5 Refreshing Turkish Summer Salads — Çoban, Kısır, Gavurdağı, Piyaz, Sumaklı

In summer, when hot weather makes heavy meals unappealing, Turkish cuisine turns to fresh salads. Here are 5 classic Turkish summer salads — refreshing, flavor-packed, and ready in 15 minutes. All with ingredients available from us in Serbia.

1. Çoban Salad (Çoban Salatası)

"Shepherd's salad" — Turkey's most famous salad. Simple, but brilliant.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 cucumbers, diced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 handful parsley, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp grape vinegar or lemon
• Salt, pepper, sumac

Method: Mix everything. Sprinkle with sumac. Serve with kebab or on its own.

2. Kısır (Turkish Bulgur Salad)

Fresh, nutritious, ideal for picnics. Rich in fiber and tasty the next day too.

Ingredients:

• 200g fine bulgur
• 250ml boiling water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp hot pepper paste
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 1 handful parsley, 1 handful mint
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 50ml olive oil
• 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, finely diced
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 1 tsp pul biber, salt

Method: Pour boiling water over bulgur, rest 15 min. Add everything else, mix well. Rest 30 min for flavors to meld before serving.

3. Gavurdağı Salad

From the Gaziantep region. "Gavur Dağı" means "Mountain of Infidels" — a walnut salad that turns ordinary salad into something extraordinary.

Ingredients:

• 3 tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 50g finely chopped walnuts
• Handful of parsley and mint
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (or lemon)
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp pul biber, salt

Method: Mix all. Rest 10 min. Ideal with kebab.

4. Piyaz (Bean Salad)

Traditional dish from Antalya. Warm or cold, always good.

Ingredients:

• 400g cooked white beans (or canned)
• 1 tomato, finely diced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 boiled egg, sliced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp grape vinegar
• 1 tsp cumin, salt
• Parsley, sumac for sprinkling

Method: Mix beans with tomato, onion, vinegar, and oil. Salt. Arrange egg on top. Sprinkle with sumac and parsley.

5. Sumac Onion Salad (Sumaklı Soğan)

Not really a salad — more of a side. Classic accompaniment to every Turkish kebab, ćevapi, or döner.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium red onions
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 handful finely chopped parsley
• Salt, pinch of pul biber

Method: Slice onion very thinly (mandolin). Salt, rest 10 min, drain. Mix with sumac, pul biber, parsley. Serve with any grilled meat.

Universal Tips

• Sumac is the secret — use it instead of lemon wherever possible for richer flavor
• Olive oil must be extra-virgin, first cold press
• Salt only at the end — tomatoes release too much water otherwise
• Serve with lavash or pide — Turkish bread is part of the experience

Turkish summer salads aren't side dishes — they're the center of the meal. Five salads, one bottle of olive oil, sumac — and you have the foundation of Turkish summer cooking.

What Else for Turkish Summer Salads?

Besides these basics, our range includes Gemlik black olives, green BBQ olives, Beypazarı mineral water, and Turkish tea — everything to make an authentic Turkish summer meal complete.