Breakfast in Istanbul – the best places and features

No one will refuse to eat delicious food, especially in Turkey.

The ideal climate and favorable geographical location contribute to the abundance of food, and at the same time the diversity of local cuisine.

Often, food reaches the table a few minutes or hours after being harvested from the garden or caught in the sea, and therefore a Turkish breakfast is always a small feast.

When the tables are set for a meal, the table itself is almost invisible from the richness of the tempting dishes. Guests are especially generously treated, trying to please and demonstrate hospitality.

Breakfast in Istanbul is the whole action and the most important event before the start of a day full of sightseeing. Even if at home you are used to being content with toast with cheese and a cup of tea or coffee, in the homeland of the sultans it is difficult to stay within the usual framework.

But having a tight meal, you can not think about food for a long time, enjoying a walk around the magnificent city.

What is Turkish breakfast in Istanbul (türk kahvaltısı)

The combination of salty, sweet and spicy is natural for the local cuisine. Moreover, this is done so harmoniously that upon arrival home, such a plexus of tastes will want to be repeated on your own. In this case, don’t forget to visit the Egyptian Market to buy more spices.

Another distinguishing feature of türk kahvaltısı is the variety of colors. The table appears to be an artist’s palette covered with bright spots of paint.

In separate bowls, juicy vegetables and herbs are lured with freshness, plump green and black olives glisten with wet sides, fresh pastries are fragrant, fried eggs wink with yellow pupils, cheese, sausages and ham, flavored with aromatic spices, have decomposed in a fan of slices of different varieties.

Nearby, the butter melts slightly, fresh honey and fruit jam promise a sweet life in the next bowl, fruits and sweet muffins are located in their own dishes nearby. And this is just a modest list of what a traditional Turkish breakfast offers.

If we talk about the etymology of the word “kahvaltı”, then its literal translation is “before coffee”. This invigorating drink first appeared in Istanbul in the 16th century under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and quickly began to gain popularity.

At first, coffee (kahve) was available only to the ruler and the nobility, who completed their morning meal with a cup of aromatic drink. But already in 1564, the first public coffee house was opened, and the first not only in the city, but also in the world.

Only men could visit the institution, however, women did not deny themselves pleasure, indulging in the pleasures of the house or in the hammams.

Today in Turkey, priorities have changed, and coffee has been replaced by tea. This drink is drunk at any time of the day and year, as well as in incredibly large quantities.

Instead of porcelain cups, glass glasses (armudu or bardak) in the shape of a tulip bud are preferred in order to also get visual pleasure from the rich color of a strong drink.

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How tea is brewed in Turkey (Siyah çay)

I would like to compare the procedure with Chinese tea drinking. Although in Turkey the process is much simpler, without unnecessary troubles, the element of the ceremony is still present. For the ceremony, caydanlikt (chaydanlik) is used – two vessels placed one on top of the other. In the lower container, water is poured, which is heated.

On top is a jug with dry tea leaves so that they warm up and bloom as the water heats up from below. When it boils, 2/3 parts are used to pour tea leaves, after which the vessels are again placed on top of each other.

At this stage, the fire is reduced, leaving a barely smoldering wick to give the tea leaves time to simmer and infuse well. As soon as the last of them sinks to the bottom, the drink is considered ready for tasting.

Pouring the first portion of tea (çay) into cups, the kettle is returned to its place in order to maintain the temperature of the drink, because you will probably want more, or even more than one.