FOOD NEWS
Kumpir: The Baked Potato Snack That Turkey Adopted
BY CLARICE KNELLY
Whether topped with butter, cheese, or sour cream, baked potatoes are a beloved snack or side around the world, and the best global variation might be Turkey’s kumpir.
These baked potatoes may be topped with butter, Kaşar cheese, sausages, corn, pickles, olives, red peppers, mushrooms, pickled red cabbage, mayo, and/or ketchup.
Kumpir likely originated as “khumpir,” a similar baked potato dish in the former land of Yugoslavia, before migrating to Turkey and gaining its characteristic Turkish toppings.
To make kumpir, bake potatoes until soft on the inside, then mix butter and cheese into the potato’s flesh for a creamy, flavorful base. Next, you can pile on the toppings.
If you’re in Turkey, kumpir is sold across the country, particularly in Istanbul’s Ortaköy neighborhood, where you’ll find plenty of kumpir at restaurants and street vendors.