Merve and Kasper are a young international couple in Istanbul with a serious love for breakfast, the most important meal of the day in Turkey. Here they dish a few of their secrets to a homemade Turkish breakfast.

What inspired you to offer a Homemade Turkish Breakfast to visitors?

Breakfast is the most important meal in Turkish culture. I like to prepare a big breakfast to start the day off right. I have been preparing breakfast for Kasper for a long time and we thought “Why not share this tradition with others and let them taste a real homemade Turkish breakfast?” We make a great team! I prepare the food, he cleans and entertains the guests.

How do you make a Turkish breakfast?

First, prepare some Turkish tea because it takes about 20 minutes to get the flavor just right. Then, prepare a cheese plate and adorn with some dried mint and olive oil on top. Next, cut tomatoes and cucumbers into small pieces and add lemon juice, olive oil and pomegranate syrup or spices if you like. Then, prepare a plate of olives. You can spice this up with red pepper and olive oil.

Next, start making the menemen. First, cut green peppers into small pieces and saute in olive oil. After the peppers are cooked add some cut tomatoes. Cook a little bit longer and add watered tomato paste. Last, you can add eggs and cheese (kaşar, white cheese), if you like. Scramble all ingredients and add black and red pepper.

You can also prepare a plate of bal kaymak, which is a cream similar to a think yogurt with honey on top.

What are the 5 best Turkish breakfast foods?

1. Menemen: Scrambled eggs with tomato, pepper, cheese and any other toppings
2. Gözleme: Savory handmade pastry similar to a crepe.
3. Bal-Kaymak: Kaymak is a thick cream, similar to yogurt. This dish is served with honey drizzled on top.
4. Sucuklu Yumurta: Eggs with Turkish spicy sausage.
5. Fresh cucumber and tomato salad with different types of cheeses.