I’m no foodie. But with every place I visit, I try to eat local cuisine. In that way, my taste palate expands. And I end up learning a thing or two about their culture.

Istanbul is home to 15 million people and is the largest city in Turkiye (and apparently in Europe?). It straddles both Europe and Asia. Before the Turkish War of Independence, it was once the capital of the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empire. History knew it as Constantinople. I find it a great mix of my past and present homes.

For a list of places I’ve visited in Istanbul, you can visit this link.

Here are 5 dishes I ate in Istanbul:

Adana Kebab

I remember being a teenager and hating kebabs. Now, I can’t get enough of it. Adana Kebab was the first thing I had when I landed in Istanbul. It is grilled minced meat, named after the fifth largest city in Turkey. It is typically spicy and it set the bar high for the flavours I would have for the rest of my trip.

Shashlik

It’s kebab but this time grilled cubes of meat. It tastes a bit more expensive than Adana and largely due to the animal parts used. I only have compliments and no complaints. The dish is shared amongst the cuisines in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Caucasus. Where is it better to eat this than at a city that straddles two continents?

Baklava

I have to make a disclaimer that I’m not the biggest fan of baklava. But it’s a staple in the Ottoman cuisine and then I had to have it. Plus, my friend that I traveled with was obsessed with this pastry. I have a sweet tooth. But the combination of nuts, honey, pistachio, and thin unleavened dough was too much action for my tastebuds.

Menemen

I know eggs are a good source of protein for my body. But I prefer the omelette kind (basically put more and dilute the egg’s contribution to the dish). As the less ingredients there are, the blander I find it. Hence, I am in camp menemen. I am cognisant that what I just said is a complete contradiction to what I described as my issue of “too many things happening” with a baklava. 😂

Izgara Kofte

If you have made it this far, it’s clear that I’m a carnivore. And while it’s another iteration of minced meat, I could care less. These come in round shapes (as the words translate to meatballs). And the food is grilled and made with onions, salt and pepper. This is what “a vacation that feels like home” tastes like.