Friday
AdviceSince You Asked: Springtime Specialties?
Dear Istanbul Eats,
I’ve heard that springtime finds some of Istanbul’s restaurants with unique seasonal items on their menu. I know the weather hasn’t quite turned yet, but when spring does come, I don’t want to miss out on any of those dishes. Do you have some suggestions on what to expect and where to find it? Thank you,
Cooped Up in Kadıköy
Dear CU,
Indeed, springtime is a wonderful time to eat in Istanbul, particularly in some of the kebab houses that specialize in cooking the food of Southeast Turkey, where there’s a long tradition of incorporating the first fruits of spring into the region’s cooking. Istanbul Eats’ Yigal Schleifer actually wrote about where to find some of these springtime dishes in a short article for the New York Times last year. From that piece: “There’s seasonal cooking and, at least during spring in Turkey, there’s micro-seasonal cooking. As if waiting for the arrival of summer and its bounty of fresh fruit is too much to bear after a long winter, this time of year sees Turkey’s fruit and vegetable stands filling up with produce – tangy, unripe green plums, fresh almonds still in their fuzzy pods, loquats both tart and sweet – that offers a glimpse of coming attractions.” (Click here to go the complete article.)
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Post Tags: Advice, specialty foods