Istanbul Guide

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layers of kadayıf cemented together with sweet cheese, doused in syrup and served hot with a sprinkling of pistachio; and katmer (flaky pastry stuffed with pista chios and kaymak ). FAST FOOD The nation’s favourite fast food is un doubtedly döner kebap – lamb slow cooked on an upright revolving skewer and then shaved off to be stuffed into bread. Soggy cold French fries and green chillies are sometimes included; at other times salad and a sprinkling of slightly sour sumac are the accompaniments. Coming a close second in the popularity stakes is pide, the Turkish version of pizza. It has a canoe-shaped base topped with peynir (cheese), yumurta (egg) or kıymalı (minced meat). A karaşık pide has a mixture of toppings. You can sit down to eat these in a pideci (Turkish pizza parlour) or ask for your pide paket (wrapped to go). Lahmacun (Arabic-style pizza) has a thinner crust than pide and is usually topped with chopped lamb, onion and tomato. Börek (filled pastries) are usually eaten in the morning and are distinguished by their filling, cooking method and shape. They come in square, cigar or snail shapes and are filled with peynir, ıspanaklı (spinach), patates (potatoes) or kıymalı . Bun-shaped poğaca are glazed with sugar or stuffed with cheese and olives. Su böreği, a melt-in-the-mouth, lasagne-like layered pastry laced with white cheese and parsley, is the most popular of all börek styles. Gözleme (thin savoury crepes cooked with cheese, spinach or potato) are also great quick snacks. STREET FOOD Street vendors pound pavements across İstanbul, pushing carts laden with artfully arranged snacks to satisfy the appetites of commuters. You’ll see these vendors next to ferry and bus stations, on busy streets and squares,and even on the city’s bridges. Some of their snacks are innocuous – freshly baked simits (bread rings stud ded with sesame seeds), golden roasted mısır (corn on the cob), refreshing chilled and peeled salatalık (cucumber) – but others are more confrontational for non Turkish palates. These include midye

(less than 24cm in length), as overfishing is endangering the future of this much loved local species. The best time of the year for local fish is winter. VEGETABLES & SALADS Turks love vegetables, eating them fresh in summer and pickling them for winter (pickled vegetables are called turşu ). There are two particularly Turkish ways of preparing vegetables: the first is known as zeytinyağlı (sautéed in olive oil) and the second as dolma (stuffed with rice or meat). Simplicity is the key to a Turkish sala ta (salad), with crunchy fresh ingredients being eaten with gusto as a meze or as an accompaniment to a meat or fish main course. The most popular summer salad is çoban salatası (shepherd’s salad), a colourful mix of chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion and pepper. Sweets Turks don’t usually finish their meal with a dessert, preferring to serve fruit as a finale. Most of them love a midafternoon sugar hit though, and will often pop into a muhallebici (milk pudding shop), pas tane (patisserie) or baklavacı (baklava shop) for a piece of syrup-drenched baklava, a plate of chocolate-crowned profiteroles or a fırın sütlaç (rice pud ding) tasting of milk, sugar and just a hint of exotic spices. Other Turkish sweet specialities worth sampling are dondur ma, the local ice cream; kadayıf, dough soaked in syrup and topped with a layer of kaymak (clotted cream); künefe, LOKANTAS These casual eateries serve hazır yemek (ready-made food) kept warm in bains-marie, and usually offer a range of vegetable dishes alongside meat options. The etiquette when eating at one of these places is to check out what’s in the bain-marie and tell the waiter or cook behind the counter what you would like to eat. You can order one portion (bir porsiyon), a yarım (half) porsiyon or a plate with a few differ ent choices. You’ll be charged by the portion. PLAN YOUR TRIP EATING