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Menemen from Turkey

Menemen

Soft eggs scrambled with tomato, pepper and chilli. · Turkey

📍 Aegean ★ 4.3
Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Reviewed by the WhatWhereVacay editorial team

Soft eggs scrambled with tomato, pepper and chilli.

About Menemen

Eggs are slowly cooked into a soft scramble with tomato, green pepper and spices, eaten straight from the pan with crusty bread. It is the Turkish breakfast standard.

🏛️ History & Culture

Menemen is a beloved Turkish breakfast dish, with its name derived from the town of Menemen near İzmir, though its exact origins are debated. The core preparation—eggs gently scrambled with tomatoes, green peppers, and often onions—has been a staple in Turkish home cooking for generations, reflecting the country's emphasis on fresh, seasonal produce and communal morning meals.

Regional variations exist across Turkey, with some versions adding onions, garlic, or spices like oregano and red pepper flakes, while others keep it simple. Menemen is traditionally served in the same pan it was cooked in, meant to be scooped up with crusty bread, and holds cultural significance as the centerpiece of a leisurely Turkish breakfast, often enjoyed with tea and shared among family and friends.

🍳 How to make Menemen

AI-assisted, not kitchen-tested

Menemen (Turkish Scrambled Eggs with Tomato and Pepper)

Menemen is the slow-scrambled egg dish at the heart of every Turkish breakfast: tomatoes, green peppers and eggs cooked together until just set, eaten hot from the pan with hunks of crusty bread for dipping.

Prep
8 min
Cook
18 min
Total
26 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy

Recipe ingredients

  • 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil, or a mild sunflower oil; butter is also traditional
  • 2 g (2 medium) green bell peppers (sivri or çarliston), long, mild Turkish green peppers if you can find them
  • 1 g (1 medium) small onion, optional; some cooks in Izmir leave it out
  • 4 g (4 medium) ripe tomatoes, about 500 g / 1.1 lb; grated, peeled
  • 5 g (1 tsp) Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber), or Aleppo pepper
  • 2 g (½ tsp) dried chilli flakes, adjust to taste
  • 8 g (1 tsp) fine salt, or to taste
  • 0.5 g (¼ tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
  • 6 g (6 large) eggs, cold from the fridge; use pasteurised if you prefer no partially runny yolk
  • 30 g (2 tbsp) feta cheese (optional), crumbled; some regions add beyaz peynir, others leave it plain

Steps

  1. 1 Prepare the vegetables: peel the tomato by scoring a small X on the base, blanching in boiling water for 30 seconds, then slipping off the skin. Grate the flesh on the coarse side of a box grater and discard the skins. Slice the green peppers into thin strips about 4 cm / 1½ in long. If using onion, finely chop it.
  2. 2 Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based skillet (about 26 cm / 10 in) over medium heat. Add the onion if using and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the green peppers and a pinch of salt and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peppers soften and just begin to char at the edges.
  3. 3 Stir in the grated tomato, pul biber, chilli flakes, black pepper and the remaining salt. Simmer over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tomato reduces to a thick, jam-like sauce that no longer pools watery around the peppers.
  4. 4 Crack the eggs directly over the pan, spacing them out. Using a wooden spoon, gently break each yolk and fold the eggs into the tomato-pepper base. Cook over low heat, stirring slowly and occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stop when the eggs are softly set with visible creamy streaks; they should look like a loose, wet scramble, not a dry omelette.
  5. 5 If using feta, scatter the crumbled cheese over the top now, cover the pan with a lid, and leave off the heat for 1 minute so the cheese softens and the eggs finish cooking from residual heat.
  6. 6 Serve straight from the pan (or in shallow bowls) with plenty of crusty bread, such as a simit, pide or a rustic sourdough, for scooping up the runny bits. Menemen is best eaten immediately while the eggs are still soft and glossy.
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Ingredients
Steps

Menemen — frequently asked questions

What is Menemen?

Eggs are slowly cooked into a soft scramble with tomato, green pepper and spices, eaten straight from the pan with crusty bread. It is the Turkish breakfast standard.

What is Menemen made of?

Menemen is made with eggs, tomato, green pepper, chilli flakes and olive oil.

Where does Menemen come from?

Menemen comes from Turkey, and is especially associated with Aegean. Menemen is a beloved Turkish breakfast dish, with its name derived from the town of Menemen near İzmir, though its exact origins are debated.

Where can I eat Menemen?

A Turkish breakfast spot, scooped up with plenty of bread.

How do you make Menemen?

Making Menemen at home takes about 8 minutes of prep and 18 minutes of cooking. The recipe on this page serves 4 and is rated easy. Full ingredient list and step-by-step method are in the recipe section above.

→ More traditional dishes from Turkey

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