FOOD — 10

Antalya Piyazı

Antalya piyazı is a regional white bean salad made with a tahini dressing, distinct from piyaz found elsewhere in Turkey.

Read time: 2 min Updated: 1 October 2026
Bean salad with lemon, tomatoes and herbs

What's Actually on the Table

Antalya Piyazı

White bean salad with tahini dressing

Antalya piyazı is a regional white bean salad specific to Antalya, distinct from the piyaz served elsewhere in Turkey for its use of tahini in the dressing alongside vinegar, garlic and herbs. It’s commonly eaten alongside şiş köfte as a defining local pairing.

What makes Antalya piyazı different?

While bean salads called piyaz exist across Turkey, Antalya’s version is regionally distinct for including tahini (sesame paste) in the dressing, alongside the more universal vinegar, garlic and olive oil, giving it a richer, nuttier flavor than piyaz found elsewhere. White beans, boiled and cooled, are tossed with the tahini dressing, chopped onion, parsley and often a hard-boiled egg on top. It functions as both a side dish and a light meal in its own right.

Where do you eat piyaz in Antalya?

Local köfte restaurants across the city serve piyaz as the standard accompaniment to şiş köfte, a pairing specific enough to the region that ordering one without the other is unusual. Kaleiçi and the areas around local markets have the highest concentration of restaurants serving both together.

Piyaz and Köfte as a Regional Pairing

The piyaz-and-köfte combination is specifically associated with Antalya rather than Turkey generally, similar to how certain dish pairings become regionally definitive elsewhere — ordering one without the other at a local restaurant would be unusual.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, in its base form — white beans, tahini dressing, onion and herbs — though it’s commonly topped with a hard-boiled egg, which vegetarians eating eggs won’t need to avoid.


Şiş köfte (grilled meatball skewers) is the standard pairing, common enough that many local restaurants serve the two as a set combination.

Discovering Türkiye Editorial
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Discovering Türkiye Editorial

The Discovering Türkiye editorial desk writes practical guides for travellers from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. Every visa rule, price and opening time is checked against official sources — government advisories, Türkiye's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and venues' own sites — and dated on the page. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.

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