ISTANBUL, TURKEY! Eating on the street and in the markets

I didn't really know what to expect from the food in Turkey, I guess. I kept talking about "eggplant", but without a clear image of what that meant, just knowing that I like eggplant and wanted to have some. I knew I was going to eat, but I did not know how much or how often. But as my first day in Istanbul is about to come to its close, I sit here exploding from my pants, covering my stomach with a new red pashmina I bargained for in the bazaar. I ate well today, let me tell you.

It all started on the streets. We passed a little shop that said "borek" on the window, and I freaked out, making the immediate connection that a borek must be the Turkish version of "borekas", a filo dough pastry stuffed with yummy (usually cheese) that I ate all the time in Israel last year. These boreks only came in two flavors- cheese or plain- unless you opted for the more adventurous ones that looked like long canoes of baguette filled with egg or meat. The boreks were made on huge pans and then cut with a terrifying looking knife into little pieces to accentuate the filo-doughy-goodness.

I opted for the cheese filled ones, which the man kept referring to as "macaroni, macaroni". The cheese was way too salty for my taste, and hopefully for anyone’s taste because if you like salt that much, you'd probably be dehydrated a lot. After a lot of photo taking, we left and I tried so hard to throw away the leftovers, but this country just does NOT have trash cans, so as I searched for one, I clearly started nibbling at the bread part. The dough was great, and debatably not cooked all the way, so by the time I found a trash can, I was left with a pile of cheese, no more dough, and greasy hands. Worth it.

As we kept walking, the meat started appearing. Meat is… everywhere. It’s usually on the big rotating spits that fire the chicken or lamb until its ready to be sheared off, cooked on the grill for only moments, and then lovingly tucked into pitas with all the toppings you can fit in your pocket (and your mouth). Usually, the toppings include sauces (spicy or yogurt), salads (cucumber and tomato) and the extras (onions, french fries, and my favorite: eggplant.) I tasted a few as I walked and they were great. But then I came across a different looking one, where the lamb had been cut into tube shapes and was only being seasoned by a little curry.

So here I figure, logically, that a sandwich with only the lamb and no extras must have some meat-bragging-rights. The men were excited to let me taste, and even placed the meat straight into my mouth (a little forward, but hey, I went with it…) and then… AHH! LITERALLY THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. I had to spit it out, and I NEVER spit out my food. I think.. I really think… that I ate lamb intestines. I think this because I have never had more chewy-raw-gross-ribbed like thing in my mouth before. I literally was just eating straight up lamb muscle, and not in a good way. I honestly might never eat lamb ever again.

(I didn't know yet...)

After chugging a bottle of water and a lot of complaining, we entered the spice market. Here I am in my prime: a land of samples. I started with the Turkish delights: usually nuts completely submerged in chewy sugar, and then cut off with these massive scissors. I tried the pistachio flavor, it was great.

Then we came to my dad’s domain. He lives for nuts and apricots. A connoisseur, if you will. He was in the mood for peanuts, so we sampled a lot but this store was our favorite. The peanuts came salted, unsalted, covered in a bread shell, covered in a flavored bread shell, or sprinkled with sesame seeds. He bought a bag of regular unsalted, I illegally sneaked three handfuls of the sesame kind.

But the dried apricots were the true winners. Actually the best apricots we have ever tasted. There were the orange ones that I’m used to eating in the states, and ones that were a little more brown. I was skeptical. But once I took a bite, I was easily convinced that Turkish apricots live up to their reputation. Instead of being dried on the inside, they oozed apricot goo that reminded me of what I was eating. Oh, I get it, dried APRICOTS, this used to be an apricot. Duh. They were amazing. We didn’t buy them because the deal-hungry man my father is compelled him to “check the prices” at the other shops before committing to this one, but we didn’t find any that lived up to our initial taste, so we’re going back tomorrow without a doubt. I mean, we were talking about them all day for goodness sake.

(can you see the goo?)

Finally, we decided it was time for a real meal. We left the spice market and walked uphill to the Grand Bazaar, where we found a hole-in-the-wall parallel to the main trafficked shopping area. I wasn’t even close to hungry, but sucked it up and ordered some… eggplant.

We ordered three dishes: first, the eggplant “gazcha”, which is basically eggplant and peppers in a spicy sauce. Deceptively spicy, I might add, because the spice comes as an aftertaste only, which I realized about thirty seconds after a pretty hefty bite. We got used to it though, and clearly licked the plate clean. Then of course, chicken kabob, which was perfectly cooked and served with pita and rice. Just lightly seasoned, nothing fancy. And we also had some “chicken, French fries, mushrooms and onion” thing, which I would actually have called “Oil with some other stuff”. It might have been all oil, but it was still really good, and a nice offset to the spicy eggplant. The whole thing was served with a heaping pile of bread, more bread than anyone could ever consume, no matter how much they like bread.

Finally, as we were leaving, full and needing to pee more than anything, I smelled something burning. I had no idea what this could be, but as I turned the corner, I realized that it was burning… coffee. A long line of people stretched the aisle waiting for their coffee beans. Makes sense I guess, Turkish coffee is famous and everyone needs their caffeine. I didn’t try any because I just didn’t want any, but it was a worthwhile site to be sure.

The whole afternoon in the market was a whirlwind. Food was everywhere- even the shop keepers were getting door to door delivery service from restaurants which deliver by holding trays of food far above their heads and pushing their way through the crowds. I wanted all of it, but my poor full body wanted none of it. It’s ok though, my tongue was happy.