When I just came to Istanbul I was obsessed with getting the highest quality food the money could buy. Istanbul food markets are the horns of plenty with most pungent cheesed, the plumpest olives, the most succulent tomatoes. Moscovite habits die hard! In time I have discovered that good Istanbul home cooks know better and have a few tricks under their belt to get down their cost without going as much down on the quality. And we don’t have talk coupons here.
Winter has arrived to Istanbul unannounced. It has been in an agony of suspense the whole summer so it decided to deprive us of any autumn. From late summer we have transited into early winter. Fashionable wellingtons, practical Timberland boots, cozy berets and warm winter jackets - kept at the storage or thoughtfully bought a week ago - have flooded Istanbul streets. As if the streets were not already flooded by the tons of rainfall which poured on Istanbul all at once.
Inebolu pazarı taking place on Sundays in Kasımpaşa, where villagers from the Black Sea bring their produce for sale, initially was more of myth to me. Villagers coming late at night to set up the market before the dawn and wrap up by the time most of the Istanbulites would even consider getting up on Sunday. Top chefs hand-picking fresh village-grown produce. Legends from the fairy-talish Black Sea brought in the little vans, large baskets and deep dark eyes. Can that be? Got up at 6 am last Sunday to check out.
Our place in Sapanca is a food heaven: with 5 fridges, 3 freezers and 2 wall-size shelves refilled twice a week it is hard to think of a food item that Zeliha Hanım would not have in her professional kitchen pantry. Yet a day comes and I get Istanbul-seek and start longing for my own fridge stuffed with very particular food I pick from very particular vendors at the Kadıköy market in Istanbul.
Istanbul Spice Market, once the largest spice trading venue of the medieval world, with its abundant stalls still featuring piles of edible exotics is a definite highlight for anyone exploring Istanbul and a favorite stop during my Istanbul food tour. As with all the touristic highlights you need to be prepared to fetch some fantastic finds and not to fall for any of the catches.
Ah, once I was also seduced by a cheap Gucci silk scarf, overpaid for a bag of apple tea and had a beautiful ceramic plate foisted off on me. All these goodies were then shipped to my parents’ place and stored in a large cupboard. Thanks God, I have managed to avoid buying a carpet. In time I have developed a more practical approach to my Istanbul shopping and whenever I go back home I get only things that would definitely be used and enjoyed by my near and dear. And yes, I am talking about food.
