Yogurt

Yoğurt, served as a side at Turkish kebab houses, is a bowl of plain, thick, full-fat yogurt, eaten alongside grilled meat and spicy ezme to cool the heat. The English word itself is borrowed from Turkish, and in Türkiye yogurt is a daily staple rather than a dessert or breakfast product: it goes under İskender kebab and Ali Nazik, into ayran and cacık, and over mantı. Kebab houses usually serve one of two styles. Set yogurt (tava or tas yoğurdu) is cultured in its bowl, has a firm, spoonable body and often a thin cream skin (kaymak) on top. Strained yogurt (süzme yoğurt) is hung in cloth until much of the whey has drained off, which leaves it dense and rich, close to labneh. Sheep's milk yogurt, sold in many regions, is richer and more tangy than cow's milk yogurt.