In the world of cuisine-centric cities, Istanbul is a culinary Camelot. The city of about 6 million, marks the ancient intersection of East and West. With 2,500 years of shifting cultures including Ottoman, Greek, Armenian, and Persian, the city has a legacy of as many diverse cuisines.
Along with some of the most delicious food, my husband and I have ever enjoyed, we discovered a bustling city with a mélange of old and new, religious and secular, exuberant and enchanting, all punctuated by palaces and minarets and the melodious call to prayer that floats out five times a day. And then there are the cats. Everywhere. Well-fed cats, content to prowl the streets and parks and saunter into shops and cafés. As cats tend to do, they act as though they own the city. It is not an act.
Besides its felines, Istanbul loves its food of every stripe and style: street food, local markets, casual cafés, white tablecloth, Michelin-starred establishments. Turks are so fond of their food that they have written songs about it. The late rock star Bariș Manço’s hit “Domates, Biber, Patlican” translates to “Tomatoes, Pepper, Aubergine” (eggplant).
Simit is the Turkish take on a bagel. At top, Lahmacun is a popular Turkish flatbread that is topped with ground meat. (Anna Hobbs photos for VacayNetwork.com)
We enjoyed a melting pot of flavors that suffuse dishes with herbs and spices, such as sumac, cumin, and red pepper. Street foods, sold from carts and stalls offer an entrée, authentically and affordably, to the city’s rich culinary heritage. Where to stop? This advice came from our hotel doorman: “Choose the stalls that are busy and frequented by locals. Then do as they do: Eat while you walk about.”
Which is exactly what we did. Among our favorite choices were:
Simit: The “Turkish bagel” is a sesame-crusted ring that’s soft on the inside. Its roots are said to extend to 14th-cenutry Poland. Buy it from street vendors or from carts, often topped with preserves or cheese. A staple breakfast item to enjoy with a cup of tea.
Kebab: Anthony Bourdain once declared it was worth a trip to Istanbul just for a kebab. These tasty morsels are thought to have originated in the nomadic tribes of Central Asia. They remain central to everyday Turkish cuisine. Cubes of meat (typically lamb or beef) are skewered, marinated in spices, yogurt or tomato sauce, and grilled.
Döner kebab: Arguably the national dish of Turkey. The fast-food wrap contains marinated lamb, chicken, or beef, stacked on a skewer, cooked, then sliced, marinated, and sandwiched in pide (pita bread). You’ll find variations served on the street and at restaurants throughout the city, often served with salad, French fries, or grilled pepper.
Lahmacun: This Turkish flatbread is one of the city’s most popular street foods. It quickly became my can’t-pass-up treat. The thin, round, crispy flatbread is topped with finely ground meat, usually beef or lamb, tomatoes, and spices, such as cumin and chili pepper, and baked in the oven. It’s popular partly because it’s easy to eat with your hands but mostly because the blended flavors are sumptious.
Baklava: Istanbul’s most famous dessert remains a staple of the Middle Eastern food scene. Historians and countries have debated, even feuded, over its origins — possibly Greek, possibly Ottoman Empire, possibly Byzantine, or Arab. Regardless, it has achieved perfection in the capital of Turkey. It comes in various sizes and forms, but the essential parts are incredibly thin layers of phyllo pastry, filled with crushed pistachios, then stacked on top of one another, and coated in a sugar-syrup. Each bite, a perfect blend of crunch and sweetness.
How to Do Breakfast in Istanbul
A visit to Istanbul wouldn’t be complete without indulging in kahvalti (Turkish breakfast). The meal that kick-starts the day remains a national obsession. Typically, it consists of many small dishes served and enjoyed slowly over an hour or two. Especially on Sunday. Expect to find a table-long spread laden with simit, a multitude of spreads, honey, and homemade jams such as tangerine, fig, sour cherry, and apricot. Savory dishes follow, including eggs, sausage, olives, and oodles of cheeses. When at breakfast, do as the locals do: Enjoy it at leisure, then linger over tea.
Both tea and coffee reflect the country’s cultural heritage. Coffee was introduced to the Ottoman empire in the 16th century. The Turks consider it a symbol of friendship and hospitality. Dark and bitter, with a rich foam on top, it is unfiltered, highly caffeinated, and bold. Despite the fact that sugar accompanies every cup, the taste remains bitter. As important as coffee is to Turkish cuisine, the country has the highest per-capita consumption of tea in the world. They serve it black in small, tulip-shaped glasses that allow you to appreciate the deep amber color.
Street vendors, food stalls, and modest cafés showcase traditional Turkish cuisine unchanged for generations. At contemporary restaurants, you’ll find fusions of familiar Turkish flavors and ingredients from around the world. Upscale dining venues, including the city’s five Michelin-starred restaurants, lean to a creative imagining of the classics. The diversity translates into something for every taste and budget.
There are notable consumer changes happening, too. For example, specialty artisanal products are seeing a sharp increase in sales. Artisan-made bread accounts for 97% of all bread sales in the country, according to WorldFood Istanbul, the largest international food and drink exhibition in Turkey. Perhaps to balance all of the sugar consumption, Turks are becoming more health conscious with beneficial foods, including bottled water with added vitamins and minerals, in vogue.
Geography Influences Turkish Food
The flavors of a döner kebab are beautifully tucked into a pita bread in Istanbul. (Anna Hobbs photo for VacayNetwork.com)
Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles Europe and Asia. The Bosphorus River separates the bustling business section in Europe from Üsüdar, the quieter Asian residential district .
One day, we enjoyed breakfast in Europe, then drove across the Bosphorus to Asia for a döner kabob lunch. Our guide took us to Metet Közde Döner, an unassuming little family-owned restaurant with the enviable reputation of serving the best döner kebabs in the city. We climbed to a sunny little third-floor room to where we were greeted by a friendly staff and the chef who demonstrated how he created his award-winning treat. He threaded numerous stacks of seasoned beef and lamb (a 75-to-25 ratio) through a vertical spit to slowly rotate on a wood fire. Once the outer layers started to crisp, they were thinly sliced and served in a pita. “The lamb fat,” we were told, “adds a savory flavor to the beef.”
Did I mention the cats? Five or six contented felines joined us for lunch, simply wandering around the room and under the table as we ate. “They are essential in Istanbul,” our guide said. “They keep rodents at bay. They thrive throughout the city because volunteers feed and look after them. It’s a communal approach that we are proud of.”
Before returning to Europe, we strolled the historic cobbled streets of the Kozguncut neighborhood to choose from the amazing array of spices and buy those sweet bite-sized jelly treats that would make delicious souvenirs.
