15 Turkish Products You Must Try (Beginner's Guide)

More and more people in Serbia search for a "Turkish store" every month. But a catalogue of 100+ products with unfamiliar names raises a fair question: where do you start? Right here — 15 products that form the heart of Turkish cooking, each with a why and a how.

The staples

1. Çaykur Tiryaki tea — Turkey's national drink, grown on the Rize hills. A kilo lasts months.
2. Baldo rice — the king of pilaf: plump grains that drink up butter and stay fluffy. Which rice for which dish: rice guide.
3. Red lentils — Turkey's most famous soup, mercimek, in 25 minutes. No soaking needed.
4. Bulgur — faster than rice, more nutritious, base of pilaf and kısır.
5. Orzo — toasted in butter, then into the pilaf. Small trick, big difference.

The spices

1. Sweet crushed paprika (pul biber) — over eggs, soups, meat, pasta. If you buy one spice, buy this.
2. Sumac — the tangy ruby spice that replaces lemon in salads and makes the famous barbecue onions. Here is why it is a hit.

Breakfast and nuts

1. Tahini + grape molasses — whip together, spread on bread: Turkey's answer to chocolate spread, zero additives.
2. Gemlik black olives — the backbone of Turkish breakfast.
3. Antep pistachios — intensely green, intensely aromatic.

The kitchen workhorses

1. Tomato paste (salça) — one spoon gives soups and sauces a depth plain passata cannot.
2. Pomegranate sour sauce (nar ekşisi) — dressings, marinades, ezme. Retires your balsamic.

Sweet and practical

1. Halva — the sesame dessert that melts on the tongue; portion packs are perfect for a first try.
2. Lavash tortillas — wraps, meze sides, or baked into chips.
3. Beypazarı mineral water — how every Turkish meal ends.

How to order

All 15 are in stock in the Eksendoo catalogue — imported directly from Turkey, delivered across Serbia (next day in Belgrade). More reading: our Belgrade store guide, the Eksendoo story and where to buy Turkish products in Serbia. Questions? Write to us.