Food Glorious Food! Wednesday 4th October

 Culinary Backstreets of the Bazaar Quarter

Today we did a food tour with Culinary Backstreets (previously Istanbul Eats) and it was truly fantastic. You can find my trip advisor review here: Great food, great guide - Culinary Backstreets -Tours, Istanbul Traveller Reviews - Tripadvisor

Our guide, Gonca (Gon-jah), was absolutelt amazing. She gave us all of the background details of what we were eating, where it cams from, how it came to Turkey, who makes it etc. She also pointed out amazing architecture, told us how to eat with the locals, and where to get the most amazing food. 

The tour was meant to be 9:30-3:30, but ours went on until about 5pm. Gonca took photos of us all (tours have max 7 on them) and then sent them to us, along with some of her home cooking recipes. We walked all day, ate all day, and lkaughed all day. We then didnt eat anything else and just felt full in the hotel room for the rest of the evening! 

The food, and the photos

Instead of giving you a run down of every little bit, here's the photos with a small explanation.


 A pretour selfie!

The Orient express train station - location of our amazing breakfast!

The round bread is simit - sold everywhere! Everyone is loyal to their simit seller. Dipped in buffalo milk clotted cream and honey - delicious. 

Our 'chai guy'. These men have a 'zone' where the locals are loyal to them - noone swaps areas, or chai guys. They are hidden away, but to find them, sit on a random stool next to others drinking tea, and he will appear! 

The only female simit seller in the city. 


Sheep intesting kebab... I'll leave you to make your own judgements.. Ben liked it!

Pide! (it's Pizza)

A roofotp with amazing views of the city. Our tour grop with the amazing Gonca front and centre. Below, a shoe shiner who thought that it was important we take a picture with him. He didn't stop eating for the photo hence why he has his hand over his mouth! 


The grand bazaar - we only went in a little way - but it is a maze! Always be aware of which gate you enter by, but dont trust them - this looks like gate 1 doesn't it? It's gate 18. 

 

Literally 'in the backstreets'




This is a 'han'. Basically a building full of shops, except every shop does the same thing. This was a silverwork han, with shops dowenstairs and the workshops upstairs - Gonca is very friendly with the locals and he let us into his workshop to see the incredible things he was making! 

 






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