The Turquoise Chronicles

The Turks do food exceptionally well. A stop on the Silk Road, Istanbul straddles both Asia and Europe. It is therefore no surprise that I am finding widely diverse cuisine within the city’s fortifications. Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Eastern European, Armenian, and Georgian cuisines. Within a one block radius in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu District, you can find traditional Turkish fare (doner, lahmacun, etc.), a handful of bakeries selling simit, and food from countries around the world – Korean, Russian, and Ethiopian to name a few. On Friday night, we opted for the later.

On a rooftop overlooking the city of rolling hills, we enjoyed a drink (rarely found in my far out district) and celebrated the conclusion of orientation. A lot has happened in the last two weeks! Ripping the tart, spongy bread and dipping it in the lentils, cabbage, corn, spinach is a staple of Ethiopian food the world over, something I’ve enjoyed ever since living in close proximity to Washington, DC’s H Street Corridor. If you haven’t tried Ethiopian before, I can’t suggest it enough. It was wonderful to make new friends, discussing where our work has taken each of us (Malaysia, Shanghai, Korea…) and what we should enjoy here in Istanbul.

Last weekend, our wonderful Uzbek music teacher took Ali and I to our local market. Only a 15 minute walk from my apartment, the market is the heart center of our area, attracting vendors from all over the region to sell on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The downstairs is full of clothing, rugs, and antiques for sale. The upstairs is an explosion of color and taste. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Check out the tongue on that pup! Even the local park dogs (indicated by his tagged ear) get lucky at the market sometimes 🙂 As much as it breaks my heart to see them striving to survive on the streets, dogs are treated well here on the whole. People build them wooden shelters in the parks and there are stations with water and food set up all around town. Stray, a documentary available on Amazon Prime, follows the daily life of a few Istanbul pups. I highly recommend it. The cats of Istanbul are a breed all their own and I will definitely profile them in an upcoming post. That’s mine (below right) doing her morning yoga 😉

Turkish breakfast is such an amazing experience that I’ve covered it twice in four posts. “A classic Turkish breakfast always features a selection of fruit preserves, jams, and spreads. For example, apricot, cherry, and apricot jams are traditional options at any Turkish breakfast. Likewise, black olive spread, molasses, and tahini are popular spreads.” Mirroring the Mediterranean practice of dolce far niente (Italian for, “the sweetness of doing nothing”), the practice as all about enjoying a leisurely meal with family and friends on a day when no one has to rush. While the mindset is peaceful, the spread is intense! Turkish breakfast encompasses many small plates (hello, banchan), washed down with strongly brewed Turkish coffee and chai. Borek, menemen, and pisi are some of my favorites, along with the delicious cheeses you see included below. Not required but surely adding to the flavor – a view of the Blue Mosque, captured during our new hire breakfast last week (below, left).

Cafe culture is strong in Istanbul. Coffee shops, bars, and clubs stay open until all hours of the morning. Smoking is still a very common past time, though now relegated to outdoors at bars and restaurants. It is common to retire to a cafe after dinner, to enjoy a strong coffee or an apéritif.

Istanbul nights are awash in a warm, golden glow. Ringed in vines, the streets look like something out of a fairy tale. People watching while surrounded by a multitude of languages being spoken, it’s easy to see that Istanbul still retains its Silk Road reputation – it truly feels like the center of our universe.