Çılbır

Çılbır (pronounced "chul-bur") has one of the most distinguished pedigrees of any breakfast dish in the world. Historical records place it on the tables of Topkapı Palace as early as the 15th century, where it was a favourite of Sultan Mehmed II — the conqueror of Constantinople. For five centuries it remained a dish of the elite, its combination of cool yoghurt and hot eggs considered the perfect start to a day of governance.

The name likely derives from the Arabic "chalb", meaning "drawn out" — a reference to the way the egg yolk pulls through the cool white yoghurt when you cut into it. The defining flourish is the burnt butter drizzled on top, infused with Aleppo pepper or pul biber, which pools in the labneh and creates a river of red-gold colour that makes the dish instantly recognisable.

Our version rests poached eggs on a bed of thick labneh and cooked spinach, then floods the plate with seasoned burnt butter. The contrast — cold yoghurt, warm runny egg, sizzling butter — is the entire point. Toasted Turkish bread on the side is not optional; it is the spoon.