Friday
In Istanbul, Staying One Meal Ahead of the Wrecking Ball
There’s nothing like a debate about “urban renewal” – often touted by municipal governments as a way to repurpose run-down urban areas for gentrification – to work up a good appetite. In a city like Istanbul, a teeming metropolis of 15 million people working to build a modern life among ancient ruins, these discussions seem to occur on every corner.
These days, construction cranes and skyscrapers now crowd a skyline better known for its domes and minarets. As the municipality’s digging machines makes Swiss cheese out of the seven hills upon which Istanbul is built, residents are left wondering what good the resulting traffic tunnels will do when the big earthquake hits. The architectural legacies of the Byzantines and Ottomans have suffered heartbreaking defeats to modernization, including the destruction of the very skin of Istanbul – the Old City walls – parts of which were cleared for a commuter train. But despite these losses, the city remains a vibrant overlay of the old and new where many places seem either just on the cusp of being torn down or of being saved for restoration. Development, for better or worse, moves at a dizzying clip; the situation changes every day, sometimes drastically.
The rest of this feature article can be found on CulinaryBackstreets.com, here.
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no responses - Posted 10.08.12
Perhaps it’s the proximity of the waters of the Golden Horn or the weathered wood interior, but we get a distinctly maritime feeling at Köfteci Arnavut, a tiny köfte joint in the historic Balat neighborhood. The members of the İştay family, who opened the place in 1947, seem to think ...continue
5 responses - Posted 06.06.11
(Editor’s note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as köfte savants. While to the untrained eye köfte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
4 responses - Posted 01.14.11
Perhaps it’s the proximity of the waters of the Golden Horn or the weathered wood interior, but we get a distinctly maritime feeling at Köfteci Arnavut, a tiny köfte joint in the historic Balat neighborhood. The members of the Iştay family, who opened the place in 1947, seem to think the ...continue
3 responses - Posted 12.28.10
(Editor's note: We are sad to report that after more than a century in business, Merkez Şekercisi has closed.) Despite the surroundings, working as a candyman in Istanbul is apparently not all sweetness. Take, for example, Mustafa Bey, who inherited the 132-year-old traditional Turkish candy shop, Merkez Şekercisi, from his grandfather. ...continue
1 response - Posted 06.24.09
[caption id="attachment_419" align="aligncenter" width="504"] Cotton candy sellers in Istanbul's Balat neighborhood. Photo by Nicki Sobecki[/caption] continue