Just don't ask what's in it..

(Photos:  A sidewalk cafe, sitting outdoors with Leen, an Estonian, in November!  The three small dishes in the middle are: cig köfte, a salad, and a spicy sauce for dipping bread.  Big plate in front is yet another pide with mixed toppings.)



Whereas in the States, a 3am post-bar food craving might bring you to a White Castle, in Turkey, it will most likely bring you to one of many small all night street food vendors to order a kokorec.  Now, a kokorec is a delicious sandwich, with delicious fillings, but you might not really want to know what's in it until you're done.  I think it's lamb intestines, mixed with greens and spices, but really, it's so good it doesn't matter.  Especially not at 3am!

Now that I've been here almost three weeks, I've had time to sample many of the foods here.  I often go out to lunch with other foreigners or some teammates to pass the time.  And, since I don't really have a working kitchen, food prep is difficult.

My first night here, I had Little Ceasar's pizza, but since then, it's been mostly only Turkish food.  There really isn't much of a choice anyways.  Unlike my 'Eat Street' neighborhood back in Minneapolis, where i could find Asian, German, and Mexican food all on one street, here the choices are limited, not that it's a bad thing, as the food here is amazing.  I have been told that some of the shopping malls have Asian food, and maybe even sushi, but i have yet to see anything other than Turkish food shops, with an occasional McDo or Burger King mixed in.  

Turks love to eat meat, and being a vegetarian in Turkey might be tough.  Every other shop seems to have a döner kebap (meat roasting on a big spit, like Greek Gyros meat) turning in their window, and about 30 choices of how you want to eat your döner kebap meat.  You can often choose between goat or chicken, and then choose whether you want it on a sandwich, a wrap (dürüm) or in one of many traditional Turkish dishes, the most famous of which is the Iskender Kebap.  The Iskender is served on an oblong plate, with yoghurt on one end, rice pilav on the other, and in the middle, a flat bread covered with strips of juicy dönner meat and some kind of sauce.  I have had this twice and it is exceptional!  The other specialty is the Adana Kebap, which is a couple of long pieces of minced meat, served with flatbread and onion salad.  Walking along sidewalk cafes, I often see people eating one of these two dishes.  Turks love their Turkish food, just like Latvians love their meat and potatoes!

For quicker bites to eat, I have ordered a kebap wrap, or Cig Kofte, which is a spicy bulgar and spice 'pattie'.  It is kneaded by hand, formed into small nuggets, and served with a flat bread and lettuce leaves.  It is often served as an appetizer before your meal is brought out, and is usually eaten by sandwiching the nuggets in the lettuce leaf, and eating some bread along with it to help relieve the spiciness.

I have also eaten plenty of 'pide', which is like a Turkish Pizza.  I really haven't figured out what exactly the toppings are, but I think it's almost always some kind of minced meat, though just cheese or mushrooms is also available.

Since i do often eat at least one meal a day out of the house, it's  good thing i also play hockey and run everyday, as the food here, though delicious, is very oily and heavy....