Menemen

Menemen is eggs folded softly into cooked tomatoes and green peppers, served in the pan it was made in. It is a cornerstone of the Turkish breakfast table, though nobody minds eating it at midnight.

What it actually is

Long green peppers (sivri biber) are softened in olive oil or butter. Grated or chopped tomato goes in and cooks down until it loses its water. Then the eggs are added and folded through over low heat — folded, not beaten stiff.

The result should stay loose and glossy, closer to a soft curd than an omelette. Seasoning is salt, black pepper, and usually pul biber (red pepper flakes) and dried oregano.

Whether onion belongs in menemen is a long-running and entirely good-natured argument in Turkey. Both camps are certain.

How it's served

• In the pan it was cooked in, straight to the table.
• Shared, with plenty of bread for scooping — no cutlery required.
• With additions: white cheese (beyaz peynir) stirred in, or sucuk (spiced sausage) fried first.

Writing it on a menu

• Say whether yours has onion. Regulars have a side in this argument.
• List additions separately — plain, with cheese, with sucuk — since they change the price and the allergens.
• It is vegetarian and gluten-free in itself; the bread served with it is not, and sucuk makes it neither.