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 | Istanbul local food Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 23 |  |
 | |  |  | local food: Simit....the Turkish fast-food | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
All over Istanbul, you'll see small carts with circles of bread covered in sesame seeds for sale...this is simit. Although it doesn't really taste of much, just bread that's almost stale, it is surprisingly addictive...and if you don't like it, you can always throw it to the pigeons in Taksim Square, or to the seagulls as they follow the ferries. The man who seels simit is called a simitci, and simitciler are found on practically every street corner, especially around breakfast time. Recently, a number of cafes have taken simit on a step further, removing the hole and adding fillings such as cheese, olives and spicy sausage. Look out for Simit Sarayi, which has branches all over the city, and its copycats Simithane and Istanbul Simit. They are always popular with students, as you can get a cheap and filling breakfast here at any time of the day. The one next to Burger King at the top of Istiklal Caddesi has a particularly nice rooftop terrace overlooking Taksim Square, and many a heated discussion went on there over a simit and a steaming glass of cay. Leave a Comment
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| | | | local food: Kokoreç | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Kokoreç, oh my, Kokoreç! :) Sold on many street corners throughout Istanbul, it is basically a flattened sandwich on toasted bread, with sheep intestines and a little pepper and spices. My friends, who are native Turks, decided to play a little trick on me one night, and tell me we would get some street food, that was made of beef. When we got some kokore? at a local street vendor near Taksim, I began eating it, and thought it was quite delicious. I never even suspected I was being dooped! :) After we finished, my friends informed me of what I had really eaten! After my initial gag reflex went away, I was like, "Hey, whatever it was, it was pretty good!". It is definately a great tasting fast food choice while in Turkey. But the question is, do you know what you are eating?!! :)
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| | | | local food: Turkish Coffee | Tip Rating: | | | | |
I'll just start out by saying that I am not a coffee drinker. Never really liked the stuff. So I wasn't really excited about trying Turkish coffee, but wanting to try anything and everything I could while I was here, i gave it a shot! I have to say that I was plesantly surprised. I really enjoyed it, and I had some everyday for the rest of my time in Istanbul, and continue to enjoy it to this day. The differences between Turkish coffee and other types of coffee are of course it's being quite strong, and the fact that it is very finely ground. But the big difference is in the way it is prepared. A couple of spoonfuls of the coffee are added to hot water in a "cezve", the small stovetop pot that is used to make it. The mixture is not stirred, and while heating up, it starts to rise to the top of the cezve. When it gets to the top, a small portion is poured into a Turkish coffee cup, which is small in size, similar to an espresso cup. Then the cezve is placed back on the stove until the coffee rises again, and then some more is poured into the cup. This is repeated 1 or 2 more times until the cup is full, and then it's ready to be served. Occasionally a little sugar is added to the coffee while in the cezve, but I tend to like it without. Definately something to try though while in Turkey!
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| | | | local food: Balik Ekmek - Fish & Bread | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Along the Golden Horn on the Eminönü side, right next to the Galata Bridge, you will see several make-shift stands with vendors grilling fish. You will most likely also see a long line of people at these places. What they are waiting for is a delicious Balik Ekmek, or Fish & Bread sandwich. The sandwiches are very basic - a grilled fish fillet and onions placed in between 2 pieces of dry bread. And they are cheap, only a couple of New Lira. It's quite interesting sometimes how popular, and tasty for that matter, such a simple concept can be! Until recently, the local fisherman in the area used to dock their boats at the piers, then cook & sell the fish right off of their boats. This practice has been banned, but thankfully the yummy sandwiches are still here! Stop by and pick up one with a coke, have a seat in the grass, and enjoy one of Istanbul's simple pleasures! :)
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| | | | local food: Dentists Delight | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Without sultans to please, the world would have been the poorer. Turkish delight, that sticky candy known in the Middle East as lokum or rahat lokum might never have been invented. According to the legend, the candy, whose name means morsel of contentment, is 230 years old. The sultan, with 100 women cooped up in his harem, needed some sweet treat to keep the ladies (and their numerous offspring) happy. The cook came up with Turkish delight. He boiled cornstarch, sugar and water until it became a thick gluey mass, threw in some pistachio nuts, added a splash of rosewater, and let the whole thing set. Then he cut it into little squares and dunked them in powdered sugar, so they could be picked up with the fingers and daintily eaten (although the powdered sugar scatters everywhere). It was a big hit (and has been the source of delight for dentists all over the Middle East ever since). Turkish delight traveled westward in the 19th century, when a sweet-toothed British visitor shipped a few cases home. If you love lokum (as my husband does), you are in good company. It was a favorite of Napoleon, Churchill and Picasso. Today there are entire stores dedicated to this gummy confection, such as Koska and Heci Bekir. It is worth visiting one of these shops for the visual experience alone. Hundreds of little cubes of Turkish delight are arranged on trays in pale pinks, greens and yellows, some dusted with white powder, others rolled in coconut or studded with nuts. You can buy the candy by the box, or choose a little of each kind from the display and pay by weight. Leave a Comment
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on March 4, 2006
Istanbul
on January 23, 2004
on February 14, 2007
on October 27, 2006
on October 17, 2003
on July 31, 2003
