...Turkey (Part 1 - The Weird and the Wonderful)

A snowy Istanbul

And so we have entered Turkey, bracing ourselves for a month of eating some of the finest food in the world. There is much to talk about but I will try to stay focused and only tell you what you need to know. That's why this entry will focus on the 'wierd and wonderful' that we've experienced so far.

Our third visit to Istanbul has involved visiting some 'old haunts' although that makes us sound a bit pretentious. Really, we are creatures of habit. First stop for Finn was a freshly grilled fish sandwich by the Bosporus while I enjoyed the cup of pickles in turnip juice you buy to compliment it.

The Istanbul fish sandwich. Finn used many fish puns to describe it but sadly, I can only remember one. 'Defishious'.

Our second 'old haunt' to visit was an unassuming kebab shop in the grand bazaar. We sat on stools in the alleyway watching the snow fall to the sound of merchants loudly battling over the price of silver. We ordered our kebabs, pieces of meat with tomato and lettuce all rolled up in thick flat breads. In front of us, on a long bench, were dishes laden with parsley, salty gherkın and green peppers blackened on the grill. You pile what you want on your 'plate' (a bit of plastic bag) and alternate your bites of kebab wıth the loveliness from the dishes. And that's it. No sauces, no spices. Just fresh, flavoursome ingredients. And that is why, in my humble opinion, Turkish food is among the best in the world.

The best kebab in the world ever. So far...

We spent two evenings in 'mayhenes', Turkish taverns where you order mezze and drink raki for as long as you like. These are great if like us, you are a bit fed up with eating meat everyday. We managed to have a vegetarian meal in one. And I ate a little too much dolma as it's one of my favourites.

Dolma. It basically means 'stuffed'. I was 'dolmad' after eating six of them.

We whiled away a very pleasant evening in a mayhene with Melda, an old student of mine and her boyfriend Boric.

Melda, Finn and Boric

They wanted to show us a real Friday night in Istanbul. However, due to the weather many Istanbulus had decided to stay at home so it was pretty dead (but we still had a great time!). At about 1.30am, Melda announced that she needed a, and I quote, 'wet burger'. I had no idea what she was on about. A wet burger?! But it turns out you don't have to stretch your imagination too far. At the front of many kebab stalls, there are glass boxes misted up with condensation. Inside are burgers with tomato sauce in their buns all soggy from the moisture being pumped into the box. And there you have it. A wet burger, is a burger that is wet. And although it has to be the oddest thing we have come across so far on this trip (and dare I say it, any trıp), it was surprisingly tasty. But also very, very wrong. It turns out that many Istanbulus eat them after a night out and therefore they are their equivalent to our end of night kebab.

A box of wet burgers. Never thought I would type those words.

After 5 days in Istanbul, we headed south to a large yet quiet city called Bursa, only just avoiding the snow which was about to grind Istanbul to a halt. Bursa has one big claim to fame in Turkey and that's its Iskender kebab. There is some dispute over the origins of the kebab and two restaurants claim to be the first to sell it. We went to the closest one, a small wooden restaurant that looked like something from the 1920s. Very basic decor and waiters in aprons and ties. There was only one thing on the menu and it was being devoured by hungry Turkish women around us. We ordered one to share. So what's so special about a kebab? A kebab is a kebab like a wet burger is a wet burger. Yes, that's what I thought to. But then I tried one...

The Iskender kebab. A heart attack on a plate.

It's not the prettiest looking dish in the world but then neither is chips and battered sausage if you think about it. A chopped up flat bread lies on the bottom, smothered in a rich tomato sauce. On top of this is a pile of lamb and you have yogurt, tomato and pepper on the side. Then the really strange thing happens. A waiter comes round with a saucepan of boiling butter and tips it over the meat. The whole thing is utterly delicious and well worthy of its fame. However, how those women were gobbling up a whole plate on their own I will never know. Half was definitely enough.

At the bus station to our next destination, we managed to squeeze in the other delicacy of Bursa, candied chestnuts. The more you eat, the better they taste. But they're still a bit weird.

Candied chestnuts. Interesting.