Sucuk – fried with eggs for breakfast, in toast or on pide – is one of the best-loved specialities of Turkish cuisine. This guide explains what sucuk is, where it comes from, how to cook and store it, and why cevizli sucuk is not a sausage at all.
What is sucuk?
Sucuk is a dry-cured, spiced sausage. Minced meat is mixed with spices, stuffed into a casing, then dried and matured. In Türkiye it is traditionally made with beef. Garlic, cumin, red pepper and black pepper give it its typical taste, which is why it is often called a Turkish garlic sausage. A whole horseshoe-shaped piece is called a kangal.
Where does sucuk come from?
Sucuk is closely linked to Anatolian cuisine; similar dry sausages are also made in the Balkans and the Middle East. Its origin is usually traced to the old tradition of preserving meat by salting, spicing and drying – who "invented" it is not known. In Türkiye, sucuk from Kayseri and Afyon is especially well known.
How to cook sucuk
- Peel off the casing if you like and slice 3–5 mm thick.
- Fry without oil over medium heat – sucuk releases its own fat.
- Crack eggs over the browned slices for sucuklu yumurta, the breakfast classic.
- Use cooked slices in cheese toasties, sandwiches, pide or bean stews.
Sucuk should be cooked before eating. Store it in the fridge at 0–4 °C and wrap the cut end.
Sucuk, pastırma and kavurma at WeNatur
- Kayseri Butcher's Sucuk ~500 g
- Kayseri Pastırma 200 g – salted, dried beef coated in çemen spice paste
- Beef Kavurma Rize Style 500 g – beef cooked in its own fat
More breakfast specialities: Breakfast. Matching cheeses: Turkish Cheese Varieties.
Cevizli sucuk: called sucuk, but sweet
Cevizli sucuk (walnut sucuk) is a sweet: walnut kernels threaded on a string are coated in thickened grape juice. The name only refers to its long, sausage-like shape – it contains no meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What meat is sucuk made of?
In Türkiye it is traditionally made from beef, sometimes mixed with lamb. Check the label of the product for the exact ingredients.
Can you eat sucuk raw?
Sucuk should be cooked before eating – in a pan or in the oven.
Where can I buy sucuk in Germany?
Kayseri Butcher's Sucuk is available in the WeNatur online shop with delivery to Germany.
More guides
- Menemen recipe
- 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
- Turkish foods in German – glossary
