Izmir Culinary Culture and Street Tastes

Izmir, which has hosted many civilizations, has a culinary culture that stands out with its food delicacies. It offers an incredible variety of tastes with olive oil vegetable dishes, especially for those who want to eat healthy. On the other hand, it is impossible to miss how good the pastries are in Izmir. The Bomb, Kumru and Boyoz are among the most consumed street delicacies in İzmir. Domestic and foreign tourists visiting Izmir shoud not leave Izmir without tasting all of these delicacies. That being the case, we wanted to share all these flavors with you and present an Izmir food guide for your Izmir visits.

By following the titles below, you can learn information about the culinary culture and street tastes of Izmir, which has been carried meticulously from the past to the present:

• What is Izmir culinary culture?
• What are the street delicacies of Izmir?

What is Izmir Culinary Culture?

A study shows that Izmir has an unusually wide variety of products because of its geography and because it is and was home to many civilizations. Culturally, the influence of Cretan immigrants is seen in the fact that it has vegetable-heavy dishes but despite of that, Meatballs are among the prominent flavors in İzmir. İzmir meatballs, Ödemiş meatballs and Tire meatballs are different from one another in terms of cooking methods even wehn all of them sprouted from the same country. In addition, boyoz and lokma, which are thought to be a culture inherited from the Jews, are frequently consumed in İzmir, traditionally for breakfast.

İzmir's culinary culture mainly emphasizes agricultural products. In addition, the use and cultivation of seafood is common due to the fact that it is a coastal city. There is a great variety of appetizers with some that have their own preperations such as fried and blended eggplant and some that are very simple to plate, such as fruit plates. Raki and wine are produced from the agricultural products and are prominently consumed more than other forms of alcohol. The culinary culture of Izmir, whose historical roots go far back, takes its place in the minds of the people with the use of olive oil and the predominance of pastries.

What are Izmir Street Flavors?

Izmir, which has hosted many civilizations, has developed a lot in the field of street tastes through the effect of being a lively city throughout history. Especially among these flavors; Simit, Kumru, Boyoz, Shambali, Lokma, Iced almonds, Sübye sherbet, Kokoreç and Stuffed mussels stand out. Let's take a closer look at the contents of these flavors!

- Simit

The Simit, which is loved by everyone in many regions of Turkey, is presented in a different way in Izmir. It stays in the oven longer than a crispy bagel and reaches a more crunchy form. It is different from the traditional bagel in terms of cooking technique.

- Kumru

Kumru is a type of bread. It is made from yeast dough and topped with sesame. It is a sandwich sized bread which is sliced open and stuffed with tulum cheese, pepper, tomato, sausage, salami and cheddar cheese. This bread got this name because it resembles the body of a dove. This bread is a traditional beakfast food for the people of Izmir.

- Boyoz

Boyoz is a type of pastry that Sephardic people who immigrated to Izmir eat for their religious breakfast on Saturdays. It has been a part of Izmir cuisine since 1510. Jews can consume Boyoz mostly with cheese, potatoes or spinach inside them. Unleavened dough and plenty of oil are required to make this delicacy.

- Shambali

Shambali dessert is one of the famous desserts of İzmir. This dessert, which is made from semolina, sugar, milk and peanuts, is then cooked by placing this mixture in the oven. It is said that the dessert is long-lasting and does not deteriorate even if it waits for about a month.

- Lokma

The Lokma, which contains flour, yeast, water and salt, is then cooked by frying this mixture in oil. Unlike other regions in İzmir, it is consumed by pouring sherbet after it is fried. Izmir Lokma has a hole in the middle is generally served at weddings, circumcision parties, weddings and funerals. It also stands out among the street delicacies of Izmir because people often pay for a truck to make them on the street and hand them out for free to passersby.

- Iced almonds

Izmir gets very hot in summer. Iced almond, which was first sold in the 1930s, is a street delicacy that people consume to cool off. Almonds are added to the ice and eaten with a crunchy consistency. It is also sometimes consumed with alcohol.

- Subya sherbet

Sübye sherbet, which can be consumed cold in summer, is made by crushing cantaloupe seeds. Sübye is not exactly about making sherbet. Sherbet is obtained by removing the emulsion of the seed. That's why Subya sherbet got its name.

- Kokorec

Kokorec, which is made by putting clean animal intestines and adding cumin and salt to a bread. It is sold in restaurants and on the streets and a very beloved part of Izmir's story and culture.

- Stuffed mussels

Mussels are stuffed by opening the mussels collected from the sea and stuffing them with specially prepared rice with sauce and plenty of spicy mortar. It is eaten after squeezing lemon on it.

The culinary culture of İzmir, which is delicious and nourished by many civilizations, comes to the fore with its street flavors. When you come here, do not leave without tasting these delicacies.