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Kokoreç – A Most-Famous & Popular Turkish Street Food

If you’ve ever visited Turkey, chances are you’ve come across its most loved and famous street food; kokoreç.

Lokum Kokorec Skewer. Four skewers with a strip of kokoreç roasting over coals.
We love to see the kokoreç skewered over the open coals

Okay, you might not have tried it. But there is barely a town or city that doesn’t have a popular street food kokoreççi (they who specialise in kokoreç) in the neighbourhood.

And if you haven’t taken part in the savouring of kokoreç in a fresh, soft-in-the-middle, crusty-on-the-outside half bread, then you absolutely must (unless you’re vegetarian or vegan of course).

A lot of foreign visitors recoil in horror when they find out what kokoreç actually is – and hence miss out on the unforgettable experience of taking that first bite.

But let us assure you, it’s not a one off experience for us.

We, along with millions of others, indulge in this delicacy on a regular basis!

We’re talking offal!

Kuzu kokoreç (pronounced kokorech) is lamb intestines .

And when they hear those two words – lamb intestines – that’s where many of our friends give us the look that says, “Just NO!”

Because the unmistakable aromas of kokoreç fill the air – and they’re oh-so-tempting; an almost mystical pull, leading your nose to the kokoreççi that must be nearby.

A few years ago, we stayed in the Galata neighbourhood of Istanbul.

Each lunchtime, that unmistakable aroma would waft around the pedestrianised square, close to the tower.

Two large chunks of kokoreç cooking next to hot grey-white coals with tomatoes and green peppers in the background.
Mmmm, chargrilled Istanbul kokoreç is chopped with tomato, peppers, herbs and spices

This was the sign that Nazmi Usta – one of the well known kokoreççi street vendors at the time – had arrived with his mobile charcoal grill and cylinders of crispy, roasted intestines.

For us, travel is about food. And food is about travel.

And fond foodie memories are also about the experience as well as the actual food we were eating.

A street food vendor prepares a sandwich at his stand. He is wearing chef whites and a hat.
Herbs and spices are just as important

Standing next to Nazmi Usta whilst he chopped the charred meat, gradually incorporating fresh chopped tomato, onion and green peppers to the mix before placing it inside the fold of warm, fresh bread and sprinkling it with dried herbs and spices…

That was experience enough.

But then, taking that first bite in a sunny, buzzy, historic square; throngs of locals and tourists toing-and-froing, buskers creating a musical backdrop.

The makings of the best kokoreç half bread ever.

A soft crusty cob filled with chopped kokoreç. People walk by in the background.
It was foodie heaven

That, and the fact that it was just a great lamb intestine sandwich.

Perfect kokoreç texture. And the ratio of dried thyme to ground cumin to chilli flakes (hot red pepper flakes) was spot on!

Classic Istanbul kokoreç where the offal is finely chopped and mixed with fresh chopped tomato and green pepper and mixed with dried herbs and spices.

In years gone by, as well as those aromas, there was also the clue of the little white van parked by the roadside. Its rear chimney billowing out the smoke from the charcoal fire, plastic stools and tables loaded with oversized plastic tubs filled with turşu (Turkish pickled vegetables).

A white food van with plastic chairs and tables at the back. Smoke comes out of the chimney on the van.
These mobile food vans are not as prevalent as they once were

It was a given that kokoreç was being served up, here.

Well, you could smell it!

And if you had friends in tow who, despite enjoying a few drinks on a night out, were still refusing to entertain the idea of a late night lamb intestine in a sandwich, you could placate them with the grilled köfte that was also usually on offer.

In Fethiye, at least, the little white van isn’t a common sight anymore – but that doesn’t mean kokoreç is losing its popularity.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

In recent years, the number of kokoreç joints has mushroomed.

Metres and metres of lamb intestines wrapped around horizontal skewers, sizzling over the white hot charcoals in carts, trucks and fast food joints up and down the country.

A white street food cabin advertising its kokoreç and döner kebab. Chairs and tables are at the front.
These stands are common at the local markets

Look out for these stands at the local markets around Fethiye.

And, of course, there’s a dedicated truck at the Fethiye street food zone along the canal near the Tuesday Market area.

As well as being a street food, you’re also just as likely to find kokoreç fast food salons, too. It is no longer just a post-night-out treat.

Menus at these places tend to be similar – different kokoreç-in-bread offerings, plates of kokoreç, sucuk in bread and midye dolma (stuffed mussels).

Two bowls of pickles. Pickled green chillies and sliced gherkins.
It goes hand in hand with turşu

And the pickles, too, of course!

These places are smart, clean – run by the young and marketed to the young – many have hefty social media followings.

Lokum Kokoreç on Yerguzlar Caddesi in Fethiye is a great example.

Here, you get more of an Izmir kokoreç where the offal is roughly chopped – in some cases, placed on the bread intact and simply sliced through a few times before being sprinkled with cumin.

And the poster below was spotted outside a place in Kaş.

Of course you love it. There’s no meaning to the phrase, ‘I don’t like kokoreç.’

A black and white poster with a man's face and Ne Demek Kokoreç Sevmiyorum (What does it mean 'I don't love kokoreç') written underneath.
What does it mean; “I don’t like kokoreç?”

These places have given this Turkish tradition a whole new look.

They’re making sure it remains a Turkish food favourite for the next generation and they’re as busy as any döner kebab or burger joint.

Kokoreç still reigns supreme!

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Turkey's For Life

Sunday 29th of May 2011

@ Anonymous: Okay, we'll hunt them down. Thanks for the tip. We'll be in Istanbul at some point this year, no doubt. We have a Şampiyon that's just opened in Fethiye. I wonder if it's part of the same group?

Anonymous

Saturday 28th of May 2011

If you are ever in Istanbul in Beyoglu, you MUST try Sampiyon. They've been making this stuff for over a century and it is a stop I will make every time I visit. Lamb intestines they may be but they light up my fire! :)