In October 2009 I decided to revisit Istanbul for some inspiration. I try immerse myself in various traditional classical cuisines around the world as often as time and money will allow during the year.

Rather than academic study, I take to the streets, homes and markets of the world to further my knowledge of traditional cuisine. As a traditionalist and living in a city like Johannesburg that is overrun by fusion, fast food and franchises I need to escape to traditional culinary cultures regularly for inspiration.

Istanbul is the crossroads between Europe and Asia and has a culinary tradition that stretches back for thousands of years. The Turkic tribes took over the Byzantine capital over 500 years ago and established the mighty Ottoman Empire that stretched from Marrakesh to Vienna. It also developed a Royal Cuisine like so many other great culinary traditions such as France and China.

The by product of sophisticated palace culture is that cooking becomes very intricate and sophisticated and as was the case with French cooking so many classical recipes were created - especially desserts. There are whole streets dedicated to the preservation of traditional Ottoman desserts and families that can trace their culinary lineage back to the sultans needs for endless varieties of desserts in his harem. Turkish Cuisine is considered the worlds forth most sophisticated cuisine ~ the others being Chinese, Indian & French.

On arriving in Istanbul after being away for just over a decade I was struck by how modern and expensive Istanbul had become ...they had done away with their amusing Turkish Lira which as a South African felt great because it was approximately a million Lira to just over a thousand Rand. Now its two New Turkish Lira to the Euro.

I stayed in Sultanahmet ~ the usual tourist area where all the overpriced conveniences are offered. As with so many tourist areas I soon realized the selection of food in the nearby restaurants was limited and diluted to accommodate the tourist palate. But this did not deter me I soon found myself on the other side of the Bosphorus on the Asian side eating with the locals. Uskudar is the main ferry port on the Asian side of Istanbul ~ it is also home to the most exciting traditional markets and restaurants. My favourite was a lokanta (basic restaurant) called Kanaan that had huge baking trays displayed in the window with over 50 different desserts ~ everything from baked Figs stuffed with Walnuts to Kunefe (fried shredded pastry stuffed with cheese & covered with lemon syrup and Pistachios) It was foodie heaven and diabetic hell.

The other area in Istanbul that attracted me was Galata ~ the Jewish, Greek and Armenian side of town ~ people would sit in little alleyways and play backgammon while sipping freshly squeezed pomegranate juice or eat Kebabs while chatting with friends . Taksim is the place to go for the twenty something all night crowd ~ with all night street cafes, clubs and restaurants. What really stood out for me about Turkish people and their relationship with food was the lengths they would go to find the perfect meal ~ people would travel up the Bosphorus on a Sunday to the village of Kanlica, just because they make the best yoghurt in all of Turkey.

Others would wait on the Galata Bridge as fishermen would fry fresh Mackerel and serve the fish on bread rolls with Olive tapenade and finely chopped onions.

After nearly two weeks in Istanbul I was feeling like all my senses had come to life. I had learnt so much about the many uses of Aubergines, Walnuts, Figs, Tomatoes, Apricots and Olives. Also many little tricks and traditions such as surrounding any fresh fruit displays with Fresh Bay leaves to keep flies away. I had explored the many fresh markets, discussed food with numerous chefs and discovered many new spices. It was time to come home and share my knowledge with fellow South Africans. I am also planning a culinary tour for committed foodies in 2010 to Istanbul. 

Article: Ishvara Dyhan