'Chicken doner kebab most popular food in Türkiye'

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s leading online food delivery application, Yemeksepeti, has announced that the most preferred food in Türkiye is chicken doner kebab, called “tavuk döner dürüm” in Turkish, in its latest data.

Yemeksepeti shared its statistics reflecting the 2023 trends in the food and beverage industry. The most popular food in Türkiye turned out to be chicken doner kebab, while the effects of street culture and fast-paced lifestyles stood out.

The popularity of global cuisines such as burgers shows that Türkiye's culinary diversity is increasing, while snacks such as “çiğ köfte” and toasts are among the options most preferred in busy schedules. Lahmacun, which ranked first in 2022, fell to third place, and chicken döner, which ranked second in 2022, took the first place this year.

The 10 most ordered dishes on Yemeksepeti are chicken doner kebab, burger, lahmacun, pizza, çiğ köfte, toast, Adana kebab, chicken tantuni, lentil soup and pita bread.

The highest-value order placed through the platform was recorded at 26,098 Turkish Liras. While this and other high-value orders indicate spending for special events or luxury items, it shows that the sector has the capacity to respond to these demands.

Yemeksepeti's peak ordering hours were from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. in 2023. While 6 p.m., the peak hour, marks a period when rush hour and dinner preparations are intense, the fact that orders during these hours account for 36 percent of total orders emphasizes the importance of daily routines.

Chicken salad topped the list of most ordered salads this year. The popularity of traditional options such as “çoban salata” and seasonal salads, as well as modern options such as tuna and Caesar salads, shows interest in healthy eating trends.

Apart from latte, the star of 2023 in the popular Everyday Roastery of “Yemeksepeti Market” coffee menu, strong and sweet coffee options such as Americano and mocha have also gained popularity.

The leading user in the food category placed more than four orders per day, with a total of 1,567 orders. In the Market category, this number reached 1,691, marking the highest number of orders per year.

Daily necessities such as bakery products, local bananas and mineral water stood out among the most ordered products from Yemeksepeti Market.

The number of new kitchens recorded on Yemeksepeti shows the diversity and growth of the Turkish food and beverage industry. Kebab and Turkish cuisine are at the top with 4,398 new restaurants, while doner continues to be popular with 4,322 new openings. "Çiğ köfte" has become a popular option, especially for vegans and vegetarians, with 3,933 new restaurants.