Istanbul Food Culture, From Ottoman Empire Till Today
Istanbul's cuisine is an extremely rich cuisine with the help of its colorful history and diversity of peoples living in it. In addition to Greek, Armenian and Anatolian cuisine; It has also been influenced by other cuisines in the world. Istanbul, the junction point of the European and Asian continents, has combined the cuisines of these two continents. Not only in Turkey, but the kitchen of Istanbul has also an important place worldwide.
Although there were many dishes from meat to fish in Ottoman cuisine, there was almost no with olive oil prepared vegetable variety. Such dishes were prepared by the Greek, Armenian and Jewish people. However, as the Ottoman Empire narrowed, folk cuisine mixed with Ottoman cuisine and enriched Istanbul cuisine. Vegetable dishes prepared with olive oil are so diverse that they are almost endless.
Istanbul food culture shows itself not only with its dishes but also with the manners of the table. The meals, which are eaten and chatted for long hours, are a part of the Istanbul food culture. Banquet tables of Istanbul are often accompanied by raki, beer or wine. Those who prefer soft drinks prefer ayran, a traditional yogurt drink.
Vegetable dishes cooked with olive oil, appetizers, various meat dishes, pilaf, stuffed vegetables, soups, jams, desserts ... There are so many options that those who are new to Istanbul food culture experience both eyes and stomach feast. At the same time, the appearance of rich tables is surprising for those who do not know. There is nothing missing in Istanbul tables.
Some examples to Istanbul Food Specialities
Are you asking yourself: What can I eat in Istanbul? In the list below, you can find some examples of favorite foods from Istanbul cuisine. Of course, it is very difficult to count them all in a list, but we recommend you to taste the foods on our list for your opinion.
Kanlıca yogurt has taken its place in traditional Istanbul cuisine since 1893 and is very famous.
Soups
- Lentil soup
- Spring soup
- Ezogelin soup
- Tripe soup
- Chicken broth soup
Meats
- The famous Sultanahmet meatball is one of those flavors that should be tested by those who visit Sultanahmet. Other meat foods to eat:
- Spicy Kebab ( Adana Kebab )
- Pistachio Kebab
- Lamb closure
- Lamb Shish kebab
- Meatball
- Chop
Vegetables ( Meze ) Cooked With Oliven Oil ( Zeytinyağlılar)
- Artichoke with olive oil
- Broad bean (Bakla)
- Olive oil pods
- Fresh beans with olive oil
- Bean stew
- Leaf wrap, stuffed peppers
- Imam fainted (an eggplant dish)
- Okra with olive oil
- Spicy mash
Innards
- Kokorec ( lamb intestine )
- Albanian liver
- Tripe soup
- Head, trotting
- Sweetbread
- Innards, not maybe everyone's taste but in Turkey's very popular among the food. They are also important parts of Istanbul cuisine.
Desserts
- Kaymak (Slide)
- Slide accompanies many sweets
- Baklava
- Kadayıf
- Künefe
- Baklava, Kadayif, Kunefe are desserts prepared with phyllo dough, nuts, pistachio, and sugar sherbet.
Quince dessert is a dessert with quince and sugar sherbet accompanies with slide.
Sherbet and Hoshaf
Hoshaf consists of cutting various fruits into small pieces and cooking them with sugar and water.
The sherbets are prepared from aromatic spices and fruits and drunk to quench thirst and cool off on hot summer nights.
The list above was a tiny look at Istanbul cuisine. It is necessary to write books to count all kinds of Istanbul cuisine and food culture. In the restaurants we recommend to you, you can get information about many specialties and try different tastes apart from the meals on the list.
Recommended Local Restaurants in Istanbul
Restaurants in the Old city, Sultanahmet;
Hocapaşa Pidecisi ( Close to the Spice Bazaar, Pide, No Alchol ), a local restuarant that, you can only try Pide ( Turkish version of Pizza ). restaurat is in Sirkeci and located next to lots of other local restaurants, They do not serve alchol and prices are very good.
Bitlisli ( Close to Spice Bazaar, Kebab, No Alchol ) a local restaurant that you can try different version of Kebabs coming from part of Turkey and very close to the Hocapaşa Pidecisi.
Sedef Büfe Döner ( Close to the Sultanahmet Tram Stop, Doner Kebab, No Alchol ), a local restuarant that, you can try Döner Kebab and there are some other options but they focus on mostly Döner. They do not serve alchol and prices are very good.
Barancan Ocakbaşı Restaurant ( Close to Suleymaniye Mosque, and 10 minutes walking distance to Grand Bazaar, Demirtaş Mahallesi, Fetva Yokuşu No 10/A Süleymaniye, Fatih, İstanbul, Kebab, No Alchol ) a great kebab restaurant, especially try their Adana Kebab, they do not serve alchol. Prices are very good.
We will update more restaurants soon
