Istanbul has amazing food. It’s so good that in fact, that I would think about a trip back solely based on exploring the food of the city. Even if you are a picky eater, with Mediterranean and Middle Easter street flair, you’re bound to find something you will fall in love with.
From the street vendors to the small cafes throughout the city, you’ll stumbling upon fresh, tasty, and taste bud enchanting foods. Is it safe to eat food from street vendors? Most likely yes. I can’t guarantee anything, but based on personal experience and the “eat what the locals eat” mentality, you should be fine eating food from street vendors, but always use your best judgement. Does vendor’s space look sanitary? Is the vendor handling the food properly? Are the locals eating from there? If yes to all three, you should be perfectly fine. Here is a run down on some of my 5 favorite must-have street foods whenever I’m in Turkey
1.Yengen
Who doesn’t like a good grilled cheese sandwich? A Yengen is pretty much a grilled cheese sandwich except it’s made with unprocessed goat cheese and a thinly cut spicy sausage called soujukh.
2. Simit
Simit, the lifesaver of Turkish baked goods. It’s a warm crispy bread covered in sesame seeds that almost looks like a giant pretzel or a “life saver”. One bite and you will be looking for this Turkish version of the bagel every morning. The outer layer of the simit is crispy, but the inside is chewy making it a perfect breakfast food. Spread jam, Nutella or a cream cheese and you have yourself a cheap, filling Turkish style breakfast.
3. Doner Sandwich
This sandwich has become more and more famous around the world. It’s relatively the same thing as a Gyro, but with a different type of bread. A doner is thinly sliced beef, lamb or chicken that is slow cooked while rotating on a rod similar to a rotisserie. A doner sandwich typically comes with lettuce, tomato and different sauces. It’s a simple sandwich that is both filling and cheap. Look for it anywhere in Istanbul.
4. Kumpir
I’m not going to lie, I love my carbs. Even better is when I get them in the form of a giant baked potato piled high with toppings. A Kumpir is a hot baked potato that is stuffed with basically any topping you desire, from ketchup to mayonnaise, cheese, olives, pickles, hot peppers, corn, peas and anything else that the vendor has. They’re big enough to share, but like I said, I love my carbs and if you love baked potatoes as much as I do, then you can have a whole Kumpir for lunch.
5. Midye (mussel) Sandwhich
My favorite is the midye Sandwich (mussel sandwich). The midye sandwich ranks high because I love seafood. I grew up eating seafood and it’s something that feels very homey to me. I’m not used to fried seafood, but the mussels are battered with flour and deep-fried making the mussels crunchy and chewy at the same time. The mussels are placed on a hoagie and slathered with a thick garlic sauce. One bite and you will fall in love.
AFIYET OLSUN!
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