Coming back from my trip to South Africa I really felt a bit homesick. Missing family and friends and just everything I grew up with. But it only took a walk across Galata bridge to make me feel thankful for the life I have. I always get that feeling when I walk the streets of Istanbul. It is as if my heart warms up and I almost want to burst of excitement knowing that I am going to explore and find out more about this intriguing city.
Claudia, a fellow Turkish blogger was kind enough to give us a culinary tour of the backstreets of Eminönü in the old part of Istanbul.
Read Claudia's wonderful Foodblog about seasonal Turkish food www.seasonalcookinturkey.blogspot.com.
We started off just behind the Spice Bazaar on what Claudia calls The Strip. The Strip for Food! Selling from Fish to Cheese to Saffron and Turkish delight. Our first stop after The Strip was for a cup of Turkish coffee.
A Turkish wedding custom is that a new daughter-in-law is judged on her coffee making skills by the bridegrooms parents. When they come to her families house, salt is sprinkled into the coffee instead of sugar and given to the husband-to-be to drink. If he doesn't pull his face after taking a sip, it's a sign to the bride that he is good-tempered and patient.
What I love about Istanbul is that you can sit in this little 'hole in the wall' place surrounded by locals with a man with the biggest smile, putting a cup of coffee in front of you. This is his little corner of Istanbul. You can't call it a shop and its not a restaurant. He only serves Çay and Turkish coffee, but he is so proud of what he does!
Kocoreç – Lamb intestines
Our first taste of the day was Kocoreç. It is a popular dish of Lamb intestines, wrapped around a skewer and cooked horizontally over a charcoal fire. After beeing cooked they chop it up and season it before they put it on the freshest white baguette. My friend says its good food to have after a night out and with this I will agree. Although its very tasty, I could only eat this again when I'm really starving and a bit tipsy.
A tray of Içli – a Bulgar wheat shell stuffed with meat.
This tray of Içli were just made and was the best I've ever had. Still fresh and warm and tasty. Içli is ground meat with a fine Bulgar wheat shell. It is mostly fried, but can be boiled too. It is not a easy dish to make and if it is served to you at somebodies house, it is a sign that you are an important guest to your host.
The inside of the Içli
Sweets in the Candy shop
Altan Sekerleme is a candy shop in Eminönü that's been making beautiful homemade sweets since 1865. This is a place for traditional, artisanal Turkish candies, especially Turkish Delight and Akide, a Turkish rock candy. This sweetie heaven has been passed from father to son and with the shop and the production upstairs has remained authentic with a hint of nostalgia.
Ahmet was so happy to pose for our photos. I loved his look! He was well groomed and neatly dressed and Claudia said that he is always around waiting for the next person to take a photo of him. Only after meeting Ahmet and reading more about the meaning of the moustache in Istanbul, I realized that there is a Moustache Mania going on in Turkey. Together with Turkish Delight, Turkish Baths and Turkish Coffee, the Turkish Moustache is now added to the list of specialities. A new craze is for Moustache implants. Interesting fact: The Istanbul Hair Centre does on average 6 moustache implants a week.
Kazandibi is like a milk pudding but it is enriched with cinnamon and chicken breast. Although you can't taste the Chicken breast, it was still weird to think that there is chicken in your dessert.
Kazandibi literally means “bottom of a pot”. Though its not literally burned as the name suggest, its just caramelized on the sides. It was a popular dessert served to the sultans in the Ottoman Topkapi Palace. Today it is considered a 'signature' dish of Turkey. It also comes in a version without chicken for those who don't like poultry for dessert.
Döner Kebab is a dish made of meat cooked on a vertical spit. Either Lamb, Beef or Chicken is used. This Döner had lovely layers of vegetables, like tomato, onion and peppers inbetween the Lamb. This layered type of Döner is called “Sebzeli Döner”, meaning Döner with Vegetables.
The owner of this shop prepares the Döner everyday from scratch. A lot of labor involved in giving us the pleasure of looking and tasting this colourful tower of deliciousness.
It is served in a Tortilla like wrap called Lavas(La-vash). It was one of the best Döners I've had. Succulent without being greasy, filling but not too rich.
Boza is a fermented bulgar refreshment with added water and sugar. The drink is thick, almost pudding like with a yeasty aftertaste. It is served in a glass with a spoon and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Adding roasted Chickpeas to the top adds another dimension, but still a taste I'm not used to. When asked if Boza is good for you, Claudia laughed and said that Boza is very effective in treating cholera. Well, I can say that Boza was very tasty, but I'm glad I don't have Cholera and will not call this drink one of my favourites. What was lovely about this place is that Boza has been served from an antique wooden bar in a Tavern like venue since 1876 by the same family. In the display cabinet is a glass, Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic, had Boza from. Interesting fact: Boza has been alleged to have an ability to enlarge women's breasts.
Ayran is a very popular drink in Turkey. It is simply Yogurt mixed with water and salt. They say its more refreshing than any soda on a hot day. But I still smile when grown men order Ayran with their meals, as I always thought of yogurt drinks, as a kids drink, but not in Turkey. It is a great cure for hangovers! In this restaurant it was served in these beautiful copper cups. It came with your own little ladle and to be like the locals you sip your Ayran from the ladle. It was such a lovely walk through the backstreets of Istanbul, eating at little places tourist don't see. If you would like to do a similar walk go to the website www.istanbuleats.com. They do culinary walking tours all over Istanbul. It is a wonderful way of seeing the real Istanbul. Another blogger on this walk was Joy from My Turkish Joys. She is a talented lady with a wonderful talent baking pastries and her blog is a great tour guide to Turkey and its Food.
www.myturkishjoys.blogspot.com
