Turkish Cuisine Archive

Otlu peyniri is a cheese from Van, a city in eastern Anatolia set on a lake of the same name. It is pungent and super salty and the herbs mixed into it add a garlicky flavor. I had a big helping of it this morning at Van Kahvaltı Evi in Cihangir where (more…)

Stuffed eggplant, patlican dolması in Turkish, are made by stuffing rehydrated dried and hollowed out eggplants with spiced rice, currants, and pine nuts. At Çiya Sofrası in Kadıköy, they are served with a generous helping of yogurt mixed with herbs.

Clothing shops display their wares in illuminated window displays. Why should butcher’s storefronts be any different. At this butcher in Istanbul’s Tophane quarter, you always know what offal is on offer, whether it is tripe, hearts, liver, (more…)

I just had an incredible octopus salad at Iskele, a famous seafood restaurant in Rumeli Hisarı, located just beneath Istanbul’s second Bosphorus Bridge. The coarsely chopped pieces of octopus were incredibly tender and a reasonable way (more…)

Walking through the door at Baylan, an old school pastry shop in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district, is like warping back in time to the 1970s, seemingly the last time they redecorated the place. The decor may be tired and worn, but you’ll hardly (more…)

I am used to being underwhelmed by burgers in Rome, a place sadly lacking a BBQ culture, but I have greater expectations in Istanbul where grilled meat is ubiquitous. And if you’ve ever seen köfte, you know a burger patty isn’t a huge leap (more…)

When it is done well, lahmacun is a beautiful and magical thing. Combining equal parts crispiness, meatiness and spice, this thin Turkish pizza can be a satisfying savory snack for some, or a full-fledged meal for others. I personally (more…)

This afternoon I took a stroll along the Bosphorus from Rumeli Hisarı to Kuruçeşme. It was a lovely day in Istanbul and the breeze coming across the water was fresh and clean until I hit Arnavutköy, where the whole placed reeked of low tide (more…)

Check out Istanbul Eats my guest post on Sultan Sofrasi in Antakya, a city in southeastern Turkey. This piece is the first in their new series entitled “Istanbul Eats on the Road”, a look at Turkey’s great restaurants. You can read the whole story here.

It is no secret that I am obsessed with artichokes. They are a common enough topic here on Parla Food. As great as the Roman variety is, I don’t discriminate. I love those from Puglia, Sardegna, Sicily, and elsewhere equally. I particularly like the (more…)