Istanbul Day 2 – Lots of Delicious Street Food
Mussels
Day two in Istanbul started with a delicious breakfast in our hotel. We came down to lovely aromas of Turkish breakfast that included a variety of different things. There was an array of different vegetables in various forms. There was fried eggplant in a yogurt sauce, mushrooms in a tomato sauce, potatoes, cucumbers. There was a selection of fresh cheeses, olives, dried fruits and pickles. It was all delicious and a great way to start our day. We walked over the bosphorus area to catch a cruise. Two hours later we got off and saw a boat of fish mongers grilling fresh fish and selling fish sandwiches. We had read in the guides that this was a must- well, the fish was fresh and delicious! Right next to the boat there was a vendor selling fresh mussels!- I love mussels.. and these were stuffed with some kind of delicious, aromatic rice. The vendor squeezed fresh lemon on each as I stood next to him and devoured a bunch of fresh mussels right by the water!
Turkish Doughnuts
A bit ahead we saw a very busy market filled with food vendors. It was jam packed with people but that didn’t discourage us to try all sorts of delights like- the most delicious Turkish doughnuts I have ever had- they were dripping in honey and topped with ground pistachios.
We had freshly squeezed pomegranate juice- what a difference between the fresh and the bottled!!
Freshly Squeezed Pomegranate Juice
We bought some candy wrapped on a stick drizzled with lemon juice- amazing! We tried some pickled cabbage which was very tasty as well.
Candy on a Stick
After eating most of that market we decided to take a tram to the new part of Istanbul. This part is filled with tall buildings and modern structures- quite a contrast from the cobblestone streets we left behind just ten minutes ago! We walked and we walked, looking at our maps and asking the very friendly people of Istanbul. So far it has been a lovely experience eating and walking around. I haven’t done a whole lot of shopping- although there are tons of things to buy.. well, I did buy some amazingly aromatic Iranian saffron from the amazing Egyptian spice market. I would like to buy some more spices and maybe a nice rug!
In spite of munching all day, I couldn’t stop thinking of the bakery from last night and all the puddings they had- so, we stopped on our way back to the hotel and picked up a almond pudding, a pistachio pudding and a rice pudding- they were all really yummy! I ate like there was no tomorrow and thought to myself- I really need to eat far less tomorrow!
