Menemen is the best-loved hot dish of a Turkish breakfast: eggs gently cooked in tomatoes, green peppers and olive oil. It is quick, needs only a few ingredients and is served straight from the pan with fresh bread for dipping.
The dish is named after the town of Menemen near Izmir. Today it is cooked all over Turkey and in many Turkish homes in Germany – every family with its own little secret.
Ingredients (serves 2–3)
- 4 eggs
- 3 ripe tomatoes (or 1 can of chopped tomatoes)
- 2 long green peppers (Turkish sivri biber)
- 2 tbsp olive oil or 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp Turkish pepper paste (mild or hot)
- Salt, black pepper, pul biber (chilli flakes)
- Optional: 1 onion, a few slices of sucuk or some white cheese
How to make menemen
- Cook the peppers: Heat the oil or butter in a pan and soften the sliced peppers for 3–4 minutes.
- Add the pepper paste: Stir in a teaspoon of biber salçası and fry briefly for colour and depth.
- Add the tomatoes: Peel and dice the tomatoes, add them and simmer for 5–8 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt.
- Add the eggs: Crack the eggs into the pan. For creamy menemen stir gently and take it off the heat while the egg is still glossy.
- Serve: Sprinkle with black pepper and pul biber and serve in the pan.
With or without onions?
A favourite debate in Turkey. The original Aegean recipe has no onion; in many other regions onion is fried with the peppers for extra sweetness. Try both.
Variations
- With sucuk: Fry a few slices of Kayseri sucuk first.
- With cheese: Fold in crumbled Ezine cheese or strands of çeçil cheese at the end.
- With butter: Trabzon village butter gives a rich flavour.
What goes with menemen?
A Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı) also includes bread or simit, black olives, white cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, honey, butter, tahini with pekmez and Turkish tea. Find everything in our Turkish breakfast category.
FAQ
What is menemen?
A Turkish pan dish of eggs, tomatoes, green peppers and olive oil or butter, mostly eaten for breakfast.
Is menemen the same as shakshuka?
They are related: in both, eggs cook in a tomato-pepper base. Menemen is usually stirred and creamier, while shakshuka eggs are left whole.
Which pepper paste should I use?
Turkish pepper paste (biber salçası) – mild or hot. One teaspoon is enough.
More guides
- What is pekmez?
- Turkish sweets
- Turkish nuts & dried fruit
- Turkish olives
- Turkish tea & tea varieties
- Turşu: Turkish pickles
- Tropical fruits list
- Tahini & nut butters
- Rosemary oil & rosemary water
- How to store garlic
- What is propolis?
- Date varieties
- Turkish cheese varieties
- Turkish salça: pepper & tomato paste
- What is sucuk?
- Turkish foods in German – glossary
