Tag: Turkish food

Traditional Köfte in Istanbul’s Sirkeci Area

Where we come from, flipping burgers is a time-honored tradition among pimply teenagers looking for a summer job and troubled short-order cooks looking for a place to land in between firings. It’s work that promises mobility, not stability.

But don’t tell that to Ziver Usta, who’s been turning the köfte – something like Turkey’s equivalent of the hamburger – at the grill of the shoe-box-sized Meşhur Filibe Köftecisi in Sirkeci for the last 30 years. The dough-faced Ziver, in his early fifties, is actually the restaurant’s junior employee – “head waiter” Mehmet has been there for 40 years – but his long tenure means he’s only one of a select handful of grill masters who have worked at Filibe over the course of its 100-year history.

“Just like a shop goes from father to son, the grill goes from one master to another,” Ziver, dressed in a white apron and a small peaked cap that looks like it actually might have been salvaged from the kitchen of a 1950s American drive-in burger stand, says proudly. Does he get bored doing the same thing six days a week? Ziver seems surprised to hear the question. “Never,” he says. “I do it with love. I like serving folks.”

We definitely felt the love in Filibe’s outstanding köfte, juicy little buttons of meat that come off Ziver’s coal-fired grill with just the right amout of char. (Although the name Filibe refers to the Balkan town from which the restaurant’s owners hail, the cook told us it really means “juicy.”) The piyaz – white bean salad, served with shredded lettuce and carrot – that came on the side was impeccably fresh and, as always, provided just the right counterpoint to the little meatballs. The restaurant’s central location, not far from the Sirkeci train station and the bustling open-air “food court” on Hocapaşa Sokak, further adds to its appeal.

The century-old, two-item menu here is augmented by the presence of revani, an extremely homey dessert made out of a dense white cake that’s been soaked in a sugary syrup. “It’s good for your sex drive,” waiter Mehmet promised us with a sly nod, Ziver chuckling appreciatively, as if it was the first time he had heard that joke in the 30 years they’d been working together.

Great köfte, time-proven service and bawdy humor – who can get bored with that?

Address: Ankara Caddesi 112, Sirkeci

Telephone: +90 212 519 3976

Hours: 11am-5pm; closed Sunday

(photos by Yigal Schleifer)

via Traditional Köfte in Istanbul’s Sirkeci Area | Culinary Backstreets.

February 26, 2013
Istanbul’s Burger Battle Goes International

As chronicled by Istanbul Eats, the Tünel end of Istanbul’s famed İstiklal boulevard was some two years ago the site of a heated burger war. It all started when a former Turkish basketball-player-turned-restaurateur who had spent time studying in California opened up Mano Burger, a mostly successful recreation of the kind of burger joints the owner frequented in the United States.

Mano was only in business for a few months when a rival emerged a few doors down in the form of the more upscale Dükkan Burger, part of a mini-chain that was affiliated with what was at the time Istanbul’s trendiest butcher.

For a while the rivalry burned white hot, but then, suddenly, it flamed out. Mano, squeezed between a problematic landlord and Beyoğlu municipal inspectors unhappy about burger smoke wafting over Tünel Square, threw in the towel and closed down. Meanwhile, Dükkan’s business model of charging high prices while continually lowering the quality of the meat it served finally did it in. Tünel had suddenly turned from a sizzling burger battleground into a burger graveyard.

So imagine our surprise when we recently learned that not only is the Beyoğlu burger war back on, but it’s going international. Like many others, we were shocked and intrigued by a February 6 report that Shake Shack, the neo-retro burger chain started by New York restaurant guru Danny Meyer, would be opening up an Istanbul branch in – where else? – Tünel. We had barely digested this news when we noticed – only a few doors down from the future site of the new Shake Shack – a big sign on the outside of the vacant Dükkan building announcing the impending arrival of a new outpost of Fatburger, a California- based chain famed for its, well, fat burgers.

Things get more interesting still. Now occupying the space that once was home to Mano Burger is the latest outpost of Etiler Marmaris, a brash Turkish fast-food chain serving döner, tost (pressed sandwiches) and, yes, burgers, that has been expanding at such a rapid rate that we wouldn’t be surprised if its owners have international expansion plans of their own. It’s hard to imagine the ambitious folks behind Etiler Marmaris giving up too much ground to the carpetbaggers behind Shake Shack and Fatburger.

Many, of course, will celebrate the arrival of the international burger big boys in Istanbul. But this latest news put us in a bit of a wistful mood, thinking not only about what a boomtown Istanbul has become but also how much Tünel itself has changed and how much of the city’s old fabric is being lost in the process. At this point it’s almost hard to believe that up until only a few years ago the square was the quiet end of İstiklal Caddesi, like the sleepy town at the terminal end of a long railway. The spot where Fatburger is set to rise was once a bookstore. Shake Shack’s future location, in a historic corner building that most recently housed a branch of the extremely forgettable Gloria Jean’s Coffees chain, was prior to that the longtime home of the restaurant Dört Mevsim (Four Seasons), an eccentric little Beyoğlu institution.

Here’s how Hugh Pope, an author and longtime Beyoğlu resident whom we reached out to for some perspective, remembers the place:

“Four Seasons was an oasis of well-worn gentility, an esnaf restaurant for surviving Ottoman-era Levantines and pre-Boom European residents of Istanbul. It was memorable for its owner, a petite, reserved, old-fashioned British woman who had seemingly always lived in Istanbul. It had an intimate yet untouchable atmosphere, a high ceiling and an unusually European décor. The lady made an effort to do Christmas lunch specials for regulars at Christmas, but normally there was a three-course fixed menu at a very reasonable price that usually included (if memory serves) a slab of pale steak in gravy with mashed potatoes. You wouldn’t necessarily make an expedition to it but it was a wonderful Beyoğlu institution that I still miss, a kind of British cousin of the late lamented Rejans.”

Interestingly, perhaps the last surviving place with a link to the “old” Tünel is Fırat Büfe, a tiny, no-frills canteen that itself features a burger on the menu. Not any old burger, mind you, but the ıslak (or “wet) burger, an Istanbul hometown original. Istanbul Eats’ description of the budget-friendly ıslak burger remains definitive: “The burger is wet, having been doused by an oily, tomato-based sauce before incubating in a glass-lined burger hamam. There, it becomes even wetter, the once fluffy white bun rendered a greasy, finger-licking radioactive shade of orange, both chewy and slick on either side of the garlicky beef patty.”

Fırat Büfe happens to be right next door to where Fatburger will soon operating. We stopped by there the other day to take the pulse and found manager Ekrem Kar, 36, nonplussed about the culinary developments in Tünel and how they may affect Fırat’s brisk ıslak burger trade. “We won’t be affected by [the opening of] these places,” Kar said. “The ıslak hamburger is something different. We have our own clientele. These big places may open and attract a lot of people to the area. So we will sell more ıslak burgers, I suppose.”

We hope Mr. Kar is right. Needless to say, we’ll be watching this new high-powered burger battle with keen interest, hoping that Tünel’s soul – in the form of Fırat Büfe and its ıslak burger – doesn’t get lost in the crossfire.

(top photo by Ansel Mullins; bottom photo by Yigal Schleifer)

via Istanbul’s Burger Battle Goes International | Culinary Backstreets.

February 20, 2013
Solen Istanbul — a treat from Turkey

Spicy Turkish dishes including Lahmacun and Kofta Izgara delighted people. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

KARACHI: A Turkish man’s gastronomical obsession, a bit of dreaming and a great deal of destiny is what brought Turkish restaurant Solen Istanbul to Pakistan.

Restaurateur Mehmet Celal Ulutatar came to Karachi to set up a business venture, and realised during his stay how much potential the port city has. “I see a lot of potential in Karachi for Solen Istanbul. Destiny brought me here,” said Ulutatar at the opening of his restaurant at Dolmen City Mall in Clifton on Friday.

Solen Istanbul, which is a chain of restaurants, has five outlets in Turkey’s capital Istanbul. At the event, the excited Turkish Consul General Murat M Onart said that he had been hoping that a Turkish restaurant would open in the city. “It is sheer luck. Whatever I dream of becomes true. It was just a dream which has finally become a reality.”

Guests present at the event were treated to Turkish delicacies, including Lahmacun — a round, thin piece of dough flattened and topped with minced meat and chopped vegetables. The herbs included onions, tomatoes and parsley and the bread was baked to perfection. Turkish pizza, made by stuffing pita bread with spicy minced meat, red tomatoes and bell pepper was also served to guests who kept asking for more.

Chefs, Abdullah, Abdul Hakim and Omar Farooq were specially flown into Karachi to train the staff. The local crew was taught to cook Turkish cuisine including Kofta Izgara (grilled meatballs) and Sutlac (rice pudding).

Onart, who is very hopeful of the restaurant’s success said, “Pakistanis would love the splendours of Turkish cuisine — we are as obsessed with food as them!” Endorsing his statement, Ulutatar added, “I hope that people find the food extraordinary for their taste buds.” He also recommended that people try Iskender, a Turkish shawarma.

Among the locals present at the event to host the Turkish expats was Talha Nawabi, who said, “It is surely going to be a treat for those who enjoy Turkish cuisine.” Nawabi added that people are losing interest in fast food and that Solen Istanbul will become a hit because most of the meat is grilled.

For Pakistanis accustomed to spicy and chatpata food, Turkish cuisine may seem a little bland. Authentic Turkish food concentrates on retaining the flavour of the meat instead of adding spices, so Solen Istanbul’s fate really depends on whether or not desi foodies can live without their mirchi.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2013.

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via Solen Istanbul — a treat from Turkey – The Express Tribune.

February 20, 2013
Istanbul Culinary Walks

Turkish cuisine, like Turkey itself, channels cultural currents coming in from every direction, resulting in the delicious culinary chaos that is Istanbul. Turks, Greeks, Arabs, Persians and countless others have passed through here, leaving an indelible stamp on the cuisine. Historians speak of the “layered” nature of the city; we like to think of Istanbul as a stew.

Our culinary walks in Istanbul, done in partnership with the award-winning IstanbulEats.com, are designed to lead visitors on an eating binge through the city’s lesser-seen historic side streets and authentic markets, taking in countless hard-to-find culinary gems and, in between bites, a select number of untouristed monuments.

We are currently happy to offer four walks:

Cosmopolitan Beyoğlu
Until recently, Greek, Armenian and Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) were the languages spoken in most kitchens of Istanbul’s historic district of Beyoğlu. Though the old cosmopolitans who populated the belle époque apartment buildings of Istanbul’s “European Quarter” have largely been replaced by a vibrant blend of rural Anatolians and global bohemians, traces of these unique cultures remain, creating a very unique dining culture – at once rough and refined. With Beyoğlu’s cosmopolitan history as a backdrop, on this walk we eat our way through the well-known and unknown eateries of the neighborhood, the old and the new, tasting specialties from all over the country. Beginning with a fresh simit and tea and a crash course in Anatolian cheeses, we’ll have a bracing shot of pickle juice and maybe a chicken breast pudding for starters. Winding our way through the side streets, there will be Chechen pastries, sublime Turkish delight, fish markets, street vendors, a full lunch and finally, the best Turkish coffee in the city. Depending on the day and what the walk comes across, there will be several other culinary surprises along the way.

Culinary Secrets of the Old City
Our “Culinary Secrets of the Old City” walk takes you beyond the major monuments and into the backstreets where all of the serious eating is done. We set off through the atmospheric, lesser-explored market streets around the Egyptian Spice Market and deeper into the untouristed Fatih neighborhood. In Kantarcılar, a district that has been selling weights and measures since Ottoman times, we visit a local confectionary where Turkish delight has been made and sold for four generations. From there we visit an all-but-abandoned caravanserai, a couple of hidden historical sites, an old-school pudding shop, an Ottoman-era bozacı and, finally, a full lunch of traditional pit-roasted lamb in a very local, family-run place next to the Byzantine aqueduct (with lots of other edible treats along the way). These are the city’s quintessential culinary backstreets.

Two Markets, Two Continents
Our favorite Istanbul experiences include exploring the eateries of local markets and crossing the Bosphorus on the public ferry. The “Two Markets, Two Continents” route draws from our best-of list in the European side’s Karaköy neighborhood and the Asian side’s Kadıköy, tied together by a Bosphorus crossing. The historic Perşembe Pazarı of Karaköy, where this walks begins, might look like a place to buy springs, ship anchors, hardware and paint supplies, but we go there for breakfast at a lovely little esnaf lokantası run by husband-and-wife team, followed by a stroll through the atmospheric mariner market streets, where we stop into an Ottoman-era caravanserai for tea. Then we hop the boat to Kadıköy on the Asian side and eat our way through that neighborhood’s market, sampling regional specialties such as Mersin’s tantuni, Gaziantep’s lahmacun and the ıslama köfte of Adapazarı. We continue on toward the lesser-explored culinary hotspot of Moda, where we will taste life-changing traditional desserts from Turkey’s Southeast and Black Sea regions and, to round things out, visit a neighborhood institution for authentic Turkish ice cream.

The Kebab Krawl
It’s nighttime in Istanbul’s “Little Urfa.” Follow the wail of the Kurdish Frank Sinatra, İbrahim Tatlıses, blasting from a souped-up vintage Fiat. Puzzle over handwritten Arabic signs in the barbershop windows. Sample the essence of Southeast Turkey in the spice shops selling the region’s fiery peppers. And, most of all, marinate in the fragrant smoke that comes from the countless grill houses that line this neighborhood’s streets. These are among the sights, sounds, smells and – most importantly – tastes that are part of an unforgettable guided group dinner in the culinary backstreets of Little Urfa. Led by members of the Istanbul Eats team, the Kebab Krawl is a carefully curated nighttime feast of traditional Southeastern Turkish cuisine that changes locations with every course, allowing you to take in the best of this atmospheric out-of-the-way ’hood. The Krawl will begin with the gumbo-like masterpiece soup, beyran çorbası, and then detour for skewered liver from a fourth-generation Urfa griller. There will be a stop at a bakery for artisanal lahmacun straight out of the oven and then we’ll belly up to the kebab bar of Veysel Usta, for his exceptionally delicious handmade kebabs, served up with sharp wit. We will not relent until the group has made one more stop, for the neighborhood’s best künefe, a funky pastry of fresh cheese and crispy shredded wheat spiked with Anteppistachios. As it rolls along, the Kebab Krawl will also make stops at other local food and spice shops for a further taste of local flavor. Less a tour than an organized movable feast for the hungry and intrepid, the Kebab Krawl may not replace a bus ticket to Urfa, but it is the next best thing.

All four walks are designed for small groups and usually last half a day (except for the Kebab Krawl, which takes place at night and lasts several hours). Please contact us at istanbulwalks@culinarybackstreets.com for more details and rates.

Our Istanbul Walks in the Press:

The Washington Post
Serious Eats
The Atlantic
PRI’s The World
Dinner Party Downloads

Below are some comments that we’ve received from visitors to Istanbul who have taken our walks:

“Our Istanbul Eats culinary walk was one of the highlights of our trip to Istanbul. We enjoyed every second of it. Angelis, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable and a perfect host. Not only did he introduce us to some unique food and interesting little restaurants, he also took us to a few historical sites that were off the beaten path. The only problem with our walk was I wish our appetites were larger so we could have had more! It was definitely a perfect combination of one-of-a-kind food in a one-of-a-kind setting and we would recommend it to anyone who is visiting Istanbul and wants a better understanding of the food and to visit some non-touristy places.”

Mindy and Brock
Toronto, Canada

“The Istanbul Eats walk was definitely one of the highlights on our recent trip to Turkey. We spent almost five hours exploring the places where locals shop and eat. Having never been to Istanbul, we would have gone to the usual touristy spots, and probably eaten well, but never have found the tasty delights that the walk introduced us to. But it wasn’t just about the food. We saw parts of the city that we might never have seen… back streets and old buildings, traditional shops and family businesses that have been producing amazing foods generation after generation, the kind of places that are disappearing all too fast as the city modernizes.”

Liz and Teymoor, Qatar

“The Istanbul Eats walking tour was a great, non-touristy experience — like going out with a local friend who knew all the off-the-beaten-path great authentic markets, shops and eateries we would never have found on our own. To cap it off, we were given restaurant suggestions that were spot on, which made the rest of our week a pleasure. What a way to sample the fabulous foods of Istanbul!”

Ken Kopelman, NYC

“If you want an authentic taste of the Old City area surrounding the Spice Market, put away your guidebooks and go on an insider’s tour that takes you through the ‘rarely seen’ secret places and sites on the culinary walk provided by Istanbul Eats. You will be welcomed into generations-old tea rooms, food merchants’ kitchens and shops, working peoples’ restaurants, hidden mosques and the most intriguing landmarks and curious sights that you won’t find on those tours where the guide rallies a mob of people around an upheld umbrella. At the end of this tour your stomach is full and your expectations have been fulfilled. Walk. Eat. Marvel!”

Lew Sherwood, USA

“El tour es espectacular, me llevaron a lugares que son muy dificiles de encontrar por tu cuenta. Terminamos comiendo sandia, queso y pan ( ¡! ) con unos parroquianos en un cafe inencontrable. La gente es muy amable en Turquia. Recomiendo hacer la caminata los primeros dias al llegar a Estambul, asi despues puede uno moverse con mas soltura dentro del alucinante mundo gastronomico que tiene Estambul. No dejen de probar el Kokorec, una especie de choto Uruguayo superdimensionado.”

Estanislao, Spain

February 14, 2013
Izmir: Losing Oneself In The Maze Of Kemeraltı

Izmir: Losing Oneself In The Maze Of Kemeraltı

We’ve made this comparison before, but for us, when it comes to size and personality, Izmir is to Istanbul what Manchester is to London in the UK. Izmir is completely different to Istanbul but it’s impossible not to make such a comparison.

Both cities link their opposite shores by ferries (and Izmir uses the iconic Istanbul ferries to cross it’s choppy waters). Both cities have a pedestrianised shopping street – Istiklal Caddesi in Istanbul and Kıbrıs Şehitleri Caddesi in Izmir – with lively bars and eateries fanning off to each side. Both cities have a covered bazaar (but that’s for another post) and, around these covered bazaars, both cities have a maze of crowded streets selling all manner of goods…

Welcome to Kemeraltı

Everything in Izmir is on a smaller, more accessible, less overwhelming scale than Istanbul, and Kemeraltı isn’t huge…but we still managed to get completely lost in the area.

Kemeraltı, Izmir

Most of the streets are covered so navigation is difficult

The streets around Kızlarağası Hanı, Izmir’s answer to Istanbul’s covered bazaar, are not much different to those around the grand bazaar. They’re not picturesque but they’re packed with bargains, a whole array of haberdashery, clothes, footwear, jewellery and foods.

Shopping In Kemeraltı, Izmir

Kemeraltı is packed with nuts, grains and pulses for sale

Kemeraltı does a great job of holding your interest and it’s well worth a morning of your time. We went there twice while we were staying in Izmir, and here’s a tip for you: If you want to wander around without jostling for space with a hefty-sized portion of Izmir’s population, go to Kemeraltı in the morning and don’t go on a Saturday.

That’s why we went twice! Our first attempt was on a breezy, sunny Saturday afternoon and we were there to look for Kızlarağası Hanı. Crowds in ancient, narrow streets packed with noisy street traders are not a good recipe for trying to get elsewhere with purpose, especially when you don’t know where you’re going! We decided to call it a day and return another time.

Simitçi, Kemeraltı, Izmir

Just wander

No, as a new visitor to Izmir, you should just surrender to Kemeraltı; wander aimlessly, get hopelessly lost, browse the stalls and breathe in the atmosphere – Kemeraltı is a different world compared to the streets of Alsancak. While Alsancak makes sure it is the epitome of modern, secular Turkey, Kemeraltı is where you come to view the evidence of Anatolia’s centuries old trading traditions and it’s where you come to try Izmir’s famous fincanda pişen Türk kahvesi (turkish coffee boiled in the cup) – you’ll stumble across one of these places all in good time. Remember, don’t come to Kemeraltı with a mission.

Seafood, Kemeraltı, Izmir

Seafood for sale, to take home or eat in Kemeraltı

Kemeraltı also has its own little fish market area. The family running this particular stall also had a small seafood lokanta just opposite selling cheap seafood meals. This was one of the places we promised ourselves we’d come back to try – but amongst the söğüş and Çeşme kumrusu, we really did run out of days. We never went hungry in Izmir…and we now have an excuse to go back to try out the places we missed first time round.

Fruit For Juicing, Kemeraltı, Izmir

A fruit pit stop for the thirsty explorer

And aimless wandering can be thirsty work – even after you’ve stopped for the famous Turkish coffee – but Kemeraltı is perfectly adept at keeping you fed and watered. How’s this for a pit stop? There’s a row of three or four of these little stands and they’re rammed with vibrant fruit displays. The fruits are just waiting to be juiced to quench your thirst.

No seating here. Elma suyu (apple juice), nar suyu (pomegranate juice), portakal suyu (orange juice), kavun, ananas, şeftali, havuç (watermelon, pineapple, peach, carrot) are all freshly squeezed for the passer-by. And yes, you can mix the fruits, too.

Join the fast-moving queue, shout to the juice guy which you want and he makes it there and then. A small glass of orange juice is passed over, 50 kuruş (yes, budget traveller, you read that right, 50 kuruş) is paid, you knock back the juice, pass your glass back and move on, your thirst quenched. Now you’re ready to go and find Kızlarağası Hanı…but we’ll tell you about a much easier way to find it, taking in another side of Kemeraltı in the process, in another post…

via Izmir: Losing Oneself In The Maze Of Kemeraltı | Turkey’s For Life….

February 14, 2013
Knives Out: Turkey’s and Armenia’s War Over Food

In the Caucasus, culinary nationalism is an extension of the region’s long-simmering disputes.

A demonstrator sets fire to a Turkish flag as he attends a torch-bearing march marking the anniversary of the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Empire, in Yerevan on April 23, 2010. (Reuters)

There is perhaps nothing more closely bound up with one’s national identity than food. Specific local dishes are often seen as the embodiment of various cultures and many nations promote their food as a celebration of national identity. Sometimes, however, a country’s cuisine can also be used to highlight national rivalries.

Czechs, for example, sometimes affectionately (some would say condescendingly) refer to their Slovak cousins as “Halusky” after the typical gnocchi dish that comprises part of their national cuisine. Similarly, the English often disparagingly call their French neighbors “Frogs” because of the Gallic penchant for eating the legs of said amphibians.

Culinary flashpoints can also arise when neighboring nations all lay claim to the same regional dish. For instance, the Scots, English, and the Irish often bicker about whose fried breakfast is the original and the best of the species.

In the volatile Caucasus region, though, it seems that such food fights have now been taken to a whole new level. As Eurasianet.org reports, many Armenians are up in arms about a recent UNESCO decision to add the Anatolian stew “Keshkek” to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List on behalf of Turkey. They claim that “Keshkek” is actually an Armenian meal, which they call “Harissa.”

Now a group of ethnographers from Turkey’s eastern neighbor are actually compiling information on the dish to appeal the ruling by the UN’s cultural agency.

According to the News.am website, Sedrak Mamulyan, the chairman of the “Development and Preservation of Armenian Culinary Traditions” organization, is intent on demonstrating that “the utensils, methods, and ingredients used for making…Harissa have a pure Armenian origin and it is a purely Armenian dish.” The same organization has also attacked Georgia for commandeering “Khash.” It insists that this tasty beef soup is in fact an Armenian national dish.

Armenia, meanwhile, has itself come under fire from Azerbaijan, which has accused its neighbor and regional nemesis of “cuisine plagiarism.” Baku’s National Security Ministry has even set up a National Cuisine Center to reinforce its claim to the nation’s cuisine and, in particular, to help counter any Armenian efforts to appropriate what it feels are Azerbaijani dishes.

The “Tolma” dish, which consists of meatballs wrapped in grape leaves, seems to be a particular bone of contention between the two countries, especially since Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev publicly announced last year that it was an Azeri national dish.

This provoked a furious response in Armenia and various initiatives have been launched to help save the country’s national dishes from “occupants.” This even includes holding an annual Tolma Festival to reinforce the idea that it is a typically Armenian food.

Whatever the upshot of these culinary claims and counterclaims, it sadly doesn’t seem like these regional rivals will be sitting down to break bread with each other anytime soon.

This post appears courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

via Knives Out: Turkey’s and Armenia’s War Over Food – Coilin O’Connor – The Atlantic.

January 21, 2013