Istanbul Guide

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TIMURTAS ONAN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Baklava – this traditional sweet needs no introduction

dolma (stuffed mussels) and kokoreç (seasoned lamb or mutton intestines wrapped around a skewer and grilled over charcoal). VEGETARIANS & VEGANS Though it’s normal for Turks to eat a veg etarian ( vejeteryen ) meal, the concept of vegetarianism is quite foreign. Say you’re a vegan and most Turks will either look mystified or assume that you’re ‘fessing up to some strain of socially aberrant behaviour. There is a sprinkling of veg etarian restaurants in Beyoğlu, a couple of which serve some vegan meals, but the travelling vegetarian certainly can’t rely on specialist restaurants. The meze spread is usually vegeta ble based, and meat-free salads, soups, pastas, omelettes and böreks, as well as hearty vegetable dishes, are all readily available. Ask ‘ Etsiz yemekler var mı? ’ (Is there something to eat that has no meat?) to see what’s on offer. SELF-CATERING İstanbul has many small supermarkets (DIA, Gima, Makro) sprinkled on the

streets around Beyoğlu, with giant cousins (such as Migros) in the suburbs. These sell most of the items you will need if you plan to self-cater. Then there is the ubiquitous bakkal (corner shop) , which stocks bread, milk, basic groceries and usually fruit and vegetables. The best places to purchase fresh pro duce are undoubtedly the street markets. In Eminönü the streets around the Spice Bazaar (p98 ; Mısır Çarşısı) sell fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, spices, sweets and much more. In Beyoğlu the Balık Pazarı (p128; Fish Market) off İstiklal Caddesi is a great, if expensive, little market. As well as its fish stalls, it has greengrocers sell ing a wide range of fruit and vegetables, shops selling sweets and pickles, and delicatessens (şarküteri) selling cheeses, pastırma, pickled fish, olives, jams and preserves. Larger produce markets are found near the iskele in Kadıköy from Monday to Saturday; in Fatih on Wednesday; in Beşiktaş and Feriköy on Saturday; and in Kasimpaşa (in Piyalepaşa Bulvarı) on Sunday. The best of these are the Kadıköy Produce Market (p157), the