13 Things you MUST Eat in Istanbul
Istanbul and more broadly Turkey, is popular for certain foods/drinks, and you must try these during your visit as they just aren’t the same back home!
I tried a lot of food during my 1-week trip, enough to pile on a few KG by the time I had returned. But I’ve sifted through all the hundreds of food pics I took during my trip, and narrowed down to a list of 13 things which I believe you just can not leave Turkey without trying.
Without any further delay, here’s my list:
1. Simit
Simit is effectively a circular pretzel-bread (often referred to as the Turkish bagel) which is usually served encrusted with sesame seeds. It’s found at every street corner being sold by vendors from a parked-up cart.
You can pick up a Simit for 5 Turkish Lira (TRY) which is under a pound. Most street stalls will also offer a Nutella option which my (spoilt British) taste-buds would highly recommend, as these vendors will often be stood outside for a good few hours so the bread can get quite tough and dry.
2. Doner Kebab (from a hole-in-the-wall Kebab shop)
No trip to Turkey is complete without trying a Doner Kebab, after all… Turkey is where it was born!
Now my suggestion isn’t to go and try this from a fancy restaurant, no – I want you to go pick one up from a hole-in-the-wall style restaurant, as these are the ones who do it best! I picked up this kebab for 11 TRY which is around £1.60. A small roll which was over in about 5 bites, but had a spicy kick to it and was filled with Chicken Doner, chips, salad and then drenched in a chilli sauce.
You’ll find Kebab stores on pretty much every busy street you walk down, so grab one to-go as you’re walking around the city. Don’t forget to ask for tissues as they can get quite messy (as I soon found out).
3. Baklava
No doubt you’ve tried Baklava before, as a complimentary sweet at the end of a meal at a restaurant or as a mini-pack from the Turkish Supermarket in North London. But you haven’t tried real Baklava until you’ve tried it fresh from Turkey. Ok… it’s probably not the healthiest thing in the world, but heck – you’re on holiday! Be sure to ask for lots of free samples as you’re walking through the Bazaar’s or window-shopping through the many sweet stores in Taksim – the Turkish are very generous, they’ll never say no.
They have varieties you’ll have never imagined before, and they also have lots that are made with chocolate too – which are surprisingly good!
4. Turkish delight
I’m not really a fan of Turkish Delight in the UK, but when I’m in Turkey they have the weirdest and wackiest of flavours, and they’re so fresh that it’s the first thing I wanna eat when I land. I’m talking flavours like ‘Nutella coated in Nougat and Almonds, coated in Kunafa’. Again, be sure to ask for free tasters of everything!
These make for a great gift to bring home, just be sure to haggle the price down to at least half of what they started at. You can pick these up from the Spice Bazaar which is located a scenic-walk away from the Blue Mosque.
5. Turkish chocolates
In the Bazaar’s and shops such as Hafiz Mustafa you’ll find them selling these small chocolates which come in a variety of flavours – our favourite was Pomegranate. You can pick up a box relatively cheaply, and they taste so fresh (and healthy-ish!).
They come in an assortment of colours, shapes and sizes, and some of them even have that popping-candy taste to them. You’ll find these sold in both the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, but again be sure to haggle on the price.
6. Turkish Breakfast
I honestly don’t know how the Turkish people are in such good shape when their breakfast alone is the size of my weeks worth of food! You can either get something like this at your hotel, or visit one of the many cafes/restaurants that offer breakfast.
A typical Turkish breakfast spread contains different types of cheese, cold slices of meat, olives, and breads served with every type of jam you can imagine! Definitely a meal that’ll keep you full into the late afternoon.
7. Kahve
The Turkish coffee, Kahve, is made using very finely-grounded coffee beans, which are left as a powder inside the coffee once served. A very strong drink, not for the light-hearted or the one who doesn’t enjoy coffee.
You’ll often be given a free cup of this to drink while you’re browsing around in Baklava stores. Just be sure that you’re cut out for the taste, and don’t say I didn’t warn you if you hate it! I guess it’s a bit like marmite, in that it’s hugely popular among the Turkish people, however I couldn’t even stomach a sip. But I’ve included it in my list of things you must try because I think it’s an experience (to say the least).
8. Menemen (Omelette)
Menemen is a traditional Turkish omelette, which is usually served with peppers, tomato and spices. But as you can see from my picture above, you can have its served with pretty much whatever you fancy, from vegetables to sliced sausages… or if you’re boring like me – just cheese!
The omelette is usually made quite oily and cheese-y, so if you’re not a fan of heaps of cheese inside your egg then be sure to tell the waiter up-front, as I found that it’s put in by default, and ended up scraping cheese out of my omelette.
9. Sahlep
Most of the things above, you may decide not to try simply because, for example, you know you’re not a fan of coffee so you definitely will not be giving the Kahve a try. But I’d really urge you to try the Sahlep regardless of what your tastebuds like/dislike. It’s a sweet drink which me and my family absolutely loved, but was far too heavy to finish one alone.
I don’t quite know how to describe Sahlep without saying that it’s a thick and heavy drink, made using milk and sugar, and then thickened with flour and finally topped with some Cinnamon.
Perfect for a cold winters day, and I’d recommend you just buy one and share between a few friends as believe me I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s very thick and heavy.
10. Turkish Tea
Another one you’ve no doubt tried from a restaurant in the UK, but again… when made in Turkey it’s just so much better! Whether it’s traditional Turkish tea, or fruit tea of which there’s flavours like Pomegranate and Apple, there’s really a flavour for everyone. Apple was my personal favourite.
You’ll get given lots of complimentary tea by restaurants after your meal, it’s a sort of custom that you don’t leave without drinking tea. But i’d also recommend a trip to the Bazaar’s (particularly the Spice Bazaar) where you can try some fresh tea of your choice, and take home some fresh leaves to make yourself. Here you’ll find every flavour you can imagine, including some interesting mixes which are believed to have health benefits too. For example I picked up some white tea which is thought to be good for weight loss.
11. Dondurma (Ice-Cream)
I’m sure you’ll definitely have seen a video of these comedians serving ice-cream and snatching it out of your hand about 20x before handing it over. They’re found on pretty much every street, and now I know why this works – Turkish ice-cream literally does not melt. It’s basically rock hard, if you’re eating a slab of ice-cream from a plate, you’ll need a knife and fork.
Make sure you pick up some ice-cream from one of these vendors while you’re walking around Istanbul, it’ll only cost you a little over a pound, but makes for a great video!
12. Kunafe
Kunafa is a very popular traditional Middle-Eastern dessert, made using long, thin strands of semolina, soaked in a sweet sugar-based syrup and layered with cheese.
Being a huge fan of Kunafa, the ones we get in the UK are mediocre at best, so a trip to Turkey for me wouldn’t be complete without a Kunafa-a-day.
You’ll find all varieties of Kunafa here, the one pictured above is made from Chocolate, which surprisingly works! The cheese pulls are also insane when compared to what you’ll get from a Kunafa in the UK, check out my video on Instagram of the amazing cheese pull that my waiter did!
13. Pide
Pide is made of a flat-bread baked in a brick/stone oven, filled with a variety of toppings which could include: cheese, tomatoes, eggs, mushrooms and beef. You’ll fine a tonne of different topping-combinations while in Turkey, so be sure to try something that you won’t find the UK!
My favourite was the basic one with minced meat and cheese.
… and that concludes my list! 13 things which in my opinion, you shouldn’t get into your cab back to the airport without trying. And if for whatever reason you forgot to try one of these, then don’t worry as Istanbul airport has enough restaurants and cafe’s that you’ll be able to try most of these before jumping on your flight!
I hope you found this post useful – please let me know what you get round to trying if you visit Istanbul either via Instagram DM (@halalfooddiary), e-mail (hello@halalfooddiary.com) or just leave a comment below!
