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Posts Tagged ‘ Southeastern cuisine ’

Apr 19
Monday

The “Mesopotamian Truffle” Returns!

Filed under News


Spring is upon us, which means that it’s time to go hunting for restaurants that serve keme, an elusive fungus with a beguiling taste that we’ve dubbed the “Mesopotamian Truffle.”

Impossible to cultivate and with a season that spans only a few weeks, this specialty of southeast Turkey is worth seeking out, with a taste that’s like an earthy cross between a Portobello mushroom and a very delicate potato. Last year, we got our keme fix at Kadikoy’s excellent Çiya Sofrası, where it is grilled on a skewer and served like a kebab (as well as incorporated into several other dishes).

In this morning’s edition of the English-language Today’s Zaman, though, we learned about another place in Istanbul that also serves keme, Kübban Gaziantep Mutfağı. We’re not familiar with this place, but the article (you can find it here) makes it sound very promising. The good news? The article — at least in the print edition — gives an address. The bad news? It’s all the way out in Güneşli, a neighborhood on the western outskirts of Istanbul.

For those interested in heading out there, here’s the address:
Bağlar Mahallesi, Koçman Cad. Gamsiz Sok. No: 2/B (across from the Güneşli Metro market), Güneşli
Telephone: (212) 651-8161

(photo by Yigal Schleifer)

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All entries filed under this archive


A Culinary Tour of Turkey – in Istanbul
no responses - Posted 03.14.10
The English-language daily Today's Zaman has an article up that takes a look at some of the restaurants in Istanbul serving food from other regions in Turkey. The article (addresses included, for a change), offers some good tips on where to find food from the Black Sea and southeast regions ...continue
Dürümzade: Wrap Artists (and Television Stars)
2 responses - Posted 01.19.10
Editor's note: This review first appeared back in April of 2009. Turns out the "wrap stars" at Dürümzade were among the stars of last night's episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show, which recently visited Istanbul. In honor of Dürümzade's newfound television success, we decided to offer this "rerun" of ...continue
EatingAsia Interviews Çiya Chef Musa Dağdeviren
2 responses - Posted 11.22.09
EatingAsia, a marvelous blog that (mostly) covers Asian food and culinary traditions, recently caught up with chef Musa Dağdeviren, creator of Istanbul's Çiya Restaurant. A kind of culinary anthropologist, Dağdeviren has helped introduce Istanbulites and visitors to the city to traditional recipes and ingredients from across Turkey that are even ...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
The Grand Bazaar: Come for the Shopping, Stay for the Food
12 responses - Posted 07.15.09
We like to think of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar – open since 1461 – as the world’s oldest shopping mall. If that’s the case, shouldn’t the Grand Bazaar be home to the world’s oldest food court? That may be taking the analogy too far, but for us, the Grand Bazaar can ...continue
Siirt Şeref Büryan Kebap Salonu: The Lamb Underground
16 responses - Posted 06.22.09
Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect the fact that the restaurant has changed locations. The food remains as good as ever. The Kadınlar Pazarı – a very pleasant, pedestrian-only square in Istanbul’s Fatih neighborhood – is the closest the city has to having a “Little Kurdistan.” The surrounding ...continue
Kaburga Sofrası: The Rib Shack
1 response - Posted 06.01.09
In eastern Turkey, a lamb is consumed literally from head to tail, with hardly any part of the animal going uncooked. One of the specialties from the region, particularly in the area around the picturesque city of Mardin, is kaburga – breast of lamb – a cut akin to short ...continue
Kiva Han Gets the Thumbs Down
7 responses - Posted 05.25.09
Today's Zaman has a review of Kiva Han, a restaurant near the Galata Tower that tries to be a Beyoğlu version of Asian side favorite Çiya. It's not a favorable review: All in all, our experience at the new Galata Kiva Han was extremely disappointing, and on second thought, I should have ...continue
Çiya: Loquat Kebabs and Mesopotamian Truffles at Istanbul’s Culinary Shrine
9 responses - Posted 05.06.09
For us, one of the highlights of spring in Istanbul is a visit to Çiya Sofrası, the Asian-side eatery that is very likely the best restaurant in Istanbul. It’s certainly not the fanciest or most cutting-edge place in town, but we rarely leave Çiya without having a profoundly new and ...continue
Akdeniz Hatay Sofrası: The Syrian Connection
12 responses - Posted 04.20.09
The only positive thing about the torturous annual visit we make to Istanbul’s main police station in order to renew our residence permit is the chance to drive through the low-rent Aksaray neighborhood, home to dozens of intriguing off-the-beaten path restaurants, most of them opened by migrants from other parts ...continue

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