A Few Tastes from the Streets of Istanbul

I got back yesterday to Kuwait from a 7 day trip to Istanbul.  It was such an awesome experience.  I had heard such great things about the city (especially the food) and it did not disappoint me.  Turkey has so much culture and history........ I saw a lot, and I would love to go back and see and taste things I missed.  One of my favorite things about Turkish cuisine is their love of tea because I also LOVE tea.  These people have tea all the time!  Their traditional foods range from savory meats you can not duplicate any where else to their decadent, unique desserts.  Here are a few examples of things you commonly see along the streets of Istanbul.

This video shows kokorech being roasted.  Kokorech is the intestines of a cow or sheep.  Yes, I actually tried it after some convincing.  I have to admit the spice flavorings were very tasty, but when I looked down at the meat, I kinda lost my appetite.  Only 2 small bites.  Most Turks love it though- even kids were lining up to eat this.
 

I couldn't get past the way it looked, but at least the spices and the bread was good!


OK, first attempt at Turkish cuisine not so good.  However, it dramatically improved after trying the roasted chestnuts!  There are little stands of roasted chestnuts on what seems like every street corner in Istanbul.  I had never tried roasted chestnuts before, and WOW they were so good.  Chestnuts are popular in Turkish cuisine, and they also do a lot of sweets with chestnuts.  After roasting, the chestnuts are "soaked" in a syrup like liquid so they become sweet.  Then, they can be made into a paste like consistency and used in various desserts.  I tried those as well, and they were also very delicious.

These stands are everywhere- fresh roasted chestnuts= amazing.  Notice the roasted corn on the right hand corner- this is also common item on the streets.  Bagel like pastry stands are also everywhere in Istanbul and can make for a cheap lunch or snack.  Another item commonly roasting on the streets is chick peas.  You can get a bag full of roasted chick peas for very cheap.  Roasted chick peas go great with a traditional Turkish drink called Boza (Specifically Vefa Boza).  Boza is a thick, fermented drink made from bulgur that is supposedly good for digestion and rich source of vitamins.  I visited the original Vefa Bozacisi shop that opened in 1876 making this drink in Istanbul that is still very popular today.  Across the street from Vefa Bozacisi is a roasted chick pea stand.  People usually buy the roasted chick peas then go across the street to enjoy this unique, tasty drink. 

There are many places you can get fresh squeezed juice.  Here I ordered some fresh pomegranate juice.  It was SO good and of course packed with antioxidants.  Mmmmmmm.

Traditional Turkish cuisine restaurant off the streets of Taksim Square.

This was a meat shop that offered fresh cow tongue (the long pale pieces in the middle) and other tasty cow organs, including the head (picture below) :).

There were also so many fresh fruit and vegetable stands everywhere.  So pretty to look at.

That's a glimpse in the Turkish cuisine and sights of some of the streets in Istanbul.  I will have another blog post soon showing more of the traditional Turkish foods soon!