Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
What is Turkish cuisine?
Turkish cuisine (Türk mutfağı) grew from yogurt / sucuk / pickles and bread / rice / bulgur. Döner kebab is the postcard, not the whole map.
Is it always spicy?
Turkish cuisine sits at spice 54 in this atlas. Döner kebab and Lahmacun show the range better than a single heat number.
What should a first meal include?
Döner kebab plus one regional plate — not only the export icon.
What is Meze?
Opening small plates.
How do people eat at home?
Istanbul, Gaziantep and Izmir do not cook the same dinner. Regional stubbornness is the cuisine, not a footnote.
What travels poorly?
The home pantry around Meze and the labour behind Lahmacun rarely fit a takeaway box.
Turkish cuisine changes by valley, coast and capital. Istanbul is one node, not the whole map.
The meters treat heat, ferment, street density and sharing as the axes that actually organise meals.
Systems
Istanbul metro
A regional kitchen of Turkish cuisine centred on Istanbul and Döner kebab.
Gaziantep table
A regional kitchen of Turkish cuisine centred on Gaziantep and Lahmacun.
Izmir table
A regional kitchen of Turkish cuisine centred on Izmir and Baklava.
Antakya table
A regional kitchen of Turkish cuisine centred on Antakya and Menemen.
Van table
A regional kitchen of Turkish cuisine centred on Van and Çiğ köfte.
Region 5
Another regional kitchen of Turkish cuisine.
Flavour meters
Cities & regions
Istanbul
A hotspot for Döner kebab and the local pantry of Turkish cuisine.
Gaziantep
A hotspot for Döner kebab and the local pantry of Turkish cuisine.
Izmir
A hotspot for Döner kebab and the local pantry of Turkish cuisine.
Antakya
A hotspot for Döner kebab and the local pantry of Turkish cuisine.
Van
A hotspot for Döner kebab and the local pantry of Turkish cuisine.
Materials
yogurt / sucuk / pickles
The savoury bass.
bread / rice / bulgur
The meal starch.
Döner kebab staples
The icon pantry.
Market produce
The daily vegetable and protein.
Regional pride in this cuisine is argued through Döner kebab and Lahmacun more than through a single official recipe.
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