My Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.
Some flag carriers miss golden opportunities to showcase their own country’s cuisine in onboard meals. That is not the case on Turkish Airlines, where I enjoyed a delicious beef puff pastry (Kıymalı Kol Böreği), a favorite national dish of Turkey.
Beef Puff Pastry In Turkish Airlines Business Class
I was traveling from Istanbul to Atlanta and had just awakened from a nice long nap. It was about two hours from landing and flight attendants appeared to offer dinner before landing.
I chose the Kıymalı Kol Böreği, described on the English menu as:
Traditional Style Beef Minced Pastry
served with grilled zucchini, roasted red pepper
Before that even came out, though, an appetizer of mozzarella and grilled vegetables (eggplant and zucchini) was served. I had some fresh-squeezed orange juice with dinner, another nicety in Turkish Airlines Business Class.
The main course was more puff pastry than beef, but had a rich buttery flavorful on the outside with the nice juxtaposition of seasoned minced beef on the inside. The grilled red peppers (I’m not a huge zucchini fan) were a nice addition to the meal.
I finished off the meal with a cappuccino.
CONCLUSION
Turkish Airlines has restored its full menu to flights, so look for a similar dish on flights departing from Istanbul. If you ever see this on the menu, give it a try. While not the most healthy dish, it is a delicious one.
You mean Türkiye Hava Yolları its not Turkish Airlines anymore !
Yes it is.
Looks pretty appetizing. Booked tickets on Turkish in Economy next January, connecting through Istanbul. Hopefully similar food is served in steerage.
Bon Appetit !
Flying KUL-IST-IAH in J. Looking forward to the lounge in IST and the food too! How is the coffee?
Coffee is tremendous in lounge and decent on plane.
Is this available in the US, perhaps in a special grocery store or bakery?
Looks delicious, but don’t even think about it Stu. It wouldn’t agree with you.
But is it Kosher?
Why would it be?
People that eat meat contribute more, much more, to global warming than people that are vegetarian.
In that same vein, people that shoot up a school contribute so much more to reducing global warming than virtue signaling politicians can ever hope to. So while school shooters might legally be guilty of crimes, they should be given awards in memoriam by the climate lobby.
Black plague wiped out half of Europe. The lowly rat did more to control global warming than any human could ever do. Chengiz Khan, Hitler, pol pot, stalin,
Mao tse ting and many others get honorable mentions too.
Looks just like a beef skinless sausage roll to me…not that there is anything wrong with that!
What’s that brown/white stuff in the little round bowl please?
Chocolate mousse
Thanks!
Börek is basically the same dish throughout the Balkans and Israel. Except in Christian countries this meat version is often made with pork. The layered dough is not the same as puff pastry. Kol böreği means arm shaped because it’s long and thin. Kiymali is a standard mix of minced meat and onion that also appears in Pide, Gozleme, or with eggs for breakfast.
“Turkish Airlines has restored its full menu to flights”
Well I should hope so! I’m guessing there must be a vault of MOTW posts saved up for a rainy day, and this one was penned a few years ago 😉
I have found even the economy class food on Turkish to be quite palatable, certainly leaps and bounds ahead of US and European carriers.
Turkish is about the only airline where I can look at the menu and it’s all appealing. They really are exceptional.
Disgusting food and horrible wine list. No thank you.
That looks yum, and also like a fancy sausage roll.