Ok so Turkey. I’m going to make a very bold statement; only hopefully to retract later in life, Turkey, hands down, has the best cuisine I’ve ever. ONLY comparable country would be Mexico, but I haven’t been in a couple of years so I’m going to re-iterate my statement. Turkey has the best cuisine I’ve ever had. And here’s why. Since Istanbul is such a metropolis you get the best. Maybe in some far off village an old woman’s meatballs would be better than “Ciya” but I suspect most recipes, even at the big restaurants, are passed through generations anyway. Turkish food is what my version of soul food is. Hardy, filling, satisfying, but it never popped a button off my pants-wishful thinking though. A good meal in Turkey just left me happy and in need of a good snuggle.
For me, food is the best part of travel. Look at Anthony Bourdain, he’s made a career out of being a gluttonous Fox. I truly believe a culture is defined by their cuisine. Cooking is a form of art, said the Chef’s daughter. So please put me in the museum, line the walls with Doner kebab, kumpir, baklava, lahmacun, pide, a bottle of Raki and leave me for a while.
The thing about these countries here in the Middle East they only use seasonal local ingredients, because anything else is just completely unaffordable; i.e. 5TL for a single lime. In many ways this makes for better meals. I don’t disregard decisions made in restaurants in the states, but I think food production would be better quality and cheaper if we all had this mentality. It’s a no brainer that an apple grown from an orchard in Napa valley is going to be way juicier than one shipped from somewhere China and pumped with hormones to ripen it along the way. So why would we order them off season for an apple walnut salad? I will give credit to the “Nopa’s” and “Chez Panisse” who have firmly jumped on the bandwagon of local and seasonal ingredients. It shows through in the quality, and therefore notable and successful restaurants.
Another thing about these countries is the price of meat versus the price of fruit. On average I eat meat 1 or 2 times a week. It’s un-intentional, but reflects how expensive meat is. On the other hand fruit is dirt cheap. Pomegranates and oranges are in season now so a glass of fresh squeezed pomegranate juice from an outdoor juice stand was about 5 TL (1.75 USD or so) and orange was about 2TL (.75 cents). In the states a glass of squeezed orange juice is about 4 dollars and a burger 99 cents. Here’s a little food for thought, what would Americans look like if they ate less meat, especially red meat, and more fruit? What would happen to all those big pharmaceutical corporations that profit from people’s high blood pressure and heart disease?
But less of that and more of what makes Turkey so delicious. Given the right meal and situation food can be, if not comparable, better than sex. Breakfast was usually simple, Turkish coffee, a roll, and fruit. One day I had a burger and Caesar salad for breakfast, but I was extremely hungover so it doesn’t count. Lunch and dinner generally depended where we were. Doner, was fresh sliced meat-chicken or lamb, into a thick piece of pocket bread or wrap with lettuce onion ect. Lahmacun was delicious-a large piece of thin bread with sausage and cheese baked just long enough to make the edges crispy. You open it up and sprinkle lettuce and onions, then roll like a burrito-yum. Pide-flat pizza bread. Muscles on the streets were historic. Stuffed with or without rice you just order, squeeze a lemon and down the hatch. Sour meatballs served in a Pomegranate sauce. Kebabs galore served everyway but with yogurt based sauce was my favorite. Breads, rows and rows of fresh baked bread. Soups made of every possible vegetable, which was great since it was rain and cold. Kumpir is genius, a simple stand that sold baked potatoes, then everything imaginable under the sun to stuff it. They start with butter then you can pick anything from yogurt sauce to green olives. Like an all you can eat topping buffet, and more toppings the better. They had the same idea for waffles.
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| Waffle buffet. |
First they make you a fresh waffle, then spread on an assortment of spreads and finish it with fresh fruit. It’s rolled up like a gyro and you attempt to eat like a lady. Americans would be in heaven. Then the holy Mecca of Istanbul food experience-the wet burger. I don’t think this was a traditional Turkish dish, but it didn’t make it any less orgasmic in my mind. A counter holding about 50 sliders under a heat lamp drenched in this sauce that has the consistency of BBQ sauce, but better. I got one for a “snack”, went back for another and a hug from the man behind the counter. I’ll never forget that burger as long as I live.
Everything spiced perfectly and cooked with, I’m sure, olive oil. If that’s not enough you finish it off with Raki, very traditional and dangerous spirit made with Anis that has the same flavor as licorice. It was served to me with a glass of water and white cheese. Then you get a small glass of the worlds strongest black tea. Desert? Holy Baklava. I’m generally not a fan of Baklava, but some of the Baklava here melts in your mouth like butter. You can get it with an assortment of different nuts and honey. Salep is a highly addicting grainy milk drink served hot and sprinkled with cinnamon sold at outdoor carts in the touristy areas for about 2 TL. Best drank in the rain under my umbrella. I would take another day in Istanbul sitting in a café sheltered from the rain with all these dishes over a night with Clive Owen or Javier Bardem. What can I say, I’m a fat girl at heart.
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| Store window after store window just like this |
Needless, to say the food was incredible. If that was the only mentionable quality Turkey had, then they would be way ahead of the game, but the food was only the beginning. Istanbul was such a mesmerizingly beautiful city. Generally when I travel I become restless in a few days, but not in Istanbul. I was completely content getting lost in the cobble stone alleys winding through the city lined with juice and kebab stands, clothing stores, and outdoor cafes in search for the Frida Kahlo exhibit. I could have spent an entire day watching the fisherman along the Bosphorus, walking around Aya Sofia in the rain, polishing my bargaining skills in the Grand Bazaar, or laying in the steamy Hamam. Not to mention staying with Kristine and Danny was like staying with family.
Having spent Christmas and New Years, I’m completely endeared to Turkey. I bought the flag as a reminder of the great time. It hangs on my wall next to all my other souvenirs; a beautiful ceramic Turkish tea set, some black and white photographs of Old Istanbul, loads of memories, new friends, and 5 extra pounds on my ass.
