🍔 Wet Burger (Islak Burger)
Islak burger, Istanbul's famous 'wet burger', is a small beef patty in a soft bun soaked in a garlicky tomato sauce and then left to steam in a glass cabinet until the bread turns soft and moist. It is warm, saucy and strongly garlicky, and so soft it almost melts. It is sold cheaply from street stalls and eaten on the spot, often two at a time.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g minced beef
- 1 small onion, grated
- 6 small soft burger buns
- 400 g tomato sauce or passata
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt, pepper and cumin
Method
- Mix the beef with onion, salt, pepper and cumin and shape into 6 thin patties.
- Fry or grill the patties until cooked through.
- Simmer the tomato sauce with garlic, oil and salt for 10 minutes.
- Dip the cut sides of each bun in the sauce, add a patty and spoon over more sauce.
- Pack the burgers tightly in a covered dish and steam over simmering water or in a low oven for 20 minutes so the buns soften.
How to make it lighter
- Use lean minced beef (5–10% fat).
- One wet burger is a snack; have one with a salad instead of two.
- Cut the oil in the sauce; the garlic provides plenty of flavour.
History
The wet burger is closely associated with Taksim Square in Istanbul, where stalls have sold it for decades, especially late at night. It is now found in other Turkish cities too.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Wet Burger (Islak Burger) and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →