Turkey - Food and Fun

since my last flashback post of turkey was more about how the trip impacted me, i thought it would also be good to have a post on what i did and what i ate while i was over there. anyone who knows me knows that one of the best parts of traveling is the eating and my friend definitely helped me to try all the local foods! the best summary would be to view my FB photo album of turkey, but if you want a written summary here it is:

Izmir
went bowling, had dinner and games at a friend's house, road the ferry across the bay, saw the konak tower (famous Izmir landmark), went to Kameralti (Izmir's mini grand bazaar), had the best cup of Turkish coffee at a cafe in Kameralti, spent a day visiting Ephesus, went to Sirince (quaint countryside village), had an amazing Turkish breakfast at a hilltop restaurant that overlooked all of Izmir

Istanbul
stayed with a family on the Asia side of Istanbul and caught the ferry over to the Europe side every morning (great way to start the day on the ferry with a cup of chai), saw the Sultan Ahmet Cami (Blue Mosque), went to the Yerebatan Sarnıcı (ancient underground cistern and aqueducts), Kapalı Çarsı (Grand Bazaar), Mısır Kapalı (Spice Market), the Aya Sofya, ate a grilled fish sandwich near the water at the Galata bridge, walked thru Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Ave), got a personal escort to a hard to find and AMAZING restaurant called Ciya, drank hot cups of Sahlep while walking around at night (love this stuff!)

Food in Turkey!

Left to Right, Top to Bottom:

• kunefe (ku-neh-fey) - cheese coated with really fine, little rice noodles that is then deep fried, and then covered with a honey-like sauce with pistachios spinkled on top
•  cay (chai) - strong tea served in small glasses like this and need to add 1-2 sugar cubes b/c of how strong it is
• van kahvaltisi (vahn kah-vahl-tah-suh) - turkish breakfast consisting of assortment of cheeses, tomato, cucumber, olives, honey, sour cherry jam and bread
• sac kavurma (sa-ch kah-vuhr-mah) - roasted pieces of lamb w/veggies on a sizzling large iron plate
• sevket-i bostan (shi-ev-keh-ti boh-s-tahn) - local plant root cooked with lamb meat and a special sauce
• many types of baklava
• eggplant & lamb pide (pee-deh) with yogurt
• Köfte (Kohf-tey) - turkish meatballs and Piyaz salad - white bean salad
• dessert plate at Çiya (Chi-ya) - candied eggplant, tomato, olives, walnut, pumpkin, orange and others (I can't remember)
• assorted local dishes at Çiya (Chi-ya) (from closest, clockwise): 1) flax seed with a local root in a lemony sauce, 2) apricot, plum, nuts with meat in a sweet sauce (my fave), 3) bulgar pilaf, 4) garlic shoots and meat in a minty cream sauce, 5) ckickpea and meatballs in a tomato-lentil type sauce
• like a quesidilla with spinach and feta inside baked on a hot iron half dome
• iskender (is-ken-dair) - cubed bread on the bottom with doner meat on top with tomato sauce and drizzled with butter and a dallop of yogurt on the side
• meze (may-zey) plate at Çiya - cold appetizers, usually olive oil type dishes, some dishes had a nice kick to it too
• Mantiı (mahn-tah) - Turkish style ravioli with ground meat inside and covered with a tomato, butter and garlic sauce and yogurt
• lahmacun (lah-ma-jun) - flat bread with minced meat on it with sauce and spices