Why Van is the Breakfast Capital of the World

Long before dawn breaks over Van, a picturesque city in eastern Turkey surrounded by hills and the vast Lake Van, the hustle begins to prepare for the day’s most important meal.

By 5 a.m., the air is filled with the smell of hot flatbreads and freshly brewed Turkish tea as vendors begin to set up shop in Kahvaltıcılar Çarşısı, Van’s famed “Breakfast Street,” ready to serve the region’s traditional morning spread.

Every day, thousands of people pass through this cobblestone pedestrian street, often regarded as the heart of the world’s breakfast capital.

“Breakfast is the only thing served here all day,” says Kenan Coşkun, who, along with his brother, operates one of the city’s oldest breakfast establishments, Sütçü Kenan.

“Here, it’s all about breakfast. No bagels, sandwiches, soups, patties, kebabs, lunch, or dinner. No fish at night, no live music, no hookah, no alcohol. Just breakfast, and that’s it.”

While Turkey is renowned for its breakfasts, Van stands as the undisputed capital of the elaborate, sprawling serpme kahvaltı – the ultimate breakfast spread. These morning feasts can feature up to 30 different dishes, with a special focus on the rich dairy products from the livestock grazing on the nearby Anatolian plateaus.

Some of the standout specialties include kaymak, the creamy buffalo clotted cream; martuğa, a thick mixture of butter, flour, and crispy scrambled eggs; kavut, a sweet, porridge-like dish made from ground wheat toasted in butter and sugar; and Van’s famous otlu peynir, a crumbly white cheese typically mixed with wild leeks, mountain herbs like thyme and fennel, mint, and the standout garlic-infused herb, sirmo.

Alongside these regional specialties, the breakfast spread often features classic Turkish favorites like tahini and grape molasses, cacık (a thick yogurt and cucumber dip), a variety of jams from sour cherry to walnut and apricot, local honey (or, at the finest places, slabs of honeycomb), and plates of fresh, fragrant raw vegetables.

“Van’s breakfasts are all about variety and small plates of local delicacies,” says Aylin Oney Tan, a leading food writer in Turkey. “That’s the essence of Van’s morning meal. There’s simply no room for anything else on the table.”

Silk Road breakfast haven

The origins of Van’s famed breakfast tradition are widely debated. Food writer Aylin Oney Tan suggests that it began in the mid-20th century, when farmers from surrounding villages would bring their fresh produce to the city’s bus terminal at dawn to sell.

“They would set up humble little breakfast spots, offering freshly baked puffy pide bread, homemade butter, and a selection of cheeses,” Tan explains.

Some attribute Van's breakfast legacy to earlier influences from Ottoman culinary traditions, as well as its position along the historic Silk Road—an ancient trade route that connected the West to the Middle East and Asia, bringing a steady stream of hungry travelers.

However, locals trace the modern-day Van breakfast culture to the rise of ‘milk houses’ in the 1940s, which served simple early morning meals of milk, bread, and cheese to hard-working laborers.

Sütçü Kenan, meaning ‘Milkman Kenan,’ was founded in 1946 by Coşkun’s great-grandfather, Kenan, and has remained in the family, passed down through three generations to this day.

“Years ago, the breakfast hall started as a dairy shop,” Coşkun recalls. “Back in our great-grandfather’s time, villagers would gather early for coffee before heading to the fields or construction sites. Some brought eggs, others bread, cheese, or olives. They’d share everything and set up a communal breakfast table.”

Nestled away from the bustling Breakfast Street, Bak Hele Bak, established in 1975, continues the tradition of the milk houses. It’s one of the few places still offering the classic rose petal jam.

“We’re rooted in the milk house tradition,” says Yusuf Konak, the 67-year-old owner. “We’ve cultivated this breakfast culture. Our customers range from 7 to 70 years old—politicians, writers, teachers, and everyday people. Is Van the breakfast capital of the world? Absolutely.”

While it may sound like an ambitious claim, Van has the proof to back it up. In 2014, over 50,000 people gathered in front of the ancient Van Fortress, dating back to the 9th century BCE, to set the Guinness World Record for the largest breakfast gathering.

Local officials have even submitted a request to add the unique Van breakfast to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, joining the ranks of other iconic traditions like Neapolitan pizza, Belgian beer, and Singapore’s street food culture.

The perfect way to begin the day

Özge Samanci, head of the gastronomy and culinary arts department at Ozyegin University in Istanbul, notes that Van’s breakfasts, which gained popularity alongside the rise of tea consumption in the 1940s, have taken on significant social importance today.

“Breakfast has become a key part of family life in Turkey, and its significance has grown in recent years,” Samanci observes. “It’s now considered the most essential meal of the day.”

The Van-style breakfast tradition has gained such popularity that establishments serving it have sprung up across Turkey, including the Meşhur Van Kahvaltı Sarayı and Eylül Yöresel Kahvaltı Salonu in Ankara, as well as Van Kahvaltı Evi in Istanbul.

However, in Van itself, the beloved breakfast culture continues to evolve. Matbah-ı Van, a newer addition to the city’s culinary scene that opened in 2020, is among the forefront of establishments offering a menu of 12 strictly organic dishes.

At Matbah-ı, bread is baked in a traditional clay tandoor oven, butter is hand-churned in a nearby village, and local women’s cooperatives harvest honeycomb from the nearby highlands, known for its unique floral notes.

“I wanted to create a homey atmosphere here, bringing to life the breakfast tables I once dreamed of as a child,” says owner Gonca Güray. “We aim to honor the tradition. Starting the day without breakfast just doesn't feel right.”