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Türkiye: Local dishes

This chapter sorts popular Turkish dishes into two groups from a general safety point of view during treatment.

Last updated: ~1 min read
On a dark navy background, lentil soup and bulgur pilaf.
Figure 1.Soup and pilaf — Türkiye: Local dishes

01Short answer

Usually safer choices: lentil soup, ezogelin, kuru fasulye, chickpea stew, pilaf, well-grilled köfte, tavuk şiş, pide and lahmacun fresh from the oven, menemen with fully set eggs, karnıyarık. Risky and usually avoided during neutropenia: çiğ köfte (traditionally raw meat), pastırma (cured uncooked meat), street kokoreç and midye dolma, unpasteurised village cheese, tulum and kaymak, and döner that has stood for a long time.

02Simple explanation

Hot and cooked: safer.

Cured raw meat: risky.

Street seafood: risky.

03Scientific explanation

Meat: FoodSafety.gov advises people with weakened immunity to cook meat thoroughly.

Dairy: the FDA advises avoiding unpasteurised milk and cheeses.

04What happens in the body?

Everyday choice

Soup and pilaf are simple, soft and well cooked, so they suit treatment.

Fresh baking

Eat pide hot from the oven; do not pick from the display.

On a dark navy background, pide from a stone oven.
Figure 2.Fresh pide — Türkiye: Local dishes

Avoid

Pastırma, uncooked sucuk and çiğ köfte are usually not recommended during neutropenia.

On a dark navy background, cured meat behind a translucent line.
Figure 3.Meat to avoid — Türkiye: Local dishes

05Choosing a dish

Four questions.

Fully cooked? — No pink inside.1Fully cooked?No pink inside.
Fresh? — Straight from the oven.2Fresh?Straight from the oven.
Cured raw? — Pastırma: no.3Cured raw?Pastırma: no.
Eggs? — Fully set.4Eggs?Fully set.
FlavourFavourite dishes stay.
SafetyRisky ones set apart.

06Key points at a glance

TopicIn brief
Everyday choiceSoup and pilaf are simple, soft and well cooked, so they suit treatment.
Fresh bakingEat pide hot from the oven; do not pick from the display.
AvoidPastırma, uncooked sucuk and çiğ köfte are usually not recommended during neutropenia.

07Key terms

Çiğ köfte
Çiğ köfte.
Pastırma
Cured meat.
Midye dolma
Stuffed mussels.
Köy peyniri
Village cheese.

08Key points

  • Cook meat fully.
  • Eat pide hot.
  • Skip pastırma.
  • No street mussels.
  • No village cheese.

09Frequently asked questions

What about meat-free çiğ köfte?

It is made from uncooked ingredients; ask your team during neutropenia.

Is sucuk allowed?

Only fully cooked and if your team agrees.

Döner?

Freshly sliced and hot may be possible, but there is risk; discuss it with your team.

10Questions for your doctor

Take these questions to your appointment. The ones you save are collected on the “My questions” page and stay on this device only.

  1. What about meat-free çiğ köfte?

  2. Is sucuk allowed?

  3. Döner?

My questions

12Sources

  1. World Health Organization (WHO). Five keys to safer food
  2. FoodSafety.gov (U.S.). Food Safety for People with Cancer
  3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food Safety for Older Adults and People with Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Organ Transplants, and Autoimmune Diseases
  4. National Cancer Institute (NCI). Infection and Neutropenia during Cancer Treatment
  5. Memorial Health Group. Memorial Sisli Bone Marrow Transplant Center
  6. Acibadem Healthcare Group. Adult bone marrow transplant centre (in Turkish)
  7. Sheba Medical Center. Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation
  8. Hadassah Medical Center. Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunotherapy
  9. Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation, Campus Virchow-Klinikum (in German)
  10. Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. For international patients
Medical disclaimerThis information is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice.
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