava
Baklava is one of those sweets made in different cities and countries in different ways. In Iran, Iranian baklava includes Baklava Ghazvini, Baklava Yazdi, Baklava Gilani, and Baklava Tabrizi. Each of these is a different recipe. Besides Iran, Turkey is also famous around the world.
Persian Baklava is a hearty, sweet, and delicious pastry, and it is one of the most delicious pastries that Iranians taste. It is also considered a popular pastry in Iran, and its Tabrizi, Yazdi, and Qazvini types are the most famous.
Undoubtedly, one of the popular sweets and desserts of Iranians and even other people in the Middle East is baklava, which has special recipes in every part of Iran and the Middle East.
In Iran, Persian baklava is very famous in Yazd and Qazvin. The general structure of baklava is that a layer of a special dough is filled with chopped nuts such as pistachios and almonds, and syrup or honey is poured over it.
I have made a complete comparison between Persian foods and Mediterranean foods, which I suggest you read. Because many friends confuse these two foods.
5. Doner
Doner Kebab, also known as Turkish Kebab, is a type of Turkish roast that is made from the cutting of the meat that rotates around the fire vertically. It has reached various parts of the world and has many fans, especially in Iran.
This common food between Iran and Turkey has become the main food of Iran’s fast food.
This Turkish dish is the most formidable obstacle to the victory of the hamburger in the fast food market. Doner kebab in rolls with slices of pickle and chips is the most common stand-up lunch for city office workers. The alterations of the Doner kebab are Arab shawarma and Greek gyros.
Doner kebab is a type of typical meat dish, made of meat cooked on a vertical skewer. The meat is usually prepared as a mixture of lamb and beef, but in some case it can be just beef or just chicken. The marinated meat pieces are mixed with some minced meat and they’re stacked on a tall vertical spit which is turning slowly next to a vertical wood or coal fire.
As it gets grilled, the cooked outer part of the cone of meat is shaved in thin slices by a huge sword-like knife, and arranged on a plate with Ace or flat pide (pitta) bread. It can be served plain as is on a plate, or put on white rice, or rolled in a regular bread or lavash wrap.
6. Koofteh
Koofteh in Iran are different types, such as koofteh berenj, koofteh tabrizi, koofteh ghelgheli and chickpea koofteh. Each of them has their baking recipe and special ingredients.
Türkiye also has a koofteh called red lentlis koofteh rizeh. It is made of red lentils, soft grit, onions, parsley, leeks, tomato paste, cumin, red pepper, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
Red lentils are the sign of dal adas. Eventually, mix the ingredients, form them like small circles, and refrigerate them to cool.
In Turkey, there is another highly famous koofteh that is made with minced meat, onions, garlic, flour or dried bread powder, eggs, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper. This dish is more like Iranian koofteh.
7. Lamahjoon
Turkish pizza or lamahjoon is a very tasty Turkish food. A compound of meat, dough, and vegetables that have a wonderful taste when mixed with Turkish spices.
For many years, fast food in Iran has included this great food in their menu and has become the number 7 of common foods between Iran and Turkey.
Lahmacun, pronounced “lahma’joun”, comes from the Arabic “lahma bi’ajeen,” which literally means “dough with meat.” Think of lahmacun as perfectly thin, crispier pizza (or flatbread), topped with a spiced minced meat mixture.
It is popular in Turkey as in various parts of the Levant where the Ottoman empire once extended. And there are meat pie–or pizza–variations, including manaqish and sfiha, along with other famous flatbreads like pide and gözleme. Lahmacun is also known as Armenian pizza, Turkish pizza, Lebanese pizza, Arab pizza…It’s that popular!
sourced:https://www.themediterraneandish.com/easy-turkish-lahmacun-recipe
8. Halva
One of the most well-known Iranian dishes, which is a type of dessert, is halva. Of course, Turkish halva is slightly different from the Persian halva that we know of in Iran, but the main ingredients are the same: butter, flour, sugar, and water.
The common type of halva in Turkey is made from Ardeh, which is certainly known by every Iranian as Halva Arde (Halvardeh).
Of course, this is one of the common desserts of Iran and Türkiye. Persian halva is number 8 among the common foods between Iran and Turkey.
9.Bademjan shekam por
The recipe in Turkey and Iran is almost the same, given that the ingredients used to fill the eggplant are a combination of meat and vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers, and green pepper.
The compounds of the bademjan shekam por are different, and each area has its baking recipe or changes according to personal taste.
This food is number 9 of common foods between Iran and Turkey.
10. Lamb kebab
Lamb kebab is a delicious food that is cooked in Iran and Turkey. In Turkey, this kebab is called shish kebab, which is added to a mixture of olive oil with one or two tablespoons of vinegar and grated onion and then grilled.
Lamb kabab is the number 10 most common food in Iran and Turkey.
Iranian cooking
Iranian cooking has a few thousand years of history and has the richest and most authentic food culture in the world.
From ancient times, Iranian chefs have provided a variety of fascinating foods for their kings and created foods using unique ingredients and compositions that are now part of Iran’s cultural heritage and even worldwide.
During the Achaemenid Empire, Iranian cooking was formed and diversified with the introduction of new materials and cultures from other countries.
During the Safavid era, with the introduction of substances such as rice and tea, Iranian cooking developed.
Turkish Cooking
Turkish cooking is also accompanied by a long and attractive history. The history of Turkey’s cooking dates back to the Ottoman Empire, which was created at the time using various materials and techniques that are now known as part of Turkey’s national identity.
When the Seljuk tribes in Central Asia moved on to the land called Turkey today, they passed through Iran and became acquainted with Iranian civilization and Iranian culture and cuisine. Tomatoes and saffron entered Turkish cooking, creating new foods such as kebab and dolmeh.
Conclusion for common foods between Iran and Turkey
Both Iran and Turkey are very close together, both culturally and in the mood of the people. Therefore, they have very common and tasty foods, and ultimately, my question is whether Turkish cuisine is more delicious than Iranian cuisine.
By sharing this article on common foods between Iran and Turkey on social networks, you can see the reflection of people’s tenderness, which is very attractive.