Turkish Breakfast (2024)

According to my mother, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The Turkish culture would agree, especially when it comes to a Turkish Breakfast. Traditionally, Turkish breakfast consists of cheese, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey, fruit, sausage, and Turkish tea. The first meal of the day is a breakfast fit for a king. The Turkish word for breakfast, kahvaltı, means “the food you eat before coffee.” What I love most is that there are a variety of different items you can serve for this cultural meal, so a Turkish breakfast is usually never the same.

There is an excellent Middle Eastern grocery store in my city, called Bills Imports, that sells freshly made feta cheese, greek olives, fresh baked Pita bread, herbs, and an entire list of Mediterranean items you can’t alway find at the regular grocery stores. Since my family loves Turkish breakfast mornings, it’s nice to have these items on hand when I need them. The benefit to this style of breakfast is that the meal takes little effort to prepare and it’s an excellent way to start your day off on a healthy note without spending an hour in the kitchen before the day even begins. Here is a list of items I like to serve for my Turkish breakfast. You can design your own Turkish breakfast using whichever items you like best. Although Turkish people love to eat enjoy excellent food, what matters most is not so much what’s on the table, but more importantly who is sitting around it. As they say in Turkish, “Sabahın tadını çıkarın!” or Enjoy the morning!

– Soft boiled eggs
– Black and green olives
– French feta cheese
– Mozzarella Cheese
– Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers
– Pita bread or English muffin
– Honey, Jam, and my homemade -Lemon Ricotta Cheese
– Olive oil and Zatar
– Watermelon or cut fruit
– English breakfast tea or Turkish tea