Menemen: Turkey's Tomato and Egg Dish Explained
Menemen is Turkey's scrambled egg dish of tomatoes, green peppers and sometimes white cheese. Here is how it is made, served and eaten with bread.
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Menemen is Turkey's traditional dish of eggs scrambled with tomatoes and green peppers, eaten mainly at breakfast and brunch. The eggs are stirred into the sauce as they cook, which is what separates it from the baked-egg dishes you meet on British brunch menus. This guide covers what goes into it, how it is cooked and served, how it differs from shakshuka and where you come across it in Turkey.
What menemen is
Menemen is a one-pan Turkish dish of eggs cooked with tomatoes and green peppers, usually served with bread and often called Turkish scrambled eggs in English. It is a favourite at the weekend Turkish breakfast table, where it sits alongside salads, savoury pastries such as börek and gözleme, and simit. Because it comes together quickly, it doubles as a light supper or a substantial lunch.
The ingredients
The base is tomatoes and green peppers, cooked down in olive oil or butter until the tomatoes break into a sauce. Turkish recipes favour long, thin green peppers, and sivri biber is the name to look for. If you cannot buy them, cooks use green bell peppers, carliston, bullhorn or romano peppers, shishito, padrón or a little jalapeño for heat. Eggs come at the end, and white cheese such as beyaz peynir or feta is an optional addition rather than an essential one. Some versions add onion, spinach or garlic, and recipes note that versions vary from village to village and household to household.
Are menemen and shakshuka the same? No. Both cook eggs with tomatoes, but in menemen the eggs are stirred into the sauce so they scramble, while in shakshuka the eggs are cracked into pockets and left to set whole.
What is menemen called in English? It is usually translated as Turkish scrambled eggs, or eggs scrambled with tomatoes and green peppers.
Is menemen Turkish or Greek? Menemen is a Turkish dish, served at Turkish breakfasts and as street food. Its name is often linked to the Aegean town of Menemen in Turkey, though that town is not necessarily its place of origin, and one account traces it to the Greek menemnos, meaning to flood or overflow.
How it is cooked
You soften the peppers first, then add the tomatoes and cook them until most of the moisture has gone. The eggs are whisked in a bowl, sometimes with crumbled white cheese, and stirred into the pan until they are just set. The point cooks argue over is texture: menemen should stay slightly runny, and one recipe warns plainly against cooking it to a dry crumble. Garlic yogurt is sometimes served alongside, which you can pair with the Turkish food on this site.
How menemen is served
Menemen traditionally arrives in the pan it was cooked in, and some cooks use a copper one, with crusty white bread or pide ekmek for scooping up the sauce. A little garlic yogurt on the side is a common addition, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes is optional. At a Turkish breakfast spread, it is one part of a much larger table: cheeses, olives, pastries and jams share the same meal. If you want to build that table yourself, serpme kahvaltı is the style to order.
Menemen versus shakshuka
The two dishes look alike on the plate but are made differently. In menemen the eggs are stirred into the tomato and pepper sauce, while in shakshuka they are cracked into pockets in the sauce and left to set whole. A home-cook comparison puts the difference simply: menemen has its eggs flooded in juicy tomatoes, ready to be scraped up with bread. Neither dish has one official recipe, so the versions you meet will differ.
Where you meet it in Turkey
Menemen belongs to everyday eating: weekend breakfast spreads at home, cafés serving brunch, and the quick stops at bus stations, train stations and ports where there is passing trade. It counts as street food as well as a home dish, which makes it easy to find without planning. The name is often linked to the Aegean town of Menemen, though that town is not necessarily where the dish originated, and one account traces it to the Greek menemnos, meaning to flood or overflow. When you order it, ask whether the kitchen adds cheese or serves it plain, since both styles are common.
Why the "perfect" version varies
There is no definitive menemen, and cooks disagree about the finer points. The pepper choice is the biggest variable: long green sivri biber, bell peppers or a chilli for heat all appear in published recipes. The tomato quantity varies too, with some cooks using far more than others to keep the dish juicy. Tinned tomatoes are accepted as a substitute by some writers but rejected by others as inauthentic. Treat any recipe as a starting point and adjust to your own taste.
Where to eat menemen in Turkey
Menemen is easiest to find at breakfast time, when cafés and breakfast restaurants serve it alongside the rest of the spread. At other times of day, look for it on the menu as a light lunch or supper dish. Because it is a cheap, quick dish, it appears in ordinary cafés as well as smarter breakfast places. Order it with bread and, if you like, a bowl of garlic yogurt on the side.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are menemen and shakshuka the same?
No. Both cook eggs with tomatoes, but in menemen the eggs are stirred into the sauce so they scramble, while in shakshuka the eggs are cracked into pockets and left to set whole.
What is menemen called in English?
It is usually translated as Turkish scrambled eggs, or eggs scrambled with tomatoes and green peppers.
Is menemen Turkish or Greek?
Menemen is a Turkish dish, served at Turkish breakfasts and as street food. Its name is often linked to the Aegean town of Menemen in Turkey, though that town is not necessarily its place of origin, and one account traces it to the Greek menemnos, meaning to flood or overflow.
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