Turkish Nuts & Kuruyemis: What to Buy

In Turkey, kuruyemis is not just a snack, it is a social institution. Evenings in front of the television, tea with neighbours, long football matches: all of them come with a bowl of roasted nuts and seeds on the table. Turkey grows some of the finest nuts in the world, including around 70 percent of the planet's hazelnuts and the famous Antep pistachio, so buying Turkish is buying from the source.

Antep Pistachios: The Crown Jewel

The pistachio from Gaziantep is smaller, greener and more intensely flavoured than the large Iranian or Californian types, and it is what gives baklava its colour. For snacking, Anthap's jumbo roasted and salted pistachios come in handy 150 g bags up to generous 1000 g packs for gatherings. Bakers should look for raw green pistachio kernels, which keep their vivid colour on kadayif and baklava.

Hazelnuts and Walnuts: Black Sea Classics

Turkish hazelnuts from the Black Sea coast are the global gold standard. Tadim's roasted hazelnut kernels in 150 g bags are sweet, crunchy and dangerously easy to finish; Anthap offers a bigger 300 g roasted pack. Walnut kernels, like Anthap's 300 g pack, belong in baklava, cevizli sucuk and Circassian chicken, and a handful over yoghurt with honey makes a classic Turkish breakfast touch.

Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds: The National Pastime

No Turkish nut guide is complete without cekirdek. Cracking roasted sunflower seeds is practically a national sport, and Tadim's 270 g roasted sunflower seeds, along with their black seed and extra salted versions, are the benchmark brands. Peyman's double-roasted Kara Simsek seeds are for those who like an intense roast. White pumpkin seeds, such as Tadim's 180 g roasted and salted pack, are plumper and easier to crack, which makes them a good gateway seed for beginners.

Leblebi: The Clever Snack

Leblebi, the double-roasted chickpea, is Turkey's original healthy snack: high in protein, naturally low in fat and satisfyingly crunchy. Anthap's 300 g double-roasted yellow chickpeas are the classic style, and white and sugar-coated versions offer softer or sweeter takes. It is the traditional partner for tea and, according to grandmothers everywhere, the perfect thing to nibble with dried mulberries.

Dried Fruit and Mixed Nuts

Round out the bowl with dried fruit. Malatya dried apricots, like Bodrum's 200 g natural (unsulphured) apricots, are darker and deeply honeyed. Anthap's dried white mulberries are nature's toffee, wonderful with walnuts. And when you cannot choose, a roasted and salted mixed nuts pack from Anthap or Tadim's Festival mix covers pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds and roasted chickpeas in one bag; Tadim's 150 g roasted salted almonds fill in any gaps.

Buying Kuruyemis in the UK

Freshness is everything with nuts, so buy sizes you will finish within a few weeks and store packs airtight, away from heat and light. Small 150 g bags suit lunchboxes and tea time; 300 g and 1000 g packs make sense for families and gatherings. Turkish Online Market delivers the full Anthap, Tadim and Peyman kuruyemis ranges across the UK, so your cekirdek nights are always stocked.