There is plenty of delicious Turkish food in Istanbul, starting with the kebabs. There are at least 30 different types of kebabs available.

No matter the direction a person faces, they will see the juiciest, fattest stacks of meat being roasted to perfection on vertical rotisseries. And the smell, oh the smell – it’s difficult not to dance merrily amid the fragrance.

Accompanied with fresh tomatoes, onions, parsley, French fries and traditional home-made condiments, this common roadside snack is both delicious and cheap.

Also known as wet burgers, the Islak hamburgers are cheap, fast as they are pre-prepared and kept warm in glass-lined steamers, and very tasty. Upon order the burgers are dunked in a tomato-based sauce and steamed in order to achieve that wet, warm yumminess.

Pide (pronounced pee-dE) comes with a choice of toppings similar to pizza, but its base is made using flat-bread and it is baked in a stone oven.

Manti are little dumplings which are also known as Turkish ravioli. The small sheets of dough wrapper are meticulously stuffed with spiced lamb/beef, and are either boiled or steamed.

They are then generously topped with garlic yoghurt, spice-infused olive oil, sumac, chilli flakes and fresh mint leaves for that delectable taste.

Local lore has it that the smaller the size of the manti, the more skilful the cook. It can be used as an indicator for potential in-laws to gauge if a girl knows her way around the kitchen.

Heading out for a cup of coffee? Order a slice of Mozaik Pastası, the Turkish mosaic cake as well. This dessert is well-known throughout the country for it’s rich texture.

Simit/Gevrek are Turkish bagel-lookalikes. bread rings commonly encrusted with seeds of all kinds. It could be white or black sesame, poppy, flax, or sunflower seeds.

Turkish ice-cream is really good when eaten under the hot, brutal Turkish sun. Recommended flavours are Pistachio, Pomegranate, Honey, or Sade.

Midye Dolma are mussels filled with aromatic rice before being boiled in spiced broth. The vendor will squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice onto the rice before serving it. Simple, and so very delicious.

Toasts and Sandwiches are a very common and popular choice of fast food here. The Panini-style toasts and thick salami slices are definitely worth the price.

The hidden culinary gem in Turkey is home made dishes. Not easy to find a stall selling home made dishes, but the effort is worth it as they are tasty, authentic, and cheap.

This article first appeared in rollinggrace.com

Grace Ng is a serial wanderluster, solo female traveller, award-winning recipe developer and travel writer.