Few dishes are as versatile as cacık. It can be used to dress vegetables and salads, turned into a dip or simply eaten on its own as a sort of soup, and is now enjoyed throughout Turkey (although thought to have originated in Anatolia). The simple combination of strained yoghurt, chopped or grated cucumber, garlic, good olive oil and herbs is served as part of a mezze platter or simply on the side of many meals in Turkey. To make it into a refreshing chilled soup, simply water down the mixture with a few ice cubes.

Another worthy side dish or salad from Turkey is kısır, a bulgur wheat-based dish which, in its simplest form, is flavoured with tomato purée and parsley. It originated in Mersin, a city on Turkey’s south coast, but has branched out into other regions where it can also include cucumber, garlic, onion, lemon and pomegranate molasses. It’s always served cold, and is often made the day before serving to allow the flavours to infuse. Every home cook in Turkey has their own version of kısır, and it’s almost always present at any large meal.

Güveç is a traditional Turkish earthenware pot, which is what this slow-cooked lamb (kuzu) casserole is cooked in and named after. It’s incredibly easy to make – after browning the lamb and frying aubergine, onions, peppers, garlic and chilli, everything is placed into the güveç with paprika, cumin and tomato paste and placed in the oven for around two hours. Only a very small amount of water or stock is added, allowing the ingredients to caramelise in the pan. Cover with fresh herbs and a dollop of yoghurt for a warming, hearty dish full of Turkish flavour.

Soups are incredibly popular throughout all of Turkey, served both hot and cold, usually for breakfast or at the start of a larger meal. Ezo gelin is arguably the most famous, made with red lentils, bulgur wheat, tomato paste and plenty of Turkish hot red pepper paste. It’s named after Ezo, a bride from twentieth century Gaziantep who was unhappily married and made the dish in a bid to impress her mother-in-law. There’s also yayla soup, which is made with rice and yoghurt, and the simple but delicious mercimek çorbası, made from blended red lentils.

Turkey certainly has its fair share of breads, but simit is arguably one of the most popular. The circular, bagel-like loaves have been sold as street food since the sixteenth century, and feature heavily in Turkish artworks as a symbol of daily life in Istanbul. They’re often topped with sesame seeds and enriched with a molasses-like syrup, which helps create an extra crunchy crust, and eaten plain alongside tea.

This famous lamb stew was originally cooked for Sultan Murad IV in the seventeenth century, who enjoyed it so much it was called Hünkâr Beğendi (‘the Sultan liked it’). It’s essentially a stew of lamb, chillies and tomatoes served on a bed of aubergine purée that’s thickened with a roux and hard Turkish cheese.