Food & Drink in Istanbul: A Culinary Journey

Turkish Cuisine

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From kebabs to manti, and from salgam to raki, Turkish cuisine is packed with delicious and remarkable things for your taste buds to enjoy.

Traditional Turkish Cuisine

Geography not only affects the climate, culture, and literature of a country; it also affects its traditional cuisine. Traditional Turkish cuisine, also known as the heir of Ottoman Empire cuisine, carries traces of Balkan and Middle Eastern cooking. It also has subbranches, including flavors indigenous to different regions such as Black Sea cuisine, South-eastern cuisine, and Central Anatolian cuisine. Traditional Turkish cuisine has a wide range of tastes: soups, meat dishes, vegetable dishes, olive-oil dishes, pastries, desserts with sorbet, and desserts with milk.

Kebab and Meat Dishes

Turkish cuisine is of interest in the world, made from a wide variety of food ingredients thanks to Turkey’s fertile soil and unique climate. Turkish cuisine was influenced by the cuisines of Asian and Balkan societies, and exquisite flavors appeared due to the synthesis of culture that took place in Anatolia. Since many regions of the country are also dominated by different climatic features, they all have their own food cultures.

Seafood

Turkey is a country surrounded by seas on three sides. Therefore, it is very rich in fish and seafood. It is possible to get lost among the fish and seafood on the menus of Istanbul restaurants. Because a saying in Turkey is reflected in the culinary culture of the whole country: “I would eat my own father if he came out of the sea.”

Traditional Turkish Foods

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Try out the world-famous traditional Turkish foods. Turkish foods have been evolving since the Turkish people started walking the Earth.

Iskender Kebab

Turkish cuisine has reached a wide range by making a wide variety of meat dishes for years. In Turkish cuisine, meat is prepared in 4 different ways: Grilling method on wood or coal fire (Kebabs, grilled meatballs), frying method (Roasting, fried meatballs). Iskender kebab is one of the dishes made with the grill method. The meat of iskender kebab and how it is served is different from the meat of any doner kebab because the meat on which Iskender kebab is made is obtained from rams fed with Uludag thyme. Lamb meat, tomato sauce, pita bread, butter, and yogurt are its essential ingredients. Let's look at the history of the delicious kebab prepared with these ingredients

Manti

The most delicious combination of small pieces of meat, spices, dough, and yogurt. It is an excellent match with the butter sauce on it. Manti is not an easy dish to make. The dough is made thin by master hands. After the dough is divided into small square pieces, minced meat blended with spices is added. Mantı prepared in small pieces are thrown into boiling water. Well, have you ever wondered where the mantı, which is one of the indispensable tastes of Turkish cuisine, comes from? Let’s look at the journey of Mantı together.

Pide

Turkey is one of the countries that is famous for its food. It has a wide range of food selections for every taste. There are tons of foods and desserts in Turkish cuisine. Pide is only one of them. Pide, also known as Turkish Patty, is a large and long bread with different toppings such as meat, cheese, vegetables, etc. Please be aware that pide is a food that contains high carbohydrates and fat. So, if you’re on a diet, we do not recommend for you to try it as it has a lot of calories in it, but it’s still up to you!

Street Food

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On every corner of Istanbul, it is easy to find a street food vendor selling all types of traditional Turkish street food types. When visiting Istanbul, it'd be a shame to leave before trying the famous roasted chestnuts or the kokorec.

Simit

Welcome to Istanbul! Istanbul, one of the number one cities of cultural heritage, is a city famous for its food as well as its architectural history. Istanbul, a metropolis where people from all over Turkey live, is the intersection point of different cultures. Breakfast culture, which is one of the indispensable elements of Turkish culture, continues widely in Istanbul. There is an indispensable food for breakfast, and that is simit or Turkish pretzel!

Kumpir

Turkish Cuisine is a fairly wide cuisine, and different tastes are revealed using a variety of rich ingredients. Turkish food recipes usually consist of juicy dishes made up of a combination of vegetables and meat types. Turkish food recipes made at home are very healthy, satisfying, and delicious. But besides this, different street delicacies and delicious must-have snacks are also made in different regions of Turkey, and these dishes are of interest to locals. One of these snacks that will süit everybody’s palate is kumpir.

Balik Ekmek

Istanbul, which is the metropolis of Turkey and has a population of more than 15 million, has also become the common point of cultures from all over Turkey. You can find different types of food, which have taken place in all areas of Turkish culture, in Istanbul and expand your taste buds. Grilled dishes, which are a big part of Turkish culture, are considered relatively healthy because they are cooked without oil. At the same time, they give a different flavor with various ingredients. Turkey, more than fifty percent of the Black Sea fishing industry, is famous for its various seafood and fish dishes. Fish sandwich, or balık ekmek, a snack that combines fish dishes with street flavors, is an unforgettable Turkish dish that you can find in almost any place, especially by the seaside.

Restaurant & Bars

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There are many great restaurants and bars in Istanbul. Visit Istanbul's best restaurants and bars to have amazing food, listen to great live music, and have fun.

Coffee Shops

What's the best thing about coffee shops? Cup shape? Being in a town you love? Have an internet service? No, none alone is enough! The best thing about coffee shops is that they smell fantastic right on their doorstep. This fragrance will bring you to yourself and make you smile. This taste, which has a unique aroma, is obtained from the seeds. Today, we will look at the best places to have a coffee cup in Istanbul.

Fish and Seafood Restaurants

Turkish culture, a culture that has managed to preserve its existence for centuries thanks to its geographical location and historical structure, continues to be adopted throughout the country today. Fish and seafood dishes, which have a vast place in Turkish culture, continue to be consumed once a week all over the country. Being a peninsula surrounded by seas on three sides due to its geographical location, Turkey is one of the European countries where the fishing industry is developed.

Kebab & Meat Restaurants

Turkish cuisine has always been one of the most unique tastes throughout history. The delicious traditional food diversity has drawn people from all over the world. Turkish meat, mezzes, and desserts have been recognized and praised by many other nations and cultures for many years. These admirations toward Turkish food and drink continue to this very day. From every country in the world, individuals take a trip to Istanbul not only for its historical sites but also to enjoy Turkish meat, especially the famous kebabs.