A gastronomic guide for those who love delicious and cheap food but don’t know where to start in Istanbul. You can use it as a guide to food in any city in Turkey, because the food there is equally great if you know what to look for.

A moment of useful information: Istanbul was founded in the 667th century BC, originally called Byzantium, then Constantinople (New Rome), then it was part of the Ottoman Empire – in general, history has badly shaken the city.

Istanbul is divided into two parts, Asian and European, with the Bosphorus between them.
Subjective note: the Asian part is now dominated by hipsters and partying, and in Europe – the “European” way of life, relatively slow and quiet, except for the main street Istiklal.

The great thing about Turkish food, perhaps, is that it is not a tourist attraction. Everything you see in this article, and then on the streets of Istanbul, is actually eaten at home by Turkish people.

Breakfasts

They can be divided into two kinds: rank and file and “on the run.”

The traditional breakfast of the “sit at the table for at least two hours”. These breakfasts are held with the family, most often on weekends. It is a table full of small bowls with all sorts of things. Usually they contain various seasonal vegetables, several kinds of cheeses and sausages, lots of fresh bread, two or more kinds of olives, hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs, herbs, lots of jam – from typical cherry jam to strange a la “pepper jam” – honey, sesame tahina paste mixed with raisin jam. Plus, of course, tea, which is indispensable.

These dishes are easy to find in any café, and sometimes you can choose all the ingredients yourself.

Now for those in a hurry. Börek – börek/burekas/burek – is a common quick breakfast in Turkey. In short, it is a puff pastry pie, sweet or not. Sweet ones are usually sprinkled with powdered sugar, unsweetened ones have variations with cheese, meat, or cottage cheese. The taste is similar to khachapuri.

The sweet version is the most popular breakfast among the locals. You can find borek on every corner, but mostly in the morning hours.

Another breakfast option is menemen. It is an omelet stewed with vegetables. It cooks for a long time, on a low heat, usually spicy, because it has fresh peppers. You should eat it with bread, not with cutlery.

Lunch

The most traditional version of lunch is Mercimek çorbası (lentil soup). We call it lentil soup. It doesn’t sound like much, but the Turks squeeze a slice of lemon into the soup and it’s divinely delicious. Get ready, you’ll get a merciless amount of fresh bread for the soup.

The best soups are usually made in soup kitchens – places with “Lokantasi” in the name.

The next lunch dish is Balık ekmek, or shawarma with fish. As standard, it is a bun with freshly caught fish + lettuce leaves + onions. Turks wash it down with cucumber-beet brine. You can find it in the insanely atmospheric Eminenyu neighborhood just under the Galata Bridge.

Dinner

The traditional street version is boiled rice with chickpeas and chicken, Nohutlu pilav. You can find it on every corner, and I advise you to wash it down with ayran.

Lahmacun is the Turkish version of pizza. Thin dough with minced meat and tomato sauce. It comes with vegetables and a slice of lemon. You have to wrap the vegetables yourself and sprinkle it all with lemon juice.

Desserts

You already know about rahat-lukum and baklava. I can only advise you not to buy them at tourist markets, but to choose any old branded store near Istiklal Street. Get rahat-lukum with rose or walnuts – it will be delicious and unusual.

One of the best establishments (but also quite expensive) is considered “Hafiz Mustafa”. All the variety of sweets, as well as addresses, can be found on their website.

And now for the less poppy sweets. For example, you can find Sütlaç (rice pudding) literally everywhere, because it is one of the most favorite delicacies of Turks. It is served in an earthen dish. It’s a pudding with whole rice particles that tastes like a milky rice porridge with condensed milk. Sometimes served with nuts.

Not really about dessert, but I highly recommend buying simit, a pretzel with sesame seeds, at least once. The most atmospheric thing would be to eat it with tea on the ferry, taking a typical picture.