Being a vegetarian on the road can be challenging especially in certain countries, and thank to its reputation as a kebab motherland Turkey may seem frightening to many vegetarian travelers. However, all those frightened could not be more mistaken. The abundance of fresh produce in any season makes Turkish cuisine one of the richest depositories of the vegetable-based dishes. And here is the guide that can help you discover and enjoy the vegetarian side of Istanbul food. [click to continue…]
A while ago I wrote about a vegetarian kebab at Kebabçi Iskender in Kadıköy. The post was not only received well by vegetarian eaters but also created an unexpected side effect: my low-carb eating friend said that now she’s ordering her inskenders on the bed of roasted eggplants rather than flat bread. A trick worth knowing for those eating gluten-free in Istanbul! So let’s continue talking about the kebabs sensitively prepared for the non-conventional foodies in Istanbul. Here comes another trip to the Asia side of the city where you will be heading out to Çiya, a little restaurant empire of Musa Dağdeviren sprawled around the Kadıköy market.
I confess: I used to misunderstand the Prince’s Islands. I felt nothing but exclusion every time I went: in winter the islands abandoned by holidayers are the place of the world’s solitude and the only signs of life can be discovered at the small taverns where phaeton drivers are drinking their days away. When days got warmer I felt as much solitude in the crowds invading the islands to stay for the whole summer, a weekend or just a few hours. But then my friend Marina moved to Büyükada, the largest of the islands and after visiting her a couple of times I started grasping the island life and ways to enjoy it.
If Turkish cuisine of which we still get to hear now and then is dramatically underrated then what can be said about Turkish wines? Turkish what? Yes, Turks do drink alcohol and grow crazy amount of grapes being in top5 of the world’s grape producers. That’s true that most of it goes into the making of pekmez, raisins and rakı – alcohol beverage many Turks swear by – rather than wine, but you get a sense of the potential. That’s also true that Turkish wine is expensive and often times easily forgettable. But there are many world class Turkish wines. And the world needs to know about them.
Omnivore food festival in Istanbul has brought a few internationally acclaimed chefs to cook in front of the ready-to-be-amused audience. Yet during the day of master classes Turkish visitors of the event have been reassured that we do have our own stars who, well, can do kebabs but also know how to please gourmets with demanding tastes. I am talking about Mehmet Gürs of Mikla.
Gürs surprised. First by introducing Mikla, his renown fine dining restaurant in Istanbul, as a locanta (canteen). Second, by announcing the menu of the demonstration - village extravaganza of testi kebab (countryside lamb stew cooked in a clay pitcher) and Turkish home cooks’ favorite kabak tatlısı (pumpkin poached in sugar syrup). Finally, by noting that he is not going to cook but will speak instead. All spot on, as we all learned in a bit.
Vegetarians in the city, please, stop your illusive pursuits of vegetarian restaurants in Istanbul unless you think that foregoing meat means depriving yourself from attractive flavorful food. I can see stones being thrown upon me from far away but I am going to be upfront here: there is no pure vegetarian restaurant in Istanbul where you would be eating and not thinking about 101 ways to improve every single dish you order.
Instead vegetarians in Istanbul should venture into the regular places where people eat and discover a (huge) meatless side of the Turkish cooking. And - just as counter-intuitive as it sounds - you should not shy away from the eateries that seemingly do not cater to a non-carnivore. Like kebab houses. In fact you can get blissfully full with excellent treats without ever touching meat in a good kebab house in Istanbul. And if you are lucky brave enough you can feast on out-of-this-world vegetarian kebab .. at a stronghold of the Turkish kebab tradition, Kebapçı İskender.
Let’s admit that: however heavenly - when done right and served fresh - baklava may be you have no chance to leave Istanbul without trying it. True, you may not be so determined as the couple that confessed to me that the baklava we shared during their one and a half day in Istanbul was their 6th.. But still there would be plenty of baklava running after you and asking to be eaten. What’s left once we rule out baklava? A mind-blowing variety of desserts not to be missed. So I encourage you not to shy away from the foreign names on the menus and exotic looking treats in the shopping windows of the Istanbul pastry shops and here is the list to get you started.
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