• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Time Travel Turtle

A travel blog with stories beyond the brochure

  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • CONTACT ME
  • BY COUNTRY
    • WEST EUROPE
      • Belgium
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Liechtenstein
      • Luxembourg
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Scotland
      • Switzerland
      • Wales
    • NORTH EUROPE
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • Latvia
      • Lithuania
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • SOUTH EUROPE
      • Cyprus
      • Gibraltar
      • Greece
      • Holy See
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Portugal
      • San Marino
      • Spain
    • EAST EUROPE
      • Austria
      • Belarus
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Hungary
      • Montenegro
      • Poland
      • Serbia
    • NORTH ASIA
      • China
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Mongolia
      • North Korea
      • Tajikistan
      • Uzbekistan
    • SOUTH ASIA
      • Cambodia
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Myanmar
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • NORTH AMERICA
      • Antigua & Barbuda
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • SOUTH AMERICA
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
    • AFRICA
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
    • OCEANIA
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • MIDDLE EAST
      • Jordan
      • Turkey
  • MOST POPULAR
    • The world’s oldest backpacker
    • Orangutans in Borneo
    • The need for speed
    • Trying to get out of the slum
    • The lake swamped with tourism
    • Journey into Dreamland
    • The village where life begins again
    • Is Cambodia safe for travellers?
    • Making the perfect gin and tonic
  • UNESCO

Making Turkish gozleme

March 8, 2019 | Michael Turtle | 25 Comments

FOOD AND DRINK

The Turkish pancake cooked on the street

The woman sits on the ground smiling at me… she knows I have already made up my mind. The man keeps talking loudly and fast… he’s too preoccupied with his spiel to notice that I’ve taken a step forward.

It’s hard to resist the lure of the gozleme in Turkey. It’s cheap, it’s quick and it’s tasty.

It might even be good for you – I’m not sure, I tried not to think about that as I moved closer to have my second of the day.

How to Make Gozleme, Turkey

She reaches towards her ingredients, the woman on the ground, as I nod and ask for a gozleme with spinach and cheese.

The scattering of flour across the table and her clothes shows she’s a professional. Only someone comfortable with their work would leave their studio in such a state.

She chats with her friends, all also sitting cross-legged on the ground, as she begins.

One of the best things about the ‘Turkish pancake’, as it’s colloquially known, is that you get to watch it be cooked right in front of your eyes.

Here’s how it’s done… and, as you’ll see, it’s really simple.

The woman pulls out a mound of dough she’s keeping in an airtight container.

It’s a mixture of plain flour and wholemeal flour that has been kneaded with water and a small amount of salt the night before. The best dough is left overnight before being used in a gozleme.

How to Make Gozleme, Turkey

She puts it onto a board and attacks it with a rolling pin. Back and forth she moves the wooden stick, wrapping the sticky dough around it, before peeling it back off.

She flicks flour over the top, bringing the mixture to the right consistency.

How to Make Gozleme, Turkey

Over half the dough, in the shape of a semi-circle, she drops on a pile of chopped spinach and spreads it out.

Then, using her fingers, she breaks small chunks of feta cheese over the top of the spinach. Oh, and don’t forget a bit of oil.

How to Make Gozleme, Turkey

The large hot plate sizzles next to her. It’s round, convex, and looks like the top of an enormous metallic mushroom.

She throws the rolled out dough over it and the smell of cooking bread wafts up.

Folding, turning, flipping. She traps the fillings inside the pancake and cooks both sides until they are slightly brown. With the heat coming off the plate, it doesn’t take long.

How to Make Gozleme, Turkey

And then it’s done. The hot packet of tastiness is complete and she wraps it up into a cylinder and puts it into a paper bag.

The man then presents it to me. The cooking here is the woman’s job – the transaction is left to the male.

How to Make Gozleme, Turkey

One of the reasons the gozleme is so popular in Turkey, one of the reason why I love them so much, is that the fillings offer so much variety. There’s the sweet – chocolate, fruit… and the savoury – vegetables, meat.

For every time of the day there is an option, a reason to be drawn back to the pancake-makers of the country. And for only a dollar or two, it’s one of the best deals around.

Turkey Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT TURKEY?

To help you plan your trip to Turkey:

  • What you need to know about the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia
  • Visiting the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
  • Why this is an important part of Istanbul’s World Heritage Site
  • The beautiful travertines that are worth the visit
  • The City of Love: Is this Turkey’s best ruins site?
  • The museum at Bodrum that takes you under the water
  • Why the Lycians were such an important part of Turkey’s history
  • See the Lycian tombs from the centre of Fethiye
  • Saklikent Gorge offers the perfect natural adventure
  • How to make (and eat) Turkish Gozleme

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of Turkey, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Turkey.

You could consider:

  • The best of Turkey (8 days)
  • Turkey Multisport (10 days)
  • Absolute Turkey (15 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Steve |

    October 2, 2012 at 11:40 am

    Reply

    This looks great. I just got back from a demonstration of cooking by a Turkish chef who made something similar containing lamb, so now I’m keen to learn more.

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 3, 2012 at 7:40 pm

      Reply

      Well, if you’ve just had a demonstration, you should be an expert!
      And the ones with lamb are so tasty! Personally, I preferred the savoury to the sweet gozlemes.

  2. Natalie - Turkish Travel Blog |

    October 2, 2012 at 2:27 pm

    Reply

    I love Turkish Gozleme. Potato and spinach is my favourite. I can remember when I was in Cappadocia with hubby. There was one women who cooked them at Panoramic view. Never tasted one as good as that since.

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 3, 2012 at 7:42 pm

      Reply

      Ha ha – I think everyone always remembers their favourite gozleme. Funnily enough, mine was where I took these photos in Pamukkale.

  3. Cathy Sweeney |

    October 2, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    Reply

    Order up about 3 of these for me. Looks delicious! Love the smile on that lady, too. Very nice.

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 3, 2012 at 7:42 pm

      Reply

      Three is a good idea – one never seems to be enough! 🙂

  4. Elmer Cruz |

    October 2, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    Reply

    I love gozleme! I always have it every time I go to flea markets in Sydney. And you’re right, the aroma of cooking these pancakes is just so scrumptious, you can’t help having a second serving! Great instructions on the cooking process.

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 3, 2012 at 7:43 pm

      Reply

      I expect you to try to cook your own now you’ve got the instructions! 🙂

  5. Vera |

    October 2, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    Reply

    …so where do I get my metallic mushroom?? And why have I never heard of Gozleme, despite living in Cologne, Germany, which is basically half-turkish? How could I have missed out? Sad, sad -I need to start paying more attention, it seems. Or travel to Turkey. Yeah, probably travel to Turkey. Anyway, very nice post, and while I love all the pictures, the last one is so cool! I mean, how could you not take anything this man gives to you? He’s sexy and he knows it!

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 3, 2012 at 7:44 pm

      Reply

      Now you’ve set yourself a challenge, Vera! Next time you’re in Cologne, I want you to find a sexy Turkish man who can make a gozleme pancake for you. You’ll wonder how you ever lived before without them! 🙂
      Or, yeah… travel to Turkey. That will do it too.

  6. D.J. - The World of Deej |

    October 2, 2012 at 10:21 pm

    Reply

    mmmm….tasty indeed! Yet another reason to head to Turkey:)

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 3, 2012 at 7:45 pm

      Reply

      As if you needed another reason!! 🙂

  7. Angela |

    October 2, 2012 at 11:17 pm

    Reply

    It’s delicious, I love anything Turks can make it with their bread!

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 3, 2012 at 8:28 pm

      Reply

      They really have mastered the art of food, haven’t they? Although I felt a bit bread-bloated after a while.

  8. Reyhan |

    October 3, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    Reply

    Hi All

    Glad you enjoy the article, here are 7 free gozleme recipes for you to try.

    I hope you enjoy them.

    Cheers

  9. Reyhan |

    October 3, 2012 at 8:21 pm

    Reply

    Ooops here is the link

    http://www.turkishthymecooking.com.au/turkish-recipes/gozleme/

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 3, 2012 at 8:38 pm

      Reply

      Thanks for sharing, Reyhan. They look delicious!!

  10. Adela @FourJandals |

    October 4, 2012 at 3:17 am

    Reply

    Gozleme is the best! Spinach and cheese was my favourite. And I always found the woman making them were so smily and happy! Used to love watching them create this tasty meal for me

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 7, 2012 at 11:03 am

      Reply

      Who wouldn’t be happy if your job was to serve up such delicious packages of goodness to people all day! (And probably sneak a couple for yourself too…)

  11. Laurence |

    October 6, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Reply

    That would go well with a bit of Spanish ham methinks. Although doesn’t everything?

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 7, 2012 at 11:52 am

      Reply

      You’re still thinking about Spanish ham? It could be time for an intervention…!

  12. Stephanie - The Travel Chica |

    October 7, 2012 at 11:24 am

    Reply

    It’s ginormous!

  13. Nestor |

    October 21, 2014 at 10:19 pm

    Reply

    What’s up to every body, it’s my first visit of this webpage; this web site includes
    awesome and actually good data designed for visitors.

Primary Sidebar

This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

Want Occasional Updates?

Sign up to be the first to hear the latest about the adventures of Time Travel Turtle. You'll also get access to special offers and exclusive news.
Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Search

  • PRIVACY POLICY