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Archive for October, 2009

Oct 29
Thursday

The Simit Has Landed

Filed under News

New York magazine reports two potentially earthshaking pieces of news. First: Istanbul baklava maker Güllüoğlu has opened up a branch on the east side of Manhattan. Two: they are serving freshly baked simits (“looking a little like the secret love child of the bagel and the street pretzel,” as the magazine describes them).

The fast food scene in Istanbul, over the last few years, has been overtaken by a number of chains selling freshly baked simits. But will the street-wise simit be able to take on the mighty bagel in its hometown? Is this only the start of what might soon be a campaign for global simit domination? As they say, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

(hat tip Bumpershine)

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All entries filed under this archive


Hamsi Time
1 response - Posted 10.27.09
Istanbul Eats' Yigal Schleifer has a post on the New York Times' Globespotters blog about the start of hamsi season in Istanbul. Hamsi is the Turkish name for the finger-sized anchovy caught in the waters of the Black Sea. Though small and inexpensive, hamsi holds a sacred place in the ...continue
Grifin: Seafood Oasis
4 responses - Posted 10.23.09
Editor's note: Due to a number of troubling reports, we can no longer recommend this restaurant. Though the view remains as fine as ever, it seems the kitchen is no longer holding up its end of the bargain. The good news is that Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı, located just downstairs from Grifin ...continue
Kosinitza: Trattoria à la Turca
no responses - Posted 10.20.09
Editor's note: This guest post was written by Kathryn Tomasetti and Tristan Rutherford, freelance travel journalists for The Guardian, The Independent and Time Out, among others. Their website can be found here. Kosinitza is located in the charming Bosphorus-side village of Kuzguncuk, a short bus ride north of Üsküdar. It’s a time-forgotten ...continue
Döner: Heavy Rotation
1 response - Posted 10.16.09
Editor’s note: This guest post was written by Atilla Kapar, author of the blog Türkiye ve Dünyadan Lezzetler (“Good Tastes from Turkey and the World”) and a Turkish food enthusiast who, as he describes it, “reviews lesser-known restaurants in Istanbul that offer great-tasting food.” Atilla is a graduate of Bosphorus University ...continue
Çiğ Köfte: The Raw Deal
no responses - Posted 10.12.09
It may not quite be up there with Japan’s fugu, blowfish meat that if prepared incorrectly can lead to death, but Turkey’s çiğ köfte is one of those foods that carries with it a certain frisson of danger. Literally translated as “raw meatballs,” the dish is made out of uncooked ...continue
Vefa Boza: Strange Brew
3 responses - Posted 10.07.09
After our first taste, we were not quite ready to sing the praises of boza, a thick, almost pudding-like drink made from fermented millet. But the experience stuck with us. What is that flavor? Something like cross between Russian kvass (a fermented drink made from rye bread) and applesauce may ...continue
Pickle Juice, Anyone?
no responses - Posted 10.05.09
The English-language newspaper Today's Zaman has a great article in Monday's edition about Turkey's love affair with pickles, called “turşu” in Turkish. Along with the usual assortment of pickled cucumbers and cabbage, pickle shops in Istanbul and other city also offer a dizzying variety of brined vegetables and even fruits ...continue

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