What Makes Turkish Rice So Delicious

Greetings, Döner Fans! If you have ever taken a foray into Turkish cuisine, you will no doubt have eaten Turkish rice. Most likely you’ll also have asked yourself: what makes Turkish rice so yummy? And what are those brown bits in it?

Yummy Turkish rice. With brown bits.

Turkish rice, which is rightly called şehriyeli pilav [sheh-ree-elly pee-laf], is a delicious Turkish staple. It is usually served on a separate plate alongside hot food such as stew, stuffed peppers, or other delicious things. I got to thinking about it after stuffing myself with the daily special at Turkuaz here in Brussels. (I’ve reviewed the kebabs at Turkuaz before, but I should also say that their 8-Euro daily hot meal is delicious.) You may also recall images of delicious Turkish rice from my review of Mercan restaurant in Berlin.

Turkish rice served alongside stuffed peppers at Turkuaz

If you deduced that it is the brown bits that make the rice so yummy, then congratulations: you are correct, Döner Fans! Şehriyeli pilav means ‘rice with orzo’, so the brown bits are really little pieces of orzo pasta. Sometimes vermicelli is also used. The orzo or vermicelli is fried lightly in butter before the rice and water are added. The şehriye gives the rice a tasty, juicy, buttery flavour.

A serving of Turkish rice at Mercan in Berlin. A spoonful of beef and chickpea stew anoints the crest of this small rice mound.

So there you have it, Döner Fans. Now you know why Turkish rice is so delicious. And now you also know what the brown bits are. Go ahead and order it with your next meal. Enjoy!

To Recap: What Have We Learned?

“şehriyeli pilav” [sheh-ree-elly pee-laf] (rice with orzo)

Photos taken by Dr Döner