The İzmir sandwich commonly made with cheese, tomato, and sausage is Kumru. It is a Turkish street-food sandwich traditionally prepared on a distinctive bun and often filled with sucuk, a spicy fermented sausage.
Modern kumru became popular in İzmir during the mid-20th century. The bun is soft and may be made by local bakeries with chickpea sourdough, while fillings can include grilled sucuk, cheese, and tomato. Vendors may also add pickled cucumbers, hot peppers, mayonnaise, or ketchup, so the exact combination varies.
The name kumru means “collared dove” in Turkish. It is linked to the shape of an earlier ring-shaped, sesame-covered bread, although the modern filled sandwich is the version most visitors encounter in İzmir. This regional identity is why kumru is not simply interchangeable with a generic dürüm or other Turkish sandwich.
A useful distinction is that the İzmir-style kumru is usually associated with hot fillings such as sucuk and cheese. Other Turkish sandwiches may feature fish, döner, or spiced meat, but those ingredients do not define the classic İzmir preparation.