Hoşçakal, Turkey: Thoughts on my time split between Europe and Asia

Another country complete, and now I head firmly for Central Europe. But first, a couple of thoughts on my three-ish weeks in Turkey.

A food culture focused on local, fresh, and simple: The food, at its best, was very fresh and often composed of only a handful of ingredients. One of my favorite meals was the plate of kofte meatballs paired with grilled tomatoes and peppers on top of the hill on Buyukada. Indeed, the fancier that Turkish cuisine tried to get, the more it struggled to retain great flavor. The virtue of this approach is that great meals could be had nearly everywhere and there was no need to pay a premium for preparation, only for freshness.

A unique place seriously straddling two very different parts of the world: I come away fascinated by the one of a kind history and current situation Turkey plays in the world. In the past, it was the meeting place of people from all over, the center of a very tolerant Ottoman Empire that didn't know much nationalism. Now, it finds itself between Europe and the Middle East, and the tensions are apparent. It seemed to me to be at its best when it took the best parts of each of these traditions and made it into something specifically Turkish.

A great chance to travel with family: It was excellent that, in the middle of my trip, I had the opportunity to meet up with all of my immediate family. There were great group experiences and lots of fun one on one moments. And, of course, more time with my giggly niece!

And, with that, the Turkey chapter of this trip is complete. To Berlin!

One last meal in Istanbul, by the sea

And so it was that we were back in Istanbul, one final night before we re-dispersed to the winds. As we would all be heading to the airport the next day, we stayed not too far away, in the seaside community of Yesilkoy. It was a superb choice, much better than next-to-the-airport hotels. It gave us the chance to go for one last walk and choose our dinner from amongst the restaurants on nearby.

The area was buzzing, and we had a hard time getting a read on any of the places. At last, we saw a place that looked a bit busier and a bit better than all the rest. Jenika and I had a quick chat with the host, and he assured us we would be delighted with the meal, that it would be inexpensive, or else it would be on him. We sat down.

Then we got back up. Jenika and I had to pick out the meze from the display case.

One selection was eggplant salad with red peppers. This was quite tasty, as the big chunks of eggplant had been cooked long enough to get all the way to delicious.

Number two was a big plate of fava bean paste. Though we desperately wanted some more hummus, none was to be had. So we went for the hummus backup, a pleasing plate of mashed favas.

Third was a wildcard, marinated octopus salad with pickles and green olives. We had to go for it after seeing the odd combination of ingredients. It turned out to be very good. The long pieces of octopus managed to taste a little bit like tuna. The green olive that would pop up every now and then was a scrumptious change of pace.

The final meze was yogurt with some kind of vegetable. I didn't catch the name, but this was a pretty good plate of yogurt.

Then came the salad course, fulfilled by the ever-present shepherd's salad. A good rendition with excellent knife skills on display.

Seafood was up next. First some fried calamari, a nicely done version with freshly fried calamari still meaty and not too bready.

More seafood would follow. A dramatic dish of a fish stew wrapped in foil, opened at the table, brought sea bass with tomatoes and herbs to our plates. This was excellent, with the fish having pulled in some of the steam from the cooking. All the pieces left the foil and went to our bellies quickly.

While we were eating, a gentleman was walking around peddling nut plates. On seeing many other tables with them, we got one ourselves, a plate of walnuts and almonds on ice. The nuts were a refreshing and fresh contrast to the prepared food we had during the meal, as well as a nice meal cap.

As the meal was winding down, the table next to us began to celebrate a birthday. Out came the cake, a quick little song, and the birthday was celebrated. Then, surprisingly and nicely, the table, composed of young men in their twenties, offered Sahana a slice of cake. She was initially shy but then saw the cake and took it with relish. This capped off two weeks for her where her cheeks were continually pinched without warning by strange people, all done in good humor.

It was a great last meal to end a great time in Turkey.

Do you hamam? Yes, yes I do.

After my experience with public baths in Japan, I was very excited to try the Turkish variation. Turns out I would have two opportunities.

The first was in Istanbul, as run-up to the wedding festivities. Our group of 30 segregated by gender and the ten of so of us guys headed in. It was a gorgeous place and really old to boot. The lobby / locker room had three floors of windowed rooms where you change and leave your valuables. These were outfitted with lovely stained glass windows. There, we put on the hamam attire, which is nothing more than a thin piece of fabric wrapped around the waist.

Upon entering, the first stop is the very hot and very humid sauna. Nothing beats a good sweat! After 20 or so minutes of that, it turns a little more free form. This bath had one main marble platform and then about 15 marble basins with spigots. Water of a temperature of your choosing (mine was pretty cold) comes out, and you can hydrate your skin with it. We just sort of milled about for a little while.

Step three was the truly Turkish part. Here, a rather large man escorts you to a small marble stall to be washed. Sitting on the ground, he dumped buckets, alternatively, of incredibly hot and freezing water on me, then proceeded to soap me up and loofa me down. The loofa was like a mitt made out of sandpaper. It is supposed to have redeeming qualities. Then he passed me off to another guy who is the massage king. There, lying on a marble slab, he proceeded to use his knuckles to try to get my flesh to separate. It was more of the deep tissue type massage than a leisurely stroll in the park.

After that, a quick rinse and we were done. Upon exit, we were toweled down professionally and then served copious amounts of tea and Turkish delight. Quite an experience!

Then, in Urgup in Cappodocia, my dad and I decided to do it again, as a parting gift from Turkey to us.

This hamam looked very similar. It was also similarly deserted until we arrived, and we had our run of the place. The inside of the bath was outfitted with a large octagonal marble slab for resting, and this sauna was made out of wood. After a while to sweat out the toxins, we underwent the scrub and massage treatment. One of us would be scrubbed and soaped while the other got the massage, and then we switched. The guy with the loofa really did his job, so much so that I lost a fair bit of skin and had to recuperate a little while the next day. But, still, it was a great experience.

Bevy of beards, part two

More Turkish beards!

Beard, Ottoman-style, at the Topkapi Palace balcony in Istanbul, June 20, 2010.

Beard enjoying a lovely waterfall, June 25, 2010.

Beard taking in the ocean from a castle on an island, June 26, 2010.

Beard soaring 4,000 feet above ground, July 1, 2010.

A lovely long boat ride on the river

The first event of four for the wedding was a nighttime ride on the Bosphorus. Though the weather tried to conspire to put a damper on the fun, we wouldn't let that happen. Some great guests, some good food, free-flowing raki, and excellent tunes ensured the boat was rockin' for the four hours we were on the water. Plus, I think we went all the way up to the Black Sea and back (or that direction, at least). Istanbul is a great town at night.

Thanks, Murat and Jen, for a fabulous party!

A mid afternoon meat snack

On our way to the first event of the wedding, a lovely boat ride on the Bosphorus, we had just finished watching the USA pull out a miracle goal against Algeria in some nameless pub. All of a sudden, the skies opened and the streets were filled with water. We ducked into Ali Baba Koftecisi for a respite.

While there, we had to sample the kofte! The meatballs were well seasoned, juicy and paired great with the fresh veggies and the bread that came along with it. Excellent, very simple and very very good.

Hat tip to Jen for the recommendation on the place!

Last Istanbul breakfast

One more morning in Istanbul meant one more chance for a Turkish breakfast. To expand our horizons a bit, we headed to Galata Kiva, a cool looking place with views of the Galata Tower. We kept it simple, ordering a Turkish breakfast with a side of eggs.

To drink, I had a pistachio espresso. Man, was this good. The pistachio brought a nice nuttiness and also a sweetness to the espresso, not further sugar required. I would love to have more of these in the future.

Part of the breakfast was a cheese omelette. It tasted like a cheese omelette.

Next was a plate of olives, spreads, and cheeses. The olives were great, if nothing new. The various cheeses were nice, too, especially the stringy cheese. There was one spread, in the upper left, that we could not discern, until we learned form the waiter that is was a pomegranate molasses. Yum.

Along came a hard-boiled egg and some tasty simit. I hope there are some simit sellers in the States.

We also got Galata Kiva's version of tomato and egg menemen. This was a bit too mushy and the flavors seem to blend badly rather than accent one another.

All in all, a bit too much effort focused on presentation and too little on taste and flavor. Though the pistachio espresso should spread far and wide!

The Turkish take on an Italian staple

For a early dinner, we tracked down a must-try specialty of Turkish cuisine: manti, or Turkish ravioli. The purveyor of this fine dish was Hala Manti, right smack dab on the middle of Istiklal Caddesi.

First was a wave of soups as starters.

My specific soup was vegetable minestrone, the special of the day. Totally fine as a soup and a warm start to the meal. Not more memorable than that, however.

Others tried a cucumber soup and a lentil soup. Both were similarly good but not great. The lentil soup would become a staple of meals, however, as Sahana would often go for it.

For non-liquid starters, we had a selection of two gozleme. One with yellow cheese and one with meat. We could see the woman making these at the front of the restaurant. They were also good but not great, as it turned out. A bit too greasy, and something about the bread to filling ratio was off. Also, I think I prefer my gozleme folded, though I'm not sure exactly why that would change the taste.

There was one more dish before the: dolmas. These were the traditional grape leaves stuffed with rice, served with a side of yogurt. They were very tasty, as there was enough but not too much brine or vinegar on the leaves to bring out some flavor from the rice. I also learned that dolma means "stuffed" in Turkish, and they stuff a whole bunch of other veggies as well.

And then it was time for the star: spinach manti. These were very small ravioli, and green from the spinach. They were a bit hard as they were al dente, but as soon as I released my expectations of what ravioli should be, they were pretty good. I was a fan of the sauce, a mixture of yogurt, garlic, and hot sauce.

To pair with the spinach version we also got a batch of regular manti. These were surprisingly very different. Large, dumpling-like ravioli that were much mushier than the spinach variety. I had to change my expectations once again, but, that done, enjoyed these as well. And, I can't say enough good things about the sauce. Yogurt! Garlic! Spice! What is not to like about that, I don't know.

Because we had a big crew, our final dish was a lamb stew with peppers. This was alright enough. The meat was a bit gamey but the herbs as seasonings were a nice touch.

So it turns out that when one is going to a place called Hala Manti, it is best to focus on the manti, getting other dishes only in so far as you need to fill your stomach.

Old stuff that will knock your socks off

Time is winding down in Istanbul, so we needed to make sure to get to a handful of "must-see" sites. A whirlwind approach one morning gave us just the chance.

First up was the basilica cistern. It is amazing to see what was done in the past to get fresh water. It was built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinianus. This cistern basically defines the word enormous. It is 70m by 140m, covering an area of 9800 square meters. It contains within 336 columns that support the ceiling. The columns were mostly reused from other places, so the design is different on some of them and there are peculiarities like the two that rest on Medusa heads in one of the corners.

Magnificent. And damp.

Next was the Hagia Sophia (or Ayasofia, depending on who you ask). First a magnificent cathedral, then converted into a splendid mosque, it is now a museum. It largely impressed based on its size - the dome inside was one of the biggest I've ever seen.

Also neat was to see how the conversion was done. One of the biggest changes to make it into a mosque was the hanging of very large circular medallions that had variations of the name Mohammed in Arabic. A very conspicuous addition.

Finally, some of the tile work contained within was excellent. More of the blue and white motif present throughout Ottoman structures.

Finally, we headed for the Blue Mosque. Alas, we only got as far as the front gate. Our timing coincided with that of a prayer session, so we weren't able to go inside. It did look impressive from the exterior, however.

A quick borek bite

While Turkish breakfasts are unbelievably awesome, they do take some time to eat. I mean, there are at least five different plates of food to go through. So, Wednesday morning, when we didn't have the time, we went to the local borekci and got a sampling of breakfast pastries, some savory.

There were so many to choose from! Anshul did a great job of getting us a sampling, which we unfortunately devoured before I could get some pics. But I do remember some excellent, lovely simit. There were also at least three kinds of borek, a filled puff pastry. Of these, the meat was superb. That was the one that was hardest to share with everyone because the flavors just worked so well together. The others were also good but the meat sang.

Attack of the street food!

It was late-ish and we were hungry, so we ventured down the street. There, a stand that sells late-night food!

As an appetizer, I had a Turkish hamburger. More of a sloppy joe with the bun also sloppy, this was quite tasty though probably not that healthy. The bun was yummy with all of that sauce. It would be even better with a little bit of Tabasco...

As my main, I had a pide doner sandwich. The pide meant it came in a pita-like wrap and the doner meant it was sliced meat off the spinning grill. It was just ok, alas. The meat was really, really dry and the pide and veggies were all a bit bland too. Can't knock the concept, however, just the execution.