A few hours in Asia

I like Asia. You jump on a ferry, and bam, ten minutes later, there you are. Surrounded by sushi, wood block prints of ladies in kimonos, and if you have 20/20 vision you can see the Great Wall in the distance.

Not true, of course. The Anatolian side feels no different that the European one, save some of the tourists. We headed straight for the market, which is basically 5 square blocks dedicated to foodstuffs.

Near the ferry, fresh fish is grilled and sandwiched with parsley, lemon, lettuce and onions.


Fruit and vegetable stand. 1 of 100.


Fish-a-plenty. (and squid, sea urchin, crazy lobsters and more).


Spices, nuts, dried grapes, mulberries, plums...



At my new home away from home away from home, give or take; "Organik Bahce".

The store featured (many things, but) a variety of Greek and Turkish confections, that consist of assorted nuts, strung together, and dipped multiple times (think about making candles) in a fruit based syrup (pomegranate, mulberry, or grape). This creates a sweet and chewy case to house the nuts who rest inside. Very popular with school children and very good (for you).

One variation: pomegranate apricot syrup is studded with sesame seeds, pistachios and hazelnuts. This is the doner version because it is sliced in the same fashion as its meaty version.


Take two. Walnuts rolled up in grape-syrup skin are honeyed. And perfect. This syrup-skin is very hard to describe and unlike anything else I have enjoyed. Maybe like fruit leather? But not gross. Meaty. Not too sweet.


A favored drink back in the days of the Ottoman Empire.



Made from cinnamon, sugar and ginger, these brilliant red rocks are boiled till dissolution, creating a warm cup of spiced perfection. 'Drink like a Sultan, and you may just turn into one' (says Kemal Yetkin. Actually I just wish he said that and even more wish it was true). Apparently, this drink was used to celebrate pregnancy... Hopefully not this time around...


Dried fruit for any mood. Bananas, cantaloupe, kiwi, ginger, kumquats... Tossed in sugar and plumper and more flavorful than any dried fruit I have ever had.



Not pictured but most certainly purchased; rose hip butter (apple butter but better, you know why), sage tea, some lemony-herb tea (note to self--start writing things down) that smells outstanding (and a floral steeping mug to match!), pistachio filled grape-syrup triangles, french macaroons...

Unfortunately, my camera died, so I cannot report on dinner (chickpea/chicken/squash/chestnut soup with perfect rice and yeasty bread), the best grape leaves I've ever had, and a zillion more things that I can't wait to go back and try, like pickled corn on the cob. Old fashioned candy shops, and Turkish coffee spots, marzipan, yogurt, meats, cheeses, flat bread with parsley, lemon, spices... So this is only part 1 of so many.

"Sometimes, I like, feel bad for people who don't live here"

Is it because they don't have the pleasure of kumpir? Julie's favorite.



A giant baked potato overflowing with a bounty toppings, which may include; cheese, black olives, pickles, cabbage, hot dogs, yogurt sauce, pasta salad, corn, ketchup, "and so on, and so on, and..." That's right, 5.5 TL.


The picking of the toppings, not always so simple in Turklish.




Mmmm. Afiyet olsun!




Or maybe it's the local bazaar, every Saturday in our neighborhood.


Bras, underwear, carrots, spinach.

Or should I say, local bizarre.



But this IS the real reason we feel bad for them.





Courtesy of Julie "Kumpir" herself.
The honey is now.here sweeter or more bountiful.

necessities in my bitchen turkish kitchen

Rose Jam; petals included. A simple life is lifted up to the skies.




Assorted canned goods are a must. Stuffed grape leaves, stuffed cabbage leaves and my personal favorite, İmam bayıldı, a famous Turkish dish. "Tamek" is the #1 brand.





Which literally means, "the Imam was thrilled" (by the delicious, oily treat). Braised eggplant stuffed with tomato, onion and garlic. Sitting in oil.





Imagine... savory apple sauce. This is it, and its four times better. I had been craving it for 3 days. I ate the entire can right before dinner, couldn't help it. So soft, slippery and comforting, it just fills your mouth. It is not too salted or spiced, which is usually a problem--but not here. Of course, that allows you some freedom, in this case, I sprinkled the plate with sumak and red pepper so my wet friends could adopt a nice little crust. Would be great in or with eggs, in a sandwich, in a salad, over rice, or just with a spoon.
I think I might resort to eating cans on the way to school, but hopefully not, I don't know if I want to be that foreign exchange student.



and only on weekends... the most popular (turkish) choice.


iyi aksamlar.

Eat to Learn

Pre-four consecutive hours of class, one (Lily) requires ample sustenance. So, after leaving the creepy library I headed out in search of a kebap, maybe some doner... anything meaty and Turkish. With only t-20, I was not so successful so I settled for something I do not, and did not, know the name of. I entered a small, underground shop, crowded with young schoolboys who were "sshhhh'd" upon my entry. I was handed this, thing, and I ordered an Ayran to wash it down. Then I stopped into a nearby bakery to acquire something sweet and nutty so I could truly stay energized and academically on point with my international 'friends' and classmates. Here is the sum of all (p)arts.



My impressions are as follows:

1. The "wrap".



Not encased in your average american wrapper, this guy is much doughier. It's just better, not so dry, and it doesn't have pointless bubbles. This is spread with some mysterious mixture (bulgar, maybe raisins, tomato paste, spices and probably more things I could not decipher). This paste is sprinkled with lemon juice, some lettuce and tomato is added, and it is neatly rolled. A highly portable choice. Didn't drive me wild--I would have gone for more vegetables, more spice, etc... But there is only one way to find these things out. By trying.

2. Ayran.



My new favorite beverage. It is a drink made of yogurt, water and salt. I hear that sometimes they add cucumber / mint / dill / garlic and such to flavor it when it is made fresh (can't wait to try that). The salt was originally to preserve the yogurt but I guess they just decided to drink it. It is perfect with spicy food, cuts through like a samurai's sword to provide relief to your burning tongue. Thin enough to quench, thick enough to confuse, and just the right amount of salt...

3. Baklava.



I'm not going to explain it because I bet you know. But here, even your average bakery's bak is flakier than anything. Dripping with honey. Chunkier nuts. Sometimes the baklava is made with goat's milk cream, lending an undeniably four-legged taste. This could, understandably, not be appreciated by all persons, but the regular version is always available, in like 19 different types. This bak wasn't the best I've had here but certainly quite enjoyable. Also, when it got too sweet, ayran was there to save the day.

4. Fig-n-nut Ball

It's essence cannot be captured digitally, but this is seriously my new bff. Golf ball size, apricot weight -- this is pure fig n' walnut ecstasy. Not too sweet, perfect big crunch on nut pieces, small crunch on fig seeds, texture of cookie dough. Fools your mind but not your heart. Must have more.


5. The real dessert?


waaaay to sweet.

Food is better...

than so many things. Eating it, talking about, thinking about it, watching it, smelling it, etc etc. While I spend time in Istanbul, I wanted to share my culinary trials and tribulations. I don't know how I feeling about "blogging", it's kind of awkward, but I will give it a try. At least it enables me to entertain only those you care to be entertained by my food talk and photos. So here we go--starting with today, and I shall take steps forward and back as days go by.

A simple post-sociology salad. Istanbul has taught me to embrace iceberg lettuce (which is a great blank canvas for all other things complex, made nice and crispy after a soak in cold water) and parsley (they serve a nice handful with almost any authentic Turkish dish). So, add some incredibly creamy white cheese (feta, almost, details to come soon), chopped stuffed grape leaves (from a can, but, you would never know it), the oil from that can (extra flavor always welcome), chopped red onion, canned corn (another new best friend for life), a big squeeze of lemon, a medley of spices from the bazaar (Malatya Pazara is the best spice/dried fruit/tea/tdl (not tasti d lite, turkish d lite!)) (their version of red chili flakes (more flavor than heat, though definitely hot), oregano, and sumak. A splash of balsamic to seal the deal.


You bet I had two bowls--second one with dried, roasted chickpeas on top. Got to make it through self defense class later...



Lunches have been a joy, as they rarely fail to be, and there will be so much more to say about them, but another favorite was this;


Grilled sausage (average, simple links), fresh tomato, onion, and the red pepper mentioned above. Then roughly half a loaf of bread was rubbed in the sausage juice and warmed just a bit. Then the monster was handed to me for the lovely price of 5TL ($3.5).

It came from here;

And it was enjoyed here;


The banks of the Bosphorus, in Bebek. Everything tastes a little better there by default...
I can't wait to get another. The half onion that went into still lingers in my mouth, nearly two weeks later. In a good way.



I can't resist mentioning one final lunch.

I had an empty day, finally sunny, so I found my way to a neighborhood on the northern banks of the gold horn. There is a fish market there, as well as a number of small restaurants and stands selling the fresh seafood.


Not the best photo, but you get the idea.

So, I found my spot, vaguely communicated to the waiter my desire for a grilled fresh fish, and sat, read, waited, watched the activity on the Golden Horn (fishing boats, fishermen, the sun, etc). Water came, lots of bread came, a mixed salad came (lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, lemon, parsley). I saved half of it to decorate the fish with because I personally love combination bites. Then she arrived, without a word.




And left with a little less to say.





Lemony, salty, peppery, charred. I would have gone for the hot red pepper that I love so dearly but wasn't sure how to say it, I'm working on that. But still, 10 out of 10. A little cup of black tea and I was ready to press on.


and on that note, iyi gunler.