Soup has always held a special place in Turkish cuisine, from their nomadic days through the Empire days, all the way until today. Turkish soups are delicious and utterly versatile; you can have them as appetizers, side dishes, main course meals, and in some instances, even for breakfast (cough, cough- hangover remedy). Some soups are light and refreshing, others are rich and hearty, and in this article, we’ll show you some of the best of them, starting with…
Yüksük Çorbası (Thimble Dumpling Soup)
We’re starting off this list with Yuksuk Corbasi, or to put it in English, a very delicious dumpling soup. The dumplings are very tiny and you can eat a few of them in one spoonful, and are usually filled with meat and soaked in a light tomato-chickpea-based broth. Sometimes, yogurt and dried mint are added before serving to make it creamier, but it’s absolutely delicious even without it. The soup is especially popular in the city of Adana and is considered a winter delicacy because it’s hearty, heavy, and slightly spicy with a special ability to make you feel warm inside.
Enjoying this post? Then you may also like our burek recipe or our dolma recipe.
Tavuk Suyu Çorbası (Chicken Broth Soup)
Tavuk suyu çorbası is a simple soup based on chicken bones, chicken meat, and veggies, and it begins by simmering slowly to create the basic broth. Onions, carrots, celery, etc., are vegetables which make the broth more delicious, and shredded chicken pieces are used for its final touches. The soup has thin vermicelli-like noodles that enhance the flavor of the rich and more than already rich broth while going very well with the shredded chicken. This soup is the number one choice for people down with the flu, those recovering from injuries or surgeries. It is normally garnished with dried mint or parsley and a dollop of fresh lemon juice before serving.
Tarhana Çorbası
When we talk about the most popular Turkish soups, we can’t forget to mention tarhana corbasi – it is made of tarhana, which is a mixture of yogurt, flour, grated veggies, and spices in a process that begins with the fermentation of the mixture for a couple of days, drying and crumbling it into little bits. This dried tarhana is prepared later in water to prepare a thick, hearty stew, which has a very different profile because of the fermentation with a texture that is smooth, though slightly gritty from the dried mixture, kind of like the Turkish version of cereal, which is why it is eaten for breakfast.
Uşak Tarhanası
Uşak tarhanası is a northeastern variation of tarhana soup named after the city of Uşak in western Turkey, from where the dish is believed to come with a thicker, richer texture because it has more ingredients used for the preparation, which is a lot of veggies – onions, pepper, tomatoes, and mint, which makes the final product smoother and thicker, even slightly buttery, and has a hint of earthiness.
Şehriye Çorbası
Şehriye çorbası is another simple Turkish soup that uses small, rice-shaped noodles called Arpa Şehriye (they’re like the Turkish version of vermicelli noodles). The noodles are cooked in a broth, sometimes chicken-based but not necessarily (there’s a veg version too), mixed with tomato paste for color, and the preparation is very quick (because the noodles are very thin). Some versions include a sprinkle of black pepper or a squeeze of lemon juice at the table, but heavy seasoning is rare.
Mercimek Çorbası (Lentil Soup)
Mercimek çorbası is one of the most famous Turkish soups. It’s red lentil, broth, onion, carrot, and seasonings, no muss, no fuss, just butter or olive oil added to the broth just before serving. For a long time, it’s been one of those regular staples in Turkish cuisine since all it takes is a simple and relatively cheap fare. It’s normally eaten as a main course meal with a freshly baked piece of bread or even as an appetizer or side dish.
Erişteli Yeşil Mercimek (Green Lentil Soup with Noodles)
Used instead of red lentils and with a broth that is enhanced by traditional Turkish hand-cut noodles, Eriştili Yeşil Mercimek Corbasi is another variation of the mercimek corbasi. The onions are sautéed and are used to create the base for the broth; those that are added to the stew are enhanced by the tomato paste. It’s a rich soup in both protein and fiber, a perfect meal for vegans and vegetarians. It’s normally eaten with one slice of bread and a side salad.
Ezogelin Çorbası
Ezogelin çorbası is a robust, hearty soup of lentils, blended with rice or bulgur, a package of tomato paste, and a mix of spices that carries the name of Ezo, a lady from Gaziantep who invented the described soup and had a book worth of life story. Preparation of this soup is much the same as most of the others on this list, but this one stands out because of its seasoning, which is red pepper flakes, black pepper, mint, and cumin, nice color, and a little spicy flavour, which makes it perfect to serve in winter. You’ll also find this soup in all the menus of Turkish restaurants nationwide, as its fiery flavors also make it a great appetizer.
Domates Çorbası (Tomato Soup)
Domates çorbası is another popular Turkish soup, which is made by cooking fresh tomatoes into a paste that gives the base for the broth which is then enriched with flour, starch, and butter/oil to thicken it, with some versions even using milk or crème to soften the acidity of the tomatoes. However, if you want to soften the acidity of the tomatoes, you should keep in mind that this acidity is what makes the traditional recipe special. It is often eaten as a light starter, but can be made into a fuller meal with bread, simit, chebureki, orlahmacun.
İşkembe Çorbası (Tripe Soup)
İşkembe çorbası is a traditional soup made from beef tripe, which I know sounds kind of gross, but it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds, although I should warn you that during the preparation, the trip tends to have a very strong and often unpleasant smell. However, the final result is a delicious, hearty stew that is worth tolerating the bad smell for a couple of hours and will completely change your mind on eating tripe. This one is considered to be one of the most restorative dishes in Turkish cuisine, and it’s also probably the most popular hangover remedy, not just in Turkey but in most other countries in the region too (like Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Albania), where it’s known as shkembe chorba.
Paça Çorbası (Trotter Soup)
Paça çorbası is similar to iskembe except it uses trotter instead of tripe. It also has a richer, almost gelatinous structure because when the trotters are cooked long enough, the collagen and marrow break down into the broth and make it denser, stickier, and much more nutritious. However, as you might expect, preparing trotters is no easy task; it requires thorough cleaning, proper marinade, and a very long cooking procedure.
Paça çorbası is traditionally eaten in the early morning hours, especially after long nights out, because it is believed to help with hangovers. It is also valued for its supposed benefits to joint health due to its high collagen content.
If you’re interested in trotter recipes, you may also want to check out our mutton paya recipe.
Yayla Çorbası (Highland Soup)
Yayla çorbası, referred to as the Turkish yogurt-based soup, is country-wide famous for farming dairy from the highland areas of Turkey. The name yayla refers to mountain pastures where families move up there for grazing animals during summer, and the soup contains yogurt, broth, rice, and dried mint. Flour and egg yolk are used for a mixture where the yogurt is cooked, and the rice is cooked separately and added afterwards. Now the rice broth thickened and mixed with rice is also flavored with melted butter and dried mint on top.
Balık Çorbası (Fish Soup)
Balık çorbası, especially in towns near the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, is a coastal specialty. It’s more or less a lightly creamy soup with fresh white fish; usually sea bass or grouper. Other vegetables, including carrots, leeks, potatoes, and parsley, are also used for its preparation, and just before serving, lemon juice and black pepper are used to bring the flavor alive. Balık çorbası is commonly used as the first course in seaside restaurants, or even after catching them in the house, and due to the heaviness of this one, it is not suitable for an appetizer as some other Turkish soups are.
Sebze Çorbası (Vegetable Soup)
We can’t really talk about Turkish soups without mentioning this light vegetable soup made with various fresh, seasonal vegetable produce such as carrots, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and green beans in a recipe that is very simple to prepare. One thing that you should keep in mind, though, is that the quality of the vegetables involved can make or break your soup; a poor choice of vegetables can result in a dull soup, and even if you follow all steps properly, it won’t be as good. Dribbles of olive oil or a drop of lemon just before serving can help liven up the taste without chasing the vegetables of their natural sweetness.
Lahana Çorbası (Collard Green Soup)
Lahana çorbası is a hearty soup that originates from its coastal Black Sea region in the country’s north. In case you’re wondering what collard greens are, you might also know it as black cabbage. It’s basically the same as regular cabbage, just with a different color. In addition to this, the other ingredients include cornmeal, dry beans, and a small portion of either cured meat or sausage for added texture and extra heartiness. The soup is rich in vitamin C and fiber, and as such, is one of the most popular immune boosters of Turkish cuisine.
Toyga Çorbası (Yogurt and Wheat Soup)
Toyga çorbası is a traditional Anatolian soup made with yogurt, wheat or bulgur, chickpeas, and plenty of dried mint, and even though it sounds similar to the previously mentioned yayla çorbası, there’s one small difference- the inclusion of legumes and heavier grains, which makes this soup heartier and heavier. The chickpeas and wheat need to soak overnight before preparing, and the yogurt is to be mixed with flour and egg yolk a few hours before cooking. The final result is a stew that is filling without being heavy, with a chewy texture from the grains and a tangy flavor from the yoghurt.
Yoğurtlu Çorba (Yogurt Soup)
Last but not least, we conclude this list of Turkish soups with yet another yoghurt soup. This one uses yogurt, rice, and fresh mint and comes from the central parts of Turkey, and its preparation also includes mixing the yogurt with flour and egg yolk (just like the other ones) and cooking the rice separately before combining everything together. This recipe uses simple ingredients but has a very nice, refreshing, and slightly sour flavor, which makes it a great dish to eat to cool down during the hot summer months.
How did you like this list of Turkish soups? Did you ever try any of them before? Do you have a favorite one? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Like it? Pin it.
