I. Love. To. Eat. There. I said it, and there's nothing wrong with that (in moderation, of course). One of my favorite things about traveling is trying local food. I really liked what Istanbul had to offer (including the randomly delicious Mexican), though my gastronomic adventures in Italy still rank above every other food I've tried while abroad. Recap:
Turkish Delight:
I must admit that we didn't start off on a good note. My first taste of Turkish delight was nice, but it tasted like some basic type of gummy candy, almost like a jelly bean, that I'd had in the States. It didn't wow me as much as people talked about it, simply because it was familiar. However, first impressions aren't always the right one! Over the course of my five days in Istanbul, I tasted more delights and learned that they came in different flavors, some filled with pistachios and other types of nuts, and were just amazing! My favorite type of Turkish delight was the hazelnut lokum (Turkish for delight). It almost tasted like some type of cookie dough to me, and I definitely had to buy a few to take back to Madrid...and devour.
My first Turkish delight experience. It was aight
And then it got better! The greenish one was rose-flavored (I believe) and had pistachios inside and outside!
See the balls? Hazelnut lokum. The outside is covered with hazelnuts. Di.Vine.
Shrimp Casserole
Not much to say about this except, if you see it on a menu, don't get it! It was such a waste of money when I saw that it was covered in cheese. Like, why? Why would you do that to a dish? I think the shrimp and veggies in the sauce would've been fine, but they ruined it with that tacky cheese.
Such a waste.
Apple Tea
AKA liquid crack. I drank apple tea at every turn. It didn't help that Turks are so friendly that any time you stop to talk with them or you're shopping in their stores for awhile they offer you a cup. It's sooooo addictive!
I won't even tell you how many cups of this I drank in one sitting...
Orange Tea
Not nearly as popular as apple tea, but, depending on how it's made, it tastes even better! The only reason I wasn't addicted to it was because I didn't drink enough. No worries, I brought enough back from the Spice Bazaar that an addiction will soon be developed. I mean, better to be addicted to flavorful caffeine than tobacco or alcohol...right?
Again, the amount of tea I drank in one sitting...
Apple Princess
This random pastry I tasted at a local deli. The filling tasted like that of an apple-cinnamon pop tart.
'Twas okay.
Baklava
Nom. Nom. Nom. Phenomenal! I didn't eat nearly as much as I could have since I was trying to exercise some measure of self-control, but let's just say I'm pretty sure five days in the land of baklava has ruined me to anything in Amurrica.
So small, yet so potent.
Kalamar Restaurant
Kalamar is a fish restaurant, which are pretty common in Istanbul since it's near so many bodies of water. It was delicious! The area was brightly lit and vivacious with these colorful bulbs everywhere and live music being played along the street. It felt so...Turkish. I had the freshest, most beautiful piece of sea bream I've ever tasted. I mean, the things that fish did to my palate! Afterward, we had a mixed fruit plate for dessert, complete with the juiciest watermelon I've had in far too long.
Divine sea bream
Dessert!
All the funky, colorful lanterns!
Shish Kebabs
Spain has ruined döner kebabs for me. The smell is too cloying and makes my stomach turn a little (I realize I may have just taken a trip down TMI lane, but y'all need to fully understand). Living here for so long has also made me forget about shish kebabs. Istanbul reintroduced them to me and what a rediscovery it was! Like, my gawd, the things Turks can do with chicken! It just reinforced my belief that a love of chicken is not just a black folks thang; everybody loves it! Shish kebab plates include cous cous and veggies and are extremely cheap. Once I discovered them, I pretty much ate nothing else.
When you find something you love, just stick to it!
Street Food
Don't sleep on it. That's really all there is to it! Fresh, juicy, sweet, delicious watermelon, shaved fruit, fresh-squeezed fruit juice, grilled chicken, wraps...I mean, the list goes on and it all looks, smells, and tastes phenomenal! The prices make it even more delicious.
Corn
Apparently, it's the national snack. For some reason, I didn't taste any, though I should have. It's everywhere and you can buy it either grilled or boiled. I did, however, get to play chef for a sec!
Cookin' corn with "Jimmy"!
Picante Restaurant
Turks are such overachievers. Like, who, besides Mexicans, really does Mexican food that well!? I had the most well-seasoned fajitas I've tasted in far, farrrrrr too long. That was accompanied with a divine strawberry margarita, you know the kind; you get a nice dose of tequila followed swiftly by the taste of fresh strawberries to sooth the throat. #heaven. The ambiance of the restaurant was really chill, and, though I would've appreciated some Latin music, I started to feel the tranquility of the place after a while. I guess I should explain how we ended up at a Mexican joint in Istanbul, huh? It's simple: Cinco. de. Mayo.
Seriously, though, it tasted like heaven
Hafiz Mustafa
It's a pastry shop that's been around since 1865...and for good reason. Their pastries are divine! I had what is now my favorite type of baklava, the Cevizli Kelebek, which is whole walnuts inside layers of baklava dough, semolina cream, plain butter, and crystal sugar. It was, in conjunction with the hazelnut lokum, my favorite pastry in Istanbul. Yet another addiction. Oh, and they do their apple tea very well ;)
Tea break!
View from the upstairs cafe
Kybele Hotel and Restaurant
Our last stop in Istanbul. It was recommended to us by two American expats living there (more to come on them in a later post). It's a small B&B looking place in a blue building with lights everywhere that has a quiet terrace. Of course, my last meal was chicken shish kebab, but I had to get it in before I returned to the land of pork and patatas.
Finally, food is cheap and good in Istanbul. I pretty much stuck to my chicken shish because they also like to incorporate lots of yogurts and cream-based sauces in their food, which I can do without. Except for that tacky shrimp casserole I had, everything was simply delicious.
This is shorter than Part I...right?
No comments:
Post a Comment