Right before the end of 2014 I was able to visit the first annual Istanbul Coffee Festival. Visiting the festival actually requires a bit of planning, there are two 4 hour windows every day for not-professional visitors. Even though drink coffee like a true professional, that doesn’t count and you will have to plan your visit in these two daily windows. Once you manage to visit however, the world of coffee is at your feet.
İstanbul Coffee Festival
On the entry level, around a dozen coffee companies have stands where they serve you their very best products. Besides the usual suspects, like Starbucks and Caffe Nero, you can find some of the more obscure but high quality Istanbul coffee shops here. Most of the coffees here are free, and you can learn about the different shops and brewing techniques while enjoying multiple (five for me personally) coffees.
Once you make it to the second floor and you are still able to keep yourself from bouncing around the room after drinking this much coffee, you can taste some of the different snacks you can have with coffee. These snacks range from Fair Trade chocolate to cookies to different types of cake. If you are interested, you can ask about the origin of the different snacks here, and it gives you an opportunity to process the caffeine from the first floor.
On the third floor, the festival turns into somewhat of an exhibition. They show some coffee art and a video about the production process. This video was actually one of my favorite parts, because I never knew how exactly the process from tree to cup worked. Besides this art there are some smaller shops where you can buy small things, and one stand that sells old LP’s. The prices here are a little bit high, but the quality is high.
On the fourth and final floor, there are coffee brewing workshops and a restaurant/bar, where you can enjoying some more coffee and some more snacks, while watching people get taught how to make coffee. Of course, you can try for yourself, but keep in mind that everyone will be able to see that your cappuccino art is so much worse than the professional’s!
Overall it is a fun little festival, worthy of a day visit. The four hour window gives you enough time to cover everything, you won’t feel rushed. You can really learn quite a bit about coffee, since the baristas are generally very passionate and knowledgeable about their profession. The festival ran from the 25th until the 28th of December, and tickets were around 25 TL. If you want to visit next year, make sure you go early, since the line can be pretty significant. Enjoy your coffee!
You’ve definitely heard of Kadıköy, maybe even before you arrived at Istanbul. It is for sure the best place to live in Constantinople. And no, I have never lived anywhere else that allows me to make a comparison but I am still pretty sure.
With a population of 16 million people and with rich mixture of cultural, religious, national and other backgrounds, Istanbul can be seen as a world by itself. What you are going to read about, is without doubt present all around the world – and of course there are significant differences present within Istanbul already – but there are some specialities that are simply unavoidable and must be seen.
Finally. I found some time in my busy schedule to visit the Istanbul Modern, one of the better museums in Turkey for modern art. I went on a Thursday, so the museum is open until 8 PM and Turkish Residents get in for free. After showing my Residence Permit and dropping my bag at the cloakroom, I took out my notebook and started my first visit to the Istanbul Modern.
Permanent Collection
As soon as I walked in, my attention was drawn to a big aircraft nose, sticking out the wall. I walked over to take it all in, and my Istanbul Modern experience started. The aircraft nose is part of the museum’s permanent exhibition, the first part of the museum. I’ll cover some of the pieces that I liked the most here. In the middle of the main exhibition space there is an installation consisting of suitcases with magnifying classes. When you walk up to the artwork you see these clean suitcases, with some damage here and there but nothing major. But once you take a look at the suitcase’s surface with the magnifying glass, you see all the little nicks and cracks in the surface, giving it much more character and depth. In the next room, there is a big picture of a shark, made out of clothing labels pinned to a white background. The meaning behind this is that people sometimes assume a certain personality by buying clothing from certain brands, so the majority of society perceives them as part of the social group associated with this brand. However, when you take away the pins in the artwork, the clothing labels will fall to the floor and your true identity, your ‘clean’ version, will appear, in the form of a white background in this particular artwork. This piece is one of my favorites, first of all because I think there is a very powerful idea behind it and second of all because it made me understand the rest of the exhibition. For me, the exhibition is about how we perceive not just each other, but also the world around us. The suitcases are a good example. There is much more to these objects than just the smooth surface we perceive, as you notice when you take a look through the magnifying glass. Other pieces in the exhibit referred to this perception of things as well, ranging from one’s perception of photos and media to people’s perception of territorial bounds and politics. I really liked the exhibition because of the message I got from it, even though this might not have been the intended message. However, this is part of what makes art beautiful for me; everyone has different associations with it and takes away a different message because we all perceive art differently. Again, the word ‘perception’ comes back.
Past and Future
After the permanent collection, it was time for the exhibition ‘Past and Future’, the second part of the museum. This temporary exhibition, also created from Istanbul Modern’s collection, discusses the two main roles of a museum; showcasing the past and influencing the future, for example by showcasing new art or ideas which can be an inspiration to others. The exhibition kicks off with an overview of Turkish art in the past 150 years, starting with the Ottomans. In the Empire’s later years, it struggled with its association to Europe, and to which extent it wanted to implement European culture in its daily life. The exhibition kicks off right around this time, showing artwork by some of the first artists with a serious interest in or influence from European art. Among these people is Sultan Abdülmecid, whose self-portrait is shown among many other things. The exhibit then progresses through time, and shows how modern art in Turkey has evolved. From the influence of cubism and pop art to the start of a more feminist art movement, this exhibition has it all. The artworks show how artists have dealt with the political and cultural issues of their time, and can therefore inspire artist in the present or future. Art will always be used to criticize or provoke society, and this exhibit shows how artists have done that in the past. One piece that particularly impressed me was a video installation playing four interviews conducted in the Turkey of the 90’s. The interviews feature four women that have to wear wigs for various reasons, and discuss the difficulties they experience and how they overcome them. One interview for example features a transvestite, and shows the acceptance of transvestites in Turkish society in the 90’s. Some of the anecdotes are very compelling, and certainly impressed me.
Plurivocality and 100 years of Turkish Cinema
After finishing the second part of the exhibit I had covered the entire top floor, so the bottom floor was next on my agenda. As one can expect in a museum, the stairwell was also a piece of art. A big glass box with gun shot marks covers the stairs, and I think it looks very cool. The idea behind it is that every building has signs of war or violence hidden behind its facade, no matter how beautiful this facade may be. Again, this made me think about the way I perceive my surroundings and I liked how the idea behind the permanent exhibition is present not just in that part of the museum hall but everywhere. On the way down, walls made out of chains flank the stairs, creating a cool effect. Once I got to the bottom floor, there were two exhibits to see.
First of all, there is an exhibition celebrating 100 years of Turkish cinema. The exhibit consists of memorabilia from all time periods, ranging from movie tickets to advertisements and newspaper reviews. In addition, the exhibit features scenes from famous Turkish movies, information about actors and much more about movies. If you want to know everything about Turkish cinema in the past 100 years, this is definitely the place to go.
Second, the temporary exhibition Plurivocality is shown here. This show treats the connection between art, audio and video. The first part of the exhibition is dedicated to an artist’s music collection, and talks about the idea or drive behind collecting. There are several cassette players present, so you can take a cassette you like from one of the shelves, put it in the player and start listening to it. I really liked this interactive part of the exhibit, because it makes all the band memorabilia in the room come alive, and if you close your eyes you can picture yourself at a concert of one of the many bands. After lingering here for quite some time I continued, and enjoyed the rest of the exhibit. There are several interesting video installations, the exhibit is about audio and video after all, and one of those videos is a project that was shot in Sharjah, UAE. The three screens in the installation show a wide range of instruments being ‘played’ by the surroundings. The artist pours sand on drums, rolls tambourines through the streets, and lets the surf play a djembe. I found myself watching this video for quite some time, wondering how the next instrument would be played.
Some videos were shot in Turkey, and there is one interesting piece that consists of a flipper board showing all the different names Istanbul has had over the years. It discusses language, and how one object or place can have multiple names or sounds, while its identity doesn’t change. All in all, this exhibit features a lot of videos and a lot of sounds, and is very enjoyable for the visitor. I spent a fair amount of time in the cassette player section in particular, listening to the different available cassettes.
So, that was it! My first visit to the Istanbul Modern was complete. I think I spent a good 3 hours in total, watching all the videos and taking in all the art. The main highlight for me was the message behind the permanent exhibit and the way it was conveyed, in addition to the cassette player section. It was also cool to see how modern art in Turkey has progressed through time, and how artists have commented on the society of their time. Of course, this article just contains my personal view; maybe you will take away an entirely different message from the main exhibit or skip the cassette player section and linger in the movie exhibition. I haven’t even covered half of these exhibits it in this article, as I think you should go to see everything for yourself. So, take some time out of your schedule to go to the Istanbul Modern and experience it all yourself!
Istanbul is probably the most varied city I’ve ever had the chance to experience. You can find wealth and poverty, history and religion, nightlife and parties, churches and mosques; mosques, that used to be churches, and are museums now. To put it in a nutshell: Istanbul is always worth a stay regardless if it is for 3 days or weeks or months.
Deciding where to live in Istanbul is an important choice. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, such as the commute time between your home and your university, areas compatible with your daily routine, and what kind of experience you expect to have while in Istanbul. Istanbul’s neighborhoods are diverse and vary not only in terms of their history but also their day to day pace of modern life. Therefore it’s recommended that you actually walk through a few neighborhoods in order to help decide which area is suitable for you.
Getting a Turkish residence permit has always been a pain in the neck. In April 2014, a new law regulating work and residence permit processes came into force. This new law brought widespread changes in rules and procedures. Consequently, obtaining a Turkish residence permit is now even more difficult. To help you get through all the new information we decided to publish an article on it. However, the information in this article is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice. We Love Istanbul does not accept any liability for actions you take or fail to take based on this advice.
Nâzım Hikmet Ran is known around the world as one of the greatest of poets. By universal agreement he is most sophisticated poet of Turkish language. His poetry has been translated into dozens of foreigner languages. His life story is tragic. He was repeatedly arrested for his political beliefs besides that he spent thirteen years in prisons and another thirteen years more in exile. His ideas were far from simple and he was interested in everything on earth. Turkish poetry master Nâzım Hikmet was awarded the World Peace Prize in 1950, which he shared with Paul Robeson and Pablo Neruda. Two years later he became administrator of World Peace Council. Although restricted knowledge exists for the exact day but it’s known that Nâzım Hikmet has been in Havana to deliver World Peace Prize to Fidel Castro in 1961.
Turkish music history, which searches the relationship of Turks with the music since Turks emerged onto the word, shows three main period. All these periods were separated by important events such as acceptance of Islam and disappearance of Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, pre-Islamic period is really dark part of Turkish history. The reason of that the Turks hadn’t expressed themselves in writing during the period. That’s why there’re really limited resources and no large knowledge about Turkish culture and arts before Islam.
The pre-Islamic period covers the time between emergences of Turks onto stage till the acceptance of Islam. This period is very important for development of Turkish music because roots come from that period. The first information about Turkish music is from some Chinese sources about Uygur Turk’s music. More, some archaeological digs in Central Asia give the evidence of well-developed musical culture among Uygur, Huns and Gökturks. It’s known that many musician and instrument presented to Chinese princes from Turks princes. Another important tradition from the time was military marching band which later became Mehteran, Janissary music. We should also know that Turks had been under effect of Shamanism, Manichaeism and Buddhism in that times. Consequently, the music, singing as well as drumming and sometimes other instruments, had been used in rites. At that time, Turks also had migratory life which means: they spreaded over various regions, interacted with numerous different cultures. Consequently, they learnt various easy transportable instruments as a result of the interactions with other communities. The music was performed by ecclesiastics in religious ceremonies and by Aşıks (Minstrels). Minstrels were most important figures of Turkish society during the period. Their importance was not only for music, they were also one of the most distinguished and brilliant communities of performers encountered with the realm of Turkish culture. They sung lyrics and poetry to accompaniment of the saz. Minstrels were properly artists that give to voice to all of the social events of the societies and write footnotes to history. They had developed great oral literature and used music to accompany the words in order to make them more moving and more understandable. Then, they travelled and spreaded their words to society.
Turkish music entered changing period after the acceptance of Islam. After Turks entered to Islam culture, the most important changing on music was the musical system such as ‘makam’ which is a system of melody types used in classical music. Meanwhile, Turkish literature came into being. The poets and philosophers, mostly grown up from dervish lodges, such as Yunus Emre and Mevlana influenced on music deeply. Turkish music continued in two main direction during the period. Classical Turkish music and Turkish folk music.
Ottoman classic music developed in palaces, mosques and Mevlevi lodges. The conquest of Istanbul paved the way for the city to be the new centre of Turkish music. The musicians from the art centres of Persia, Azerbaijan and Anatolia gathered in Istanbul, the new capital of Ottoman Empire. Meanwhile a large number of non-Muslim established their own musical centres in Istanbul’s too. Ottoman court traditions and contribution of minorities played a major role on Ottoman classic music. It emerged as the result of a sharing process between the Turks and the minorities living alongside them such the Byzantines, Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Jews and Armenians. The music had been included sultans education in their prince hood. Many of them were either composers or great lover of music. They deeply involved in this art and helped in development of the music. The musicians and instrument makers received salary regularly from the court. The music was taught and practiced in the Enderun which was the royal school. It reached its golden age in the private school in the Ottoman palace. On the other hand, it didn’t only stay in Istanbul. It had a great development in major cities such as Edirne, İzmir, Thessaloniki, Damascus and in other urban cities.
The variety of music furnished products dealing with many subjects, such as religion, love and war. Each of these came to develop its own varieties, styles and communities. A specific sequence of classical Turkish musical forms become a fasıl, a suite an instrumental prelude (peşrev), an instrumental postlude (saz semaisi), and in between, the main section of vocal compositions which begins with and is punctuated by instrumental improvisations taksim. A full fasıl concert would include four different instrumental forms and three vocal forms, including a light classical song, şarkı. A strictly classical fasıl remains is the same makam throughout, from the introductory taksim and usually ending in a dance tune or oyun havası. However shorter şarkı compositions, precursors to modern day songs, are a part of this tradition, many of them extremely old, dating back to the 14th century; many are newer, with late 19th century songwriter Hacı Arif Bey being especially popular.
Unlike Turkish classical music, which emerged and developed in an urban elite environment, folk music was a social product of people’s daily lives, combining the distinct cultural values of all civilizations that have lived in Anatolia. It took as its subjects all the natural and social events such as feelings, happiness, grief, heroism, migration, love and all other things experienced by the people. Two main sources, türkü singers and aşıks, nourish the Turkish folk music. Türkü singers perform the songs in all sorts of celebrations, and they contribute different words and new songs. In time, the musical patterns as well as the lyrics become anonymous. The aşıks (minstrels) usually compose and lyricize. Their songs never become anonymous because they mention their names in the lyrics. After the Turks accepted Islam, dervish lodges which were home of Sufism appeared all over Anatolia. The dervish lodges so Sufism became effective in Anatolia. Of course the minstrels didn’t keep themselves aloof from Sufism yet they penetrated it. Later, they created a Sufi literature and used it on their music. They travelled around all over Anatolia along with their saz and spreaded Sufism and kept it alive. Yunus Emre, Sultan Abdal, Karacaoğlan, Gevheri, Dadaoğlu were awe-inspiring minstrels of the period.
The first quarter of the 20th century brought about new political development in Anatolia. Almost 600 years-old Ottoman Empire declined, and birth of republic brought series of fundamental changes. The music policies, as a part of the cultural reforms, were given considerable attentions by the Kemalist cadres since the music, according to them, was one of the area to reflect the developmental level of a society. From the beginning of the late 1930s, the state implemented a number of coordinated cultural policies in the field of music. Western polyphonic music began in conservatories modelled on western schools. Foreign experts were hired while some gifted students were sent abroad for training. The symphony orchestras began giving free concerts all over the country. The music and dance nights organized by government employees in cities. While on one hand education was being given in contemporary western music, folk melodies gained an important mission. As opposed to the Ottoman Classic Music, folk music is the real music of Turkish people, according to Kemalists. Turks expressed their pure, noble emotions and opinions by means of folk songs. The folk songs were written in pure Turkish language; that is, the Kemalists considered folk music as one of the most important sources to create a national homogenized language, which was one of the Kemalist nationalist aims. Folk culture, which until that point had been relegated to the margins of society, came forward, and folk music research and collection projects gained momentum. During the course of this work, approximately 20,000 songs and melodies were collected, and many works were produced which dealt with instruments, genres and forms.
Although majority of Turkish people are Islamic, alcoholic beverages are as readily available as in Europe. Only during the Ramadan do the majority prefer not to drink even if they don’t fast.
Rakı and beer are the most common alcoholic beverages in Turkey. There are both international and local beers in Turkey. The best seller is Efes, which is a local one. Prices of alcoholic beverages in Turkey are more expensive than Europe. A 50cl beer is between 4tl-5tl depending on the brand.
Turkish Wine by JJ Hall
Honestly, Turkish wines are not good quality. Still, there are some local wines you can buy. Kavaklıdere, Doluca, Kayra, Pamukkale are the most preferred brands. If you like travelling and if you’re interested in wines, some local wines are produced in Cappadocia. Also, Bozcaada, an island in the Aegean Region, is famous for their grapes and wines. There’s also a vintage festival in first week of September. A small bit of travel information here; Bozcaada was chosen as the fourth most beautiful island in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine.
Raki is an anise-flavoured alcoholic drink that’s popular in Turkey. It’s mixed with chilled water. Dilution with water causes the raki to turn a white colour. Sometimes ice can be added. Raki is consumed alongside with mezes, small tapas style plates of food. Raki is an important component of Turkish tradition and deserves a separate passage about it. After finishing the beverages topic, below, we’ll write more about raki.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Tea is beverage Turkish people drink at breakfast and all day long. Tea grows in the east part of the Black Sea Region. It’s made with two teapots. Tea made in the upper pot is diluted by adding boiling water from the lower pot.
Ayran by Julieupmeyer
Ayran is a common cold beverage which may accompany almost all dishes, except seafood. It’s made by yoğurt mixed with cold water and sometimes with salt.
Şalgam Suyu, which is turnip juice, is usually combined with kebabs or sometimes served with Raki. It’s from the southern cities of Adana and Mersin. It’s served cold.
Boza and Sahlep are traditional winter drinks. Boza is a malt drink made from maize and fermented wheat in Turkey. Sahlep is a flower made from the tubers of the orchid genus. Salep is made with water or hot milk.
Şerbet is a syrup and may be made from many ingredients but especially fruits. It’s usually sweet and served chilled. You are able to see some şerbetçi sell şerbet on the street.
Contrary to popular belief, the most well-known sweets associated with Turkish Cuisine are Turkish Delights (Lokum) and Baklava. Actually, they are not the main Turkish deserts. It’s only an impression that was created by the guys who would love to sell nylons.
Kadayıf is a common Turkish dessert that employs shirred yufka. There’re different type of kadayıfs depending on regions. Tel kadayıf is the most famous one.
The most popular milk-deserts are sütlaç, muhallebi, kazandibi and tavukgöğsü. They’re mostly made with starch and rice and never use butter or eggs.
Helva is made by pan-sautéing flour or semolina and pine nuts in butter before adding sugar, and milk or water, and briefly cooking until these are absorbed. The preparation of helva is conducive to communal cooking. People are invited for “helva conversations” to pass the long winter nights.
Aşure by Nick Warner
Güllaç, consists of very thin large dough layers put in the milk and rose water, served with pomegranate seeds and walnut. It’s typically served at Ramadan.
Aşure is a kind of sweet soup which includes boiled beans, wheat and dried fruits. Legend says that it was first cooked on Noah’s Ark and contained seven different ingredients in one dish. Anatolian people still cook it during the month of Muharrem.
Adam, the Saint of Bakers, learned how to make a bread from the angel Gabriel. This secret is definitely known by the Turks. It’s not possible to find a bread that tastes like every day fresh Turkish bread or simit. It’s loved by all.Simit by Robyn Lee
Finding a Turk who doesn’t like Turkish bread is unthinkable. It doesn’t matter if they’re rich or poor, each Turk would break bread while they are on the way to home from the bakery. Ekmek, simit and pide should be eaten the same day that they are baked, and this is not hard because Turkish bakes bake fresh bread every morning. Ekmek is so divine that ekmek cannot be thrown away. Leftover ekmek becomes meal for birds or for cats and dogs after mixing it with milk.
Börek is a family of baked or fried pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as yufka.
Sigara Böreği by Noema Pérez
It can be filled with cheese, often feta, sirene or kashar cheese; minced meat or vegetables like potato or spinach. Homemade Börek is a dish for special occasions and requires great skill and patience. Su Böreği (Turkish cheese lasagne), Sigara Böreği (Turkish cigar shaped pastry), Paçanga Böreği (fried pastry with pastrami and kashar) and Siron (baked pastry rolls with yogurt) are the most famous böreks.
Mantı by Scott Dexter
Mantı, small dumplings of dough filled with a special meat mix, are eaten with generous serving of garlic yogurt and dash of melted butter and paprika.
Along with bread, pilaf is another staple of the Turkish kitchen. Depending on the local cuisine, it can contain meat or vegetables. It’s a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth. Pilaf may be a main course or accompanied by another dish.
Beans (Fasulye): Beans are grown in nearly every region of Turkey. There are many varieties; some of them are used green in Turkey. Fresh beans are used in cooked dishes as well as in pickles and in jams. Dried beans, which are the seeds of mature bean plants, are one of the basic staples of Turkish cooking. There are many different manners of preparation varying from region to region, each with its own characteristic flavour. Dry beans may be prepared with cubed or ground meat, with pastırma or alone.Cowpea by Başak Ekinci
Cowpea (Börülce): They are used in various ways: fresh like green beans and fresh shelled like green peas, but mostly in their dried form.
Fava Beans (Bakla): In addition to the green or mature beans, some varieties such as Sakız, Sultani and Bayrampaşa are eaten young in the same way as green beans. Fava beans are raised in nearly every part of Turkey. The dry beans are also used in various dishes; one of these is Fava, made from a puree of cooked dried favas.
Peas (Bezelye): The seeds, or the seeds along with the pod are eaten; it is mostly used fresh, and canned rather than dried. It may be used in salads as well.
Tahıl: Tahıl is the name given in Turkish to the dried seeds of plants in the grass family, which are eaten either whole or ground into flour. Grown the world over and with a history almost as old as humanity itself, they may be consumed in a variety of ways, but the thing they all have in common is the making of bread. Though many different grains are used to make bread, the one most commonly used is wheat. Across the vast Turkic region from Central Asia to the Mediterranean basin, the most used grains are wheat and barley in the form of flour. Bread is an indispensable part of the Turkish table; it is not only a staple of nutrition but it has also become a central element of Turkish culture. In Turkey, bread is sacred. This sacredness comes from the fact that not only is it a natural product, but also the result of great effort.
Wheat (Buğday): A plant in the grass family, which has been developed the world over. It and corn are the second most planted grains in the world. In Turkish cuisine it is used ground into flour for use in such products as börek, çörek, bazlama, kete, simit. There is another very common food, kavurma, in which the wheat is washed and then dry-roasted and eaten plain. Wheat is grown throughout Turkey. Another very important wheat product is bulgur. After the wheat is washed and boiled, it is dried and beaten in a large mortar and pestle. It is used chiefly as pilaf as well as made into various köfte. Its use varies according to its grade, with large grades used more in pilaf, and the finer ones used in köfte. In addition, irmik (semolina), one of the most important additives in Turkish cooking, is made from wheat. Semolina is a very special ingredient, used in the making of certain halvahs, in many breads, certain köftes and sweets. It also holds an important place due to its high nutrition value.
Oats (Yulaf): A plant of the grass family, grown for its starchy seeds. As dough made from oat flour does not rise, it cannot be made into bread, however oat flour is mixed with other bread flours to add a different flavour. Oats are used more in the making of mush or in gözleme.
Barley (Arpa): Used very frequently in Turkish cooking, barley closely resembles wheat in its structure. Barley flour is used to make bread, soups and other baked goods.
Millet (Darı): Another plant in the grass family with edible seeds is millet. Some types are ground and mixed with milk or ayran and made into dough, or used in the making of breads. Millet is also the raw material for boza, a fermented drink found throughout the Turkic world. It is chiefly cultivated in the Mediterranean region.
Corn (Mısır): Corn is a plant which can be cultivated in relatively wet or humid regions such as the Black Sea. It is also valuable for its high nutritive value and unsaturated fats. The grains may be ground into flour for breads and çörek, used to coat fish before frying, or cracked in pilaffs and soups. It may also be eaten on the cob, either boiled or grilled.
Rye (Çavdar): This grain is generally ground into flour and mixed with wheat flours for bread.
Vegetables are consumed in large quantities in the Turkish diet. A whole class of vegetables is cooked in olive oil. If a dish is cooked without any kind of meat then its called zeytin yağlı – meaning cooked with olive oil.
These kind of vegetables are mostly served cold. Dolma is the most famous olive oil dish. Vegetables, consumed either fresh or dried include eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and zucchinis. They are stuffed with a mixture of rice and onion with various spices. Yaprak Sarma is most common and most delicious olive oil dish. Wrapped vine leaves are filled with rice, onion and spices like mint, currant, pepper and cinnamon. When it comes to vegetables, in Turkish Cuisine the eggplant is the first vegetable that comes to mind. Eggplant has a special place in Turkey. Discussion of how to cook eggplant could be a topic for a whole night of discussion. İmam Bayıldı, Ali Nazik, and Musakka are the most famous eggplant dishes.
Vişneli Yaprak Sarma by Garrett Ziegler
Cucumber (Salatalık): It is eaten by itself or used in pickles and salads. Although it is raised throughout Turkey, various varieties are preferred in different regions, each with its own flavour. In Istanbul, the most famous varieties are Çengelköy (neighbourhood of Üsküdar) and Langa.
Arugula (Roka): Its leaves are made into salad. It’s frequently used as a garnish.
Asparagus (Kuşkonmaz): It’s commonly eaten raw and also used in soup and salads.
Artichoke (Enginar): It’s mostly known in Aegean region and Istanbul. Prepared in “olive oil” dishes with celeriac and its classified as a meze.
Cabbage (Lahana): There are many varieties. White and red cabbage are the most common. The wide leaves are ideal for stuffing but also used in other main dishes and soup. Red cabbage is only used in salads.
Carrot (Havuç): Is used as an ingredient in other dishes and also made into salads and pickles.
Cauliflower (Karnabahar): It is cooked with tomato sauce and ground meat, and is mostly consumed in western Turkey.
Celeriac (Kereviz): In Turkish cuisine, celeriac is most popular in the west and in Istanbul, where it is cooked in a meat dish as well as served cold as an “olive oil” dish.
Garlic (Sarımsak): Garlic is very popular in Turkish cooking for its special aroma and flavour, and is consumed at all stages, from green “scallion” stage to fresh bulb to mature/dry. In its dry form it also adds sweetness to a dish. It is also frequently used in pickles.
Leeks (Pırasa): Traditionally used in both “olive oil” dishes as well as meat dishes, it has recently begun to be used in new and original ways in Turkish cuisine.
Mushrooms (Mantar): With tens of thousands of species in nature, mushrooms are commonly cultivated today. Mushrooms are technically not a plant, they are a fungus. With its many varieties, Turkey could be considered a mushroom paradise. Although there are many different ways of preparing them, the most common method in Anatolia is to cook them directly over a flame or coals, accompanied only with salt and black or red pepper. They are also cooked in meat or vegetarian dishes as well as used in pilaf and salads.
Okra (Bamya): It should be picked when young, because the pods toughen as they mature. In Turkish cuisine it is used both fresh and dried in meat and “olive oil” dishes.
Onions (Soğan): It is one of the fundamental vegetables in Turkish cooking, adding sweetness to dishes for years. It is used at all stages, from scallions to green bulbs to the familiar dried vegetable. All stages may be used in cooked dishes, pilaffs, salads and kebab.
Parsley (Maydanoz): Its leaves are used as a flavouring herb. In Turkish cooking, parsley is utilized more as a secondary ingredient than a vegetable in and of itself. It is eaten plain or added to provide flavour and aroma to cooked dishes as well as salads.
Peppers (Biber): Many different varieties are raised in Turkey. The edible part is the seed pod, which is green when unripe and turns red when ripe. The veins and the seeds are generally hot. Peppers are raised almost everywhere in Turkey, with many different varieties and names reflecting a variety of shapes and uses: Sivri (pointed), Çarliston, Süs (decoratıve), Domates (tomato), Ayaş (place name), Dolmalık (stuffing), and red pepper. In southern Anatolia it is finely chopped and made into paste.
Potatoes (Patates): Several varieties of potatoes are grown in Turkey, and potatoes are frequently used in Turkish dishes.
Purslane (Semizotu): It is used in cooked dishes as well as in fresh salads. In Anatolia, the wild form is commonly used, but there is also a large-leaved cultivated form commonly available as well.
Spinach (Ispanak): It is raised in many parts of Turkey and is cooked alone or with ground meat. It is also used in dishes like ıspanak kavurması, spinach with eggs and spinach börek.
Radish (Turp): The edible root may be red, black, white or yellowish. It is generally used to accompany dishes rather than actually being cooked as a dish by itself. One type is used to add sweetness.
Tomatoes (Domates): It is said to have entered Turkish cuisine only about 100 years ago, but it has a major place in Turkish cooking. It is used fresh in salads but it also adds flavour to many cooked dishes. In addition to ripe red tomatoes, green and yellow tomatoes are also used in Turkish cooking; in pickling for example. It is also used in paste form in a great many regions.
Turnips (Şalgam): It is not used much as a food in Turkey; it is better known as the main ingredient of a pickled drink by the same name. Made in the Çukurova (Adana) region, Şalgam is known to enhance the appetite, and is often drunk alongside rakı.
Meats have a special place in Turkish Cuisine. Even in the time of the Seljuk Turks, a mediaeval Turco-Persian Empire, Turks were cooking various kebabs. This is because animal husbandry was the main economy of the residents. Turks were cooking kebabs in three different ways. Kuyu Kebabı (Well); cleaned sheep cut into pieces and wrapped in its own skin. To make this, meat is placed into the hole within the skin and the top is closed. A fire is burned till it’s ready. Second is Tandır Kebabı. Tandır is an oven consisting of a clay-lined pit. Cleaned sheep or lamb are hung in a tandır to cook. The third and final one is Çevirme Kebabı (Turning / Rotisserie). A long pole is passed through the animal’s mouth to its rear. This spit is mounted over a fire. Although it’s possible to see these traditional ways of cooking, boiling and grilling are the usual methods of cooking meat in modern Turkey.Iskender Kebap by Yun Qing Liau
In Turkey, the meaning of kebab and meat are wedded to each other. If you say that you want to eat meat, the Turks will suggest you eat kebab for sure. It’s very normal because you may see numerous types of kebabs in Turkey. Döner Kebab and Iskender Kebab are the most common kebabs and are also a favorite of the fast-food dishes in Turkey. Döner Kebab was originally made with lamb or beef, but fast-food stores also offer ones made with chicken. Iskender Kebab is a famous kebab dish from the Bursa Province. Iskender Kebab is served covered in a sauce made from butter, with tomato juice, yogurt and oiled pita slices underneath the meat to soak up the juices. The main difference between Iskender and Döner kebab is the meat. Iskender is from arias which eat thyme grown up in the Uludağ Hills. Apart from all these, Adana Kebab, Cağ Kebabı, Urfa Kebabı, Orman Kebabı, and Çökertme Kebabı are other delicious kebabs variations cooked in Turkey.
Köfte by Iwan Tamimi
Köfte, or meatball in English, is always a favourite in both, the home, or, in fast-food venues in Turkey. The word “köfte” is preceded by the name of a town which refers to the technique of cooking köfte there, or, the ingredients or spices specifically used in that region. İnegöl Köfte, Bursa Köfte, Akçabat Köfte are well-known köfte dishes in Turkey. Kadınbudu köfte is a traditional specialty. Boiled rice, minced onion, grated kashar cheese, thyme and salt are kneaded. After it is streched slim and long, it is coated in flour and then beaten with egg and finally it is fried. Preparing kadınbudu köfte takes time and requires skill. It originated in Anatolia.
Çiğ Köfte by Kirk K
Çiğ Köfte is a raw meat dish in Turkish and Armenian Cuisine. It’s made with beef or lamb and is usually served as a meze. In Turkey, çiğ köfte (raw minced meat simmered in spices) became a very popular fast-food dish but these days almost all çiğ köftes are made meatless as prescribed by law. There is also a vegetarian version, where scrambled eggs and Kısır are used instead of meat.
Soujouk (Sausage) is a form of raw sausage commonly eaten with breakfast. Yumurtalı-sucuk means soujouk with egg and is a delicious breakfast specialty. Pastırma (Pastrami) is another meat delicacy in Turkey, and it is air-dried cured beef. It’s eaten at breakfast with eggs and some people love it as a meze for raki (Turkish whiskey). You can also put it in kuru fasulye dishes to enrich the aroma. Kayseri Province is famous for its pastırmas.
Turkey is also rich in seafood. Four seas surround the Turkish mainland and residents of the coastal cities are experts in preparing their local fish. Each month has its preferred fish along with certain vegetables to complement the taste. For example, the best bonito is eaten with arugula and red onions, while blue fish are eaten with lettuce, turbot goes with coos lettuce. Large bonitos are usually poached with celery root. Mackerel, usually hunted in the Sea of Marmara, is stuffed with chopped onion before grilling. Summer fishes, younger and drier, are usually poached with tomatoes, green peppers, and, sometimes they are fried.
Hamsi by Jonathan Ooi
There are various way of cooking fish, but generally fish is grilled, fried or cooked by a slow poaching method (Buğulama). Buğulama is fish with lemon and parsley that’s covered while it’s cooking so that it’s steamed. Additionally, it’s common to cook hamsi (Black Sea Anchovy) in salt or in dough. Hamsi, the prince of all the fish known to Turks, is a symbol of the Laz region. Laz people know numerous ways of making dishes with hamsi including hamsi börek, hamsi pilaf, hamsi desert or hamsi jam. Other common fish foods are balık dolma (stuffed fish), balık İskender (influenced by İskender kebab), fishballs, fishsoups and mussels. Octapus and and calamari are ever present on the table with Raki as a meze.
In Turkish Cuisine, it is impossible to see other meat on the table because of Islamic law. Muslims only eat halal meats. This means food that is permissible according to Islamic law. Meat cannot be from a forbidden cut or animal. Escargot, pork and horsemeat are haram (not halal) food and that’s why they don’t exist in the Turkish kitchen.
Turkish Cuisine, like French and Chinese cuisines, is one of the world’s richest cuisines with thousands of years of history. Notably, some countries or cuisines have a symbolic dish. For example, Italy has pasta, and, France has cheese. But, it doesn’t work for the Turkish kitchen, because of its history, social, and, cultural heritage. Turkish cuisine is nourished by its individual regions, each with their own rich cuisines. It means that Turkish Cuisine varies across the country. The cooking of Istanbul, Bursa, İzmir and the rest of the Aegean Region inherit elements of the Ottoman kitchen. These areas, and the Mediterranean Region are rich in vegetables, herbs and fish. The Aegean Region is also famous for its olive oil dishes. Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves) is the best example of an olive oil dish. In the north of Turkey there’s the Black Sea where the Laz people live. Contrary to popular belief, Laz cuisine doesn’t mean Black Sea Cuisine.Hamsi Crisps by Scott Dexter
The Laz kitchen has three main ingredients. Hamsi (Anchiovies), milk and savoy cabbage. However, hamsi and savoy cabbage are not the main ingredient in kitchen of Black Sea. Hamsi is symbol of the Lazs who can cook various Hamsi dishes: Pilaf, soup, dolma, desert, sütlaç and even jam (Hamsi Reçeli). Southeast Turkey, the Kurdish region, is famous for kebabs, mezes and deserts. Meat is the main meal and Kurds can cook meat in as many ways as the Laz cook hamsi.
At the mention of Turkish Cuisine, Turkish history should come to mind. The foundation of our people’s cuisine is related with the history of the economy, and Turks had two bases of production. Animal husbandry and wheat were the main staples of Turkey, and consequently meat, dried food, and grains were the main ingredients for Turkish meals. Other ingredients were introduced into the kitchen later on. A great development of Turkish Cuisine came with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. A gathering of high-ranking palace residents became one of the most important social activities. Therefore, this habit gave rise to the development of rich and delicious dishes. In a sense, Turkish Cuisine is the heritage of the Ottomans. So it means that Turkish Cuisine was influenced by neighbouring cuisines like Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Balkan, and, North African Cuisine.
If you are thinking about traveling through Turkey, or if you are just interested in learning more about Turkish customs, I offer you this short (and by no means exhaustive) list to summarize what I discovered about the different habits and customs of Turkey.
First of all, if you are invited into the home of a traditional Turkish family or even to your Turkish schoolmate’s place, the rule is that you can’t pass through the front door with your shoes on. Take them off! Indeed, it is really impolite to keep them on since you just walked down the dirty street outside. In France it’s also generally frowned upon to keep your shoes on inside. Nowadays though, in most homes, it’s not such a big deal as long as you don’t keep them on all of the time. This custom may be related to the Muslim tradition of taking off your shoes before entering a mosque. In September when I first arrived here, I once left some stuff in my friend’s room but totally forgot about my shoes … you can’t imagine what a big deal it was! 😉 Most of the timewhen you visit a Turkish family, you will have the pleasure of wearing all kinds of slippers… but let’s save this topic for later!
If you are invited into a Turkish home, it is actually impolite to come without a gift. Any little thing will really be appreciated. Sometimes when you enter someone’s home, your host might offer to put some “Eau de Cologne” (Kolonya) on your hands, as a sign of purity and respect. During the meal, they will encourage you to try almost every plate (and there will be lots, not just one dish like in France) and it is impolite to refuse. However, as far as I know, it is also rude to take too much from any one dish. At the end of the meal, a Turkish expression “Elinize sağlık” is generally used, which means literally “Health to your hands”. It is a polite way to thank the cook for spending so much time on the meal, especially if it was very good. It’s also pretty funny to hear it in other contexts. “Ayaklarınıza sağlık” which means “Health to your feet” can be said for instance if you had to walk a few kilometres to get somewhere.
Now, let’s talk about tea! Making and drinking Turkish tea is a real institution here. However, it is totally useless to buy a packet if you didn’t also buy the special Turkish teapot – trust me I tried, it was disgusting. Turkish people may drink 10 to 20 cups of tea a day … no actually I have no idea what the average really is. I’m sure that some people can drink 50 cups a day! It’s definitely a social institution; a moment when men chat with men and women chat with women, enjoying quiet discussions about their daily lives. The other day, I was taking a walk through the Grand Bazaar when a shopkeeper tried to sell me something. I answered him in Turkish. Surprised, he offered me a glass of tea. As long as you try to show your interest in the culture, and speak a few words of the language, locals are far more welcoming. Ah, and one last thing, don’t forget to put your spoon in your cup when you’ve had enough. If you are having tea with a Turkish family for instance, they may keep trying to refill your cup until you die … ha ha! 🙂
Now, let’s speak a bit about linguistic habits! Contrary to the French “bourgeoise” culture which commands us to address anyone that you don’t personally know as “Madame” or “Monsieur”; here you have the feeling that everyone is related in one big family. In fact, it’s really common when in a shop or on the street to hear a man calling a woman “big sister” (abla) and the reverse (abi). Regarding my own experience for instance, yesterday I just said “Have a good day” to the cashier in the cafeteria, and she answered naturally “You too my dear” (Sana da canım). Another funny thing is that Turkish people can have a real conversation sometimes almost without saying a word. For instance, to say “no”, there are 5 different ways such as lifting one eyebrow or jerking your head back. When you gently shake your head, you are letting the other person know that you didn’t understand something. You can also express your surprise by raising a hand up in front of you … and so on !
To conclude, let me just say that Turkish hospitality deserves its reputation. However we foreigners need to respect the local customs, such as those described above, in order to not abuse this kindness. Turkish people are not known for being shy, and I can attest to this from what I observed in my classes. Turkih students often loudly announce any disagreements they have, unlike French people who usually try to be quiet. As for next semester, I’ve found a flat in the town centre with two Erasmus friends. While there, I hope learn more about Turkish customs and practice speaking more Turkish.
I’m sitting in the tram, going to the place which I know very well, but still feeling like I left a part of me somewhere in warm country. Night is cold here, very dark with many stars in the sky. This sky doesn’t look like one I used to watch during last few months. There are only few people on the street, which is nothing surprising. In September the weather is getting colder and rain is famous guest at this time. Exactly one year and twenty days ago I was going to the airport to catch the plane to unknown place. Exactly one year and twenty days ago I didn’t know that only two and a half hour distance separates me from such a fascinating city. Exactly one year and twenty days ago I discovered Istanbul.
Istanbul, people say it’s one of the most amazing cities in the world, the city of contrast, where east meet with west, old with new and poverty with the richness. City strongly combined with the history, culture and tradition but on the other hand very modern. Before my journey to Istanbul I read this kind of opinion, but it was nothing with the feeling that I’ve experienced during 10 months of my life there. Enormous Istanbul became a very small place and it will stay in my heart for forever.
First steps after leaving the airport in Istanbul was kind of shock. On the one hand I watched fashionably dressed people and on the other religiously dressed girls. Everywhere was noise, mess and big chaos. Furthermore first Adhan from the mosque: “Allahu akbar!” (eng. Allah is the biggest) was the most tangible evidence that I’m in Orient country. I took the tram to move from European to Asian side of city and the most surprising was the openness and kindness of people. I remember like yesterday, they were asking me if I could have said some words in Turkish. Without hesitation I answered “armut” (eng. pear) and “I’m looking for ‘oda’” (eng. room). The laugh of Turks defused stress hiding inside of me and immediately I found fondness for this nationality.
Before going to Istanbul I heard various opinions about Turkey. Mostly that it’s very dangerous country and that I have big courage to go there. Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense! Ok, European’s neatness and orderliness cannot be compared with Turkish disarray, Turkey is absolutely different. But is an otherness something worse or bad? It’s just different. Firstly I wanted to tell that Istanbul is a place for everyone, because the diversity of city let every person to find something for their self, but it’s not. If you come to Istanbul you will fall in love or hate it at first sight. Nothing between, there is no way to say something neutrally of this city, because indifference doesn’t live there. How you find Istanbul, it depends on you. If you look for fun, surely you’ll find it there, if you look for art and inspiration – you’re invited to Istanbul, if you want to learn about other culture and traditions – do not hesitate to book a plane ticket to Turkey. Worse thing is when you want to stay alone for some time. In this situation you need to hide in your room, because it’s impossible to find an empty place somewhere outside, which is nothing surprising. The population of Istanbul is more than 13.5 million, which for example is around 4.5 times more than population of Lithuania! (once, when my Turkish and Lithuanian friends met together, they were talking about population of their countries. When Lithuanian said that number of people of whole his country is less than 3 million, surprised Turk answered: why didn’t you all come to Istanbul?). For this reason, I can say that this city never sleeps. On every time of day and night there are many people that mostly are sauntering and catching the magic of the city.
What is magical in Istanbul? Everything and nothing. Literally. Istanbul has many colors. Incredibly beautiful Bosporus gives feeling of detachment from reality, especially at night when you cross two continents by the bridge or if you cross it by the last ferry. Istanbul is beautiful at night, it blew me away. But for many people going back home ‘from Europe to Asia’ is a routine and an ordinary thing. It became normal for me walking with friends through the labyrinth of street sellers to the coast of Bosporus, in order to drink some beer and eat sunflower seeds (it’s very famous there) or just sit on the stones during the day and read a book or study for exams or easy drink tea and enjoy the view to the other side of Istanbul (Asian or Europe), or to islands, or to nowhere. For the free time one of the best places to visit are Prince’s Islands. Very popular is riding a bike on mountain area or just sunbathe on the beach at the same island. Except of bike the best way of transportation is horse and cart. Having a picnic there is also a good idea. Another great place to visit is Çamlica Hill where you can try to understand the endless enormity of Istanbul. Also shisha pubs shouldn’t be forgotten. Surprising that in some of these places is not served any kind of alcohol, only coffee or tea and popular is to play backgammon! (Europeans forgive you this only because of strong and delicious taste of “nargile” (eng. shisha). Istanbul is a clash of two realities. After walking through snobbish districts, full of gold, where important deals are made by people from all over the world, you can find yourself in the middle of slums and poverty, where people live by begging or collecting rubbishes. Nevertheless you can feel history at every turn. It was surprising when I asked about history, every Turkish citizen knew the answers to my questions. It’s also incredible that Turkish society is so much patriotic and hospitable. Turkish flags and portraits of Atatürk don’t let the people to forget where they are. Unbelievable are Turkish bazars. People sell there everything (I’m not scared of using this word, because there is literally everything), thus I loved visiting ‘rubbish sellers’ and spending hours on admiring the old and rare miracles of their commodities. It can be written a lot about Istanbul, but every writings will be nothing with emotions which can be experienced after walking through the streets of it. I was lucky that I had an opportunity to live in such a fascinating city.
Firstly Byzantium, then Constantinople, and at the end Istanbul is a masterpiece of God and a sun and heart of Turkey.
On the third floor, the festival turns into somewhat of an exhibition. They show some coffee art and a video about the production process. This video was actually one of my favorite parts, because I never knew how exactly the process from tree to cup worked. Besides this art there are some smaller shops where you can buy small things, and one stand that sells old LP’s. The prices here are a little bit high, but the quality is high.
