A Turkish meal usually starts with a thin soup (çorba) with a low consistency. Soups are usually named after the main ingredient they are prepared with.

The most common types of soup are made of lentil; yogurt or wheat (often mashed) called mercimek çorbasi and tarhana çorbasi. Delicacy soups are the ones that are usually not the part of daily diet, like shkembe iskembe çorbasi and paça çorbasi, although the latter also used to be consumed as a nutritious winter meal.

Before the popularization of the typical Turkish breakfast, soup was the default morning meal for most households. The most common soups in Turkish cuisine are as follows; yayla, bugday asi or yogurt soup which can be served hot or cold), Domates (tomato), Ezo Gelin, Dügün (wedding) soups.