Turkey

• Istanbul

  Istanbul (née Constantinople, née Byzantium) has traveled a long path in life, and changed hands many times over many centuries—the Romans, Byzantines, the Ottomans—to become what it is today: the cultural, historic nerve center of modern Turkey, and a great European culture capital beyond that. Surely you’ve heard writers and travelers and passers-through wax poetic about this city’s cosmopolitanism and beauty, its soaring minarets and sweeping Bosphorus views at the crossroad of two continents; the grand Ottoman palaces and charming fish shacks, the covered, crowded bazaars scented by a rainbow of spices. None of the heaps of praise is exaggerated. Istanbul is one fascinating, seductive, delicious city.

  Given its epic history, you could spend years studying and sampling the gastronomy of Istanbul, especially considering you can find regional dishes from across Turkey within its confines. Most visitors don’t, of course, have that luxury of time, so here we’ve focused on a good handful of foods and drinks most quintessential to Istanbul—the greatest hits, you might say, from history and popular culture, from ancient boza (a fermented bulgur drink) and everyday döner to street simits and late-night kokoreҫ. Here is your guide to the dizzying array of dishes known as Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı) and, later in the day, meze; here you’ll find the cultural significance of Turks’ favorite beverages—ҫay, ayran, rakı—explained. Eat and drink these things and you’ll savor the city’s essentials, meet its food producers/vendors, and wander through its myriad neighborhoods. In a word, you’ll really experience Istanbul…in the best-tasting way possible.

  Istanbul (née Constantinople, née Byzantium) has traveled a long path in life, and changed hands many times over many centuries—the Romans, Byzantines, the Ottomans—to become what it is today: the cultural, historic nerve center of modern Turkey, and a great European culture capital beyond that. Surely you’ve heard writers and travelers and passers-through wax poetic about this…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Istanbul.

  Cay, tea

  Raki

  Döner kebap

  Hünkar beğendi

  Kokoreç
  

  Sinop

  Jutting out into the Black Sea on Turkey’s north coast, pretty Sinop is a water-lover’s retreat with its expansive sea views and picturesque harbor, bobbing with boats. It’s a gem along this stretch of coast, its idyllic setting boasting a small-town yet cosmopolitan feel and, beyond that, a whole lot of living history: Walk the crumbling city walls, dating to around 72 BC, for some of the best views in town; poke around the active harbor for a taste of what the city’s trading-port past might’ve been like, millennia ago. But there’s another reason to make the trip up here: the food. Fishmongers abound, and their freshly caught wares spill out onto the streets, beef up restaurant menus, and, if you’re around during the winter hamsi (Black Sea anchovy) season, attract a cultlike following from here to Istanbul. In this quickie snapshot, we focus not only on the local fish but also on more landlubber-friendly culinary traditions, which—pleasingly enough—are characterized by a fondness for regional walnuts and a certain butter-rich decadence. Here’s how to dig in.

  Jutting out into the Black Sea on Turkey’s north coast, pretty Sinop is a water-lover’s retreat with its expansive sea views and picturesque harbor, bobbing with boats. It’s a gem along this stretch of coast, its idyllic setting boasting a small-town yet cosmopolitan feel and, beyond that, a whole lot of living history: Walk the crumbling city walls, dating to around 72 BC, for some of the best…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Sinop.

  Nokul

  Islama

  Katlama

  Cevizli, karişik mantı

  Local fish, hamsi

• User Content

Below is user-submitted content for this region. Have something to contribute? Upload your regional-food photo or food memory.

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  Cheese booze

  Istanbul
  yemek
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  Kazandibi

  wadugeca
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  Turkish village breakfast

  wadugeca
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  Roasted chestnuts

  vanessa

• • Modern Turkish fine dining

    wadugeca
    Yeni Lokanta, Istanbul
    After a few days of traipsing around the city with children in tow, we sat down for a civilized, adults-only dinner at Yeni Lokanta. With the children safely tucked up in bed with their babysitter,…    Read more

  • zehra
    
    Turkish cuisine is one of the cultural heritage of Turks who have played an imporrant role in the beginning and decelopment of the history of world civilization. Turkish cuisinw which has affect ma…    Read more

• Blog Posts

• Istanbul Food & Travel Guide: Now on Kindle!

  Lokum, or Turkish delight, from Istanbul Our Istanbul Food & Travel Guide is here! It’s our eighth destination guide on Kindle ($5.99; available on Amazon.com), but it’s extra special because it’s an Amazon…   Read more

• Dish Spotlight: Boza in Istanbul, Turkey

  I’m a sucker for wintery drinks. Not just of the hot chocolate variety—that’s a given—but also thick, filling, savory drinks, like eggnog, Mexican atole, and this stuff, boza, in Turkey. A traditional fermented drink…   Read more

• Video: The Making of Manti, in Sinop, Turkey

  Mantı. We tried the beloved Turkish ravioli, filled with ground lamb or beef, three different ways in our travels around the country. In Kayseri, in Central Anatolia, whose version of the dish is most famous, the boiled dumplings are tiny and set…   Read more

• What to Eat in Sinop, Turkey’s Black Sea Coast

  The perfect hotel view, in Sinop Jutting out into the Black Sea on Turkey’s north coast, pretty Sinop is a water-lover’s retreat with its expansive sea views and picturesque harbor, bobbing with boats. It’s a gem along this…   Read more

• A Walk Through Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar

  Diving into the crowded Spice Bazaar in Istanbul (with some gratuitous product placement, natch). It’s true we’re biased toward food markets, but Istanbul's Grand Bazaar—with its expensive gold jewelry, leather jackets,…   Read more

• In Search of Hazelnuts on the Black Sea

  “Merhaba. Findik?” I made the motion of eating something. After one week of travel in Turkey, my Turkish had not improved a whole lot. Three of the men at the roadside table looked blankly at me, but one caught my drift. He said…   Read more

• In Istanbul: A Brief Tribute to the Iskender Kebab

  Thin-sliced beef. Tomato sauce. Melted butter. Such is the holy trinity of the Iskender kebab, a.k.a. the döner kebab on crack—and one of the best things we’ve eaten thus far in Istanbul. Of course I’m exaggerating (not…   Read more