Turkish Pickles & Tursu: A Buyer's Guide

Ask anyone who grew up in Turkey and they will tell you: a table without tursu feels unfinished. Turkish pickles are made with a simple brine of water, salt and vinegar, often with garlic and chickpeas tucked into the jar, and they taste sharper and saltier than the sweet pickles common in British supermarkets. Served alongside rice and beans, grilled meat or a plate of borek, they cut through rich food and wake up the whole meal.

Mixed Pickles: The Best Starting Point

If you are new to tursu, start with a jar of mixed pickles. Brands like Bodrum, Burcu, Yaren and Yonca combine cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, peppers and sometimes cauliflower in one jar, so you get a little of everything. A 670 g jar of Bodrum mixed pickles suits a small household, while the large 1700 g and 2900 g jars are the better buy for families who put pickles on the table every day. Caterers and serious pickle lovers can even go for the 3700 g catering-size jars from Burcu.

Cucumber Pickles and Gherkins

Cucumber tursu is the crowd-pleaser. Turkish salatalik tursusu, such as the Burcu 580 g cucumber pickles, uses small, firm cucumbers with a proper snap. Gherkins (kornison) are the smallest and crunchiest of all; Bodrum sells them in 680 g and generous 1600 g jars. These are brilliant chopped into potato salad, layered into sandwiches, or served whole next to kofte and chips.

Cabbage, Pepper and Garlic Tursu

Beyond cucumbers, the classics are worth exploring. Lahana tursusu (pickled cabbage) is the traditional partner for dried bean stew; Yaren's 1700 g cabbage pickles are a solid choice, and Bodrum's red cabbage and cauliflower mix adds beautiful colour to a meze spread. Heat lovers should look at pickled hot peppers, from Burcu's 580 g jars to Yaren's extra hot and jalapeno pickles, which bring proper fire to kebab wraps. Pickled garlic, like Bodrum's 340 g jar, is a quieter treasure: mellow, tangy cloves that go perfectly with raki night meze.

How to Serve Tursu the Turkish Way

The golden pairing is kuru fasulye, pilav and tursu: white bean stew, rice and pickles. Tursu also belongs next to lentil soup, stuffed vine leaves, lahmacun and any grilled meat. In winter, many Turks drink the brine itself, tursu suyu, as a salty, probiotic pick-me-up. Once opened, keep jars in the fridge, use a clean fork, and make sure the vegetables stay under the brine so they keep their crunch for weeks.

Which Jar Should You Buy?

For a first order, we suggest one jar of mixed pickles, one cucumber or gherkin jar, and one hot pepper jar; that covers salads, sandwiches and grills. Turkish Online Market delivers all the major Turkish pickle brands across the UK, so you can compare Bodrum, Burcu and Yaren side by side and find your house favourite without leaving home.