What to eat in Istanbul

Turkish cuisine represents a combination between easy and elaborated recipes, flavoured with oriental condiments and delicious sweets. The Istanbul cuisine is also a feature which proves the dual nature of the city, because ingredients combine elements from the Asian and Oriental culture with the traditional European food, all packed in what we believe is an extraordinary and unique culinary experience.

While visiting Istanbul forget about diets and let your senses indulge into the special meals of the delicious Turkish cuisine. Treat yourself with a juicy and well roasted kebab, taste the grilled fish and the honeycomb, and calm your thirst with a morello cherry juice.

If you wish to satisfy your curiosity on Turkish cuisine and if you are looking for a different type of souvenir to bring back with you for some of your close friends, we recommend you visit the Spice Bazaar. Here you will find everything you ever wanted and more, from sweet to spicy delicatessen, from henna to sumac, from fresh fruits and vegetables to honey rolled plums.

Iranian caviar is also something we recommend you try. Turkish people sell it in jars, and add butter in order to keep it fresh and conserve its natural flavour. Turkish people have a traditional and unique method to roast chicken; they use a special oven which will give it a fresh and soft texture inside, while the skin gets crispy and golden on the outside. If you are a fan of spicy flavours make sure to sprinkle over the chicken some of the many different types of chilli available in Turkey.

If you are looking for a more exotic meal you could buy aphrodisiac food, which can be easily found in the Spice Bazaar. If you are not sure how your tastes adjust to the Turkish cuisine, we recommend you try at least the typical Turkish sweet called baklava accompanied by a Turkish sand coffee.  If you’re a sweets lover make sure you also try the famous Turkish delight specialty. You can find it in all the bazaars and candy shops, in many different flavours and you can choose the one you love the most or have mixed combination. If you are passionate about cooking we recommend you buy more than just a portion, so that you can use the Turkish delight for your home made cakes because it gives them a special and unique taste and looks.

Istanbul’s bazaars also sell a wide range of dried fruits: apricots, grapes, strawberries, bananas or prunes. Turkey’s geographical location also allows producers to supply their faithful customers and curious tourists with fresh and juicy fruits and vegetables almost all around the year.

Food critics compare Turkish to Greek cuisine but, even though you can find many similarities, we believe that the latter is missing a key ingredient the former has - the Oriental influence. Food and dining in Turkey go beyond the ordinary role of feeding, as they pass into a new dimension where food is pleasure, pure pleasure. If you are a gastronomy lover make sure you don’t miss the Istanbul gastronomy festival.