Tag Archives: must eats

Breakfast (Kahvalti) in Istanbul

Breakfast meal in Turkey is called Kahvalti which means ‘before coffee’ in Turkish. Our host at Sokullu Mehmet Pasha apartments offered us a lavish breakfast meal. We were served three types of cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, apples, oranges, simit, bread, orange juice, Turkish tea, olives, butter and honey.

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Istanbul Food I – 15 dishes and drinks I tried on Day 1

How much food can you pack in a day? Here is all that I was able to get a taste of on my first day in Istanbul with two of my friends.  1. Islak Hamburger (Wet Burger) – It is wet burger with a small beef/lamb patty inside it. It is available in Taksim Square at many spots. Look for a case where you find steaming small burgers stacked in a small case. It can be bought for 2 Turkish Lira. Called Wet burger, Islak hamburger is a small, moist burger with beef and lamb patty Steaming case – Small case to put in Islak hamburgers to keep them hot and moist 2. Simit – It is a bagel covered with sesame seeds.  3. Salep – The drink was served during the Ottoman rein. It is made out of roots of orchids. Can be bought for 3 Lira. A poster on the Salep selling cart displaying key ingredients of the drink. Special metal dispenser with fire underneath to keep the drink hot. Cinnamon dusted cup of Sahlep/Salep 4. Iskender Kebabs – thinly cut lamb like doner kebab and some pita bread pieces soaked in tomato sauce with butter and yogurt. The dish is named after the person who invented it. Iskender Kebab, Chicken Seekh and Turkish bread 5. Chicken Pide – it is a variety of Turkish Pizza. Very delicious but different from Lahmacun, they say in terms of shape and thickness.  Bits of Chicken Pide 6. Baklava – yes, I managed to eat some Baklava but my friend who ordered the dish lapped it all up. May I daresay that whose baklava is it anyway is won by Turkey. Turkish Baklava is better than Greek.  Pistachio baklava and cappuccino at a cafe in Taksim Square 7. Mezze – Yummy cold mezze gave me …

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15 things I wish to eat in Istanbul

I have arrived into Istanbul and settled in a comfortable one bed apartment in Sultanahmet House. I am planning the travel itinerary and alongside I have put together a list of 15 must eats in Istanbul that I will try out: Kebabs – this is the land of Kebabs – Doner, Kofte, Shawarma, lamb chops- the list is long and my appetite is huge Simit – a snack between doughnut and pretzel Wet burger – yes, a burger filled with meat and then wet in garlic tomato sauce…heading tomorrow night to Taksim square for a bite into this one Firin Sutlac – Oven baked rice pudding sounds like Indian kheer. Let’s see what they got. Hummus – this tahini chick pea delight is alchemy. I have spent days dipping my carrots into it for lunch. I feel fortunate to come to a land where it is a traditional and not exotic food.  Lahmacun – referred to as Turkish pizza, it is flat bread with minced meat Pilav rice – Pulao is a big part of Indian cuisine. I want to eat Pilav in Istanbul to compare it to the Indian variety I was brought up on Aubergine mezze- Aubergine is much disliked in India but egg plant seems to be to Middle East what potatoes are to British isles. I am waiting to dip my breads into smoked egg plant salads, egg plant with yogurt, fried egg plant!  Baklava – Come on, who am I kidding! That is one of the key reasons for going to Istanbul – to have some fresh Baklava. It is a pastry dessert.  Tea: They say, tea is inescapable in Istanbul and I am going to plunge right into its arms! Prices look affordable so between much walking small tea stops will be perfect! Tavuk Gogsu – milk pudding with chicken breast. (To …

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