10 food items to buy when visiting Istanbul
Plus: See me in Istanbul next week
Hey there,
Istanbul recommendations have been in high demand, so I’m following up my 21 restaurant and cocktail bar tips with a few more tips for food shopping while visiting our incredible city. More specifically: The kind you buy from spice vendors and shops specialising in nuts and dried fruits. I write a bit about each item, so hopefully you’ll learn something new about an ingredient even if you’re not planning to visit Istanbul any time soon.
Perhaps you also want to know where I go shopping for these items? Along with an itinerary for a full day of exploring some of Istanbul’s most exciting places for food shopping? With me as your (virtual) guide?
Then you’ll want to sign up for a paid subscription, because that’s exactly what paying subscribers will get this weekend:
This is by no means an exhaustive list, so if you have anything to add, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Next week’s newsletter
I normally take a break during the last week when a month has five Wednesdays. Since this month’s paid newsletters have focused on Istanbul tips rather than recipes, paying subscribers will be getting a bonus newsletter with a new recipe next week.
The next free newsletter will hit your inbox in the first week of June.
See me in Istanbul
For the folks in Istanbul: This coming Wednesday (29th), I’ll be joining a panel on Istanbul Dialogues – Exploring Istanbul, where we’ll be highlighting some of our favourite Istanbul treasures and experiences. If you’re in town, it would be lovely to see you there!
The panel is hosted by Yabangee in ATÖLYE (Bomonti) on Wednesday 29 May. Doors open 19:00, event starts 19:30. More here.
With that, here are my 10 food items to buy when visiting Istanbul.
/Vidar
10 food items to buy when visiting Istanbul
Actually more like 15, as I grouped some together.
Pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
If you bring just one food item back from your visit to Istanbul, it should be pul biber. Mild chilli flakes with a beautifully vibrant red colour, they’re a natural all purpose spice whose status in the Turkish kitchen is equivalent to that of salt and pepper.
This spice is made from dried and crushed red peppers. The seeds are removed in the process, making pul biber fragrant with a mild heat that builds slowly. A little salt is usually added for preservation and flavour.
Commercial grade pul biber is about ⅓ as hot as cayenne pepper, though in shops specialising in ingredients from South-Eastern Turkey, you’ll find variations from the very mild to the scorching hot. You’ll also find ones that have been dried with olive oil, leaving beautifully red stains when sprinkled on yoghurt, for example. Fresh pul biber should still be soft and moist to the touch.
Pul biber is produced in Turkey’s south-eastern regions, near the Syrian border. Hence the name confusion: This land was mostly part of the Aleppo region during Ottoman times. It’s therefore often known as Aleppo pepper. This is the same as pul biber.
Where to use: Pul biber is the Turkish everything spice. Sprinkle on soups, add to stews, dips, eggs, pasta dishes and anything where you’d consider adding chili flakes or black pepper.
→ Recipes using pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
Isot biber (Urfa pepper)
Isot biber is pul biber’s darker, more interesting sibling. These chilli flakes are made with a different drying method, fermenting the peppers to give the resulting chilli flakes a dark colour. The taste matches the colour, evoking flavours of raisins and cocoa in addition to the chilli heat.
The spice is most famous in the Turkish city of Şanlıurfa, hence its international name of Urfa pepper.
Isot biber is usually slightly spicier than commercial grade pul biber, though this may vary. Like pul biber, fresh isot biber should be soft and moist to the touch.
Where to use: The more complex flavour makes isot biber less versatile than pul biber. Try it in stews, dolma fillings or as an alternative (though not 1:1 substitute) to smoked paprika or chipotle chilli.
→ Recipes using isot biber (Urfa pepper)
Sumac
A sour spice made from the dried and crushed fruits of the sumac plant, sumac was used to add tanginess to food before the arrival of lemon. Long since, it remains a widely used spice across Turkey, the Middle East and beyond.
Sumac has a complex citrusy and flowery tartness which pairs very well with salads, especially in summer. It’s also used in many traditional stews. While easily available abroad, get fresh sumac from the spice market or specialist spice vendors, where it’s sold by weight and still soft and moist to the touch.
Where to use: Sprinkle on salads or to flavour marinades and stews. Works particularly well with chicken and onion.
Pomegranate molasses (Nar ekşisi)
While commercial varieties can be good if you know what to look for, there’s no beating homemade pomegranate molasses. Spice vendors with good links to South-Eastern Turkey, mostly at the Egyptian spice market, will sell them. Ask for ev yapımı nar ekşisi, and they’ll bring out a ladder or go to some cupboard in the corner where they keep them in unlabelled (or hand labelled) plastic bottles, specifically for those in the know.
Pomegranate molasses is made from early season sour pomegranates. If not getting homemade, make sure what you’re buying is 100% pomegranate (this applies whether you’re in Istanbul or anywhere else in the world). Unfortunately, fake copies made of glucose syrup and artificial additives abound, and are often labelled confusingly similar. Always double check the ingredient list to make sure you’re getting the real thing.
Homemade pomegranate molasses will vary more in flavour and consistency than commercially produced versions, but the taste is almost always superior and they’ll last you forever. Ask to have a taste before purchasing. It should be tangy and rich in flavour, and considerably more sour than sweet. It’ll keep for years unopened, and a year or two after opening. No need to refrigerate.
Where to use: Salad dressings, marinades, stews, dips and dolma fillings.
→ Recipes using pomegranate molasses
Homemade tomato paste
Tomato paste is the backbone of the Turkish kitchen. Not as a replacement for fresh tomatoes, or to boost the flavour of canned tomatoes, but as an ingredient in its own right.
The same places that sell you homemade pomegranate molasses will also have homemade tomato paste. This is richer and smoother than the commercial tomato paste you find in Western stores. You can eat it with a spoon. Unlike commercial tomato paste, which tends to go mouldy quite quickly, it’ll keep for months after opening.
Where to use: Turkish stews, soups, dolma fillings.
Homemade pepper pastes
Turkish cuisine also depends heavily on the use of various red pepper pastes. There are two main varieties: Sweet (tatlı biber salçası), made from red peppers, and hot (acı biber salçası), which is made from red chillies.
These are a staple of the Turkish kitchen, and can be used interchangeably depending on whether you want your dish to have some heat or not. Hot versions can vary considerably in heat, especially if you buy homemade versions.
Some spice vendors may offer up a third and more unique one: isot paste. This is the paste equivalent of isot biber and has a similar, though usually milder, flavour to the spice. Since the taste is unique, it’s better to build a dish around the use of isot biber – it won’t always work as an alternative to regular pepper pastes.
Where to use: Turkish stews, soups, dolma fillings.
→ Recipes using hot red pepper paste
→ Recipes using sweet red pepper paste
Turkish delight (Lokum)
The confectionery best known as Turkish delight (lokum to locals) has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years. Skip the overly sweet, powdered sugar coated cubes of old times, however, and opt instead for the colourful sausage shaped creations now aplenty at the spice market and confectionery shops. The good ones are flavoured with natural fruit juices and sweetened nut pastes, often covered in barberries, slivered nuts or rose petals.
Note that the quality can vary considerably, so make sure to buy from a reputable vendor using only natural ingredients, with no glucose syrup or artificial flavourings or colourings. This applies whether you’re getting the old school cubes or the more colourful modern versions.
For my preferred suppliers, make sure to subscribe to get this weekend’s newsletter, where I’ll take you through my favourite places to shop for the items on this list in Istanbul:
Nuts
Pistachios from Gaziantep are renowned worldwide, but the abundance of beautiful nuts doesn’t stop there. Turkey is also, by some margin, the world’s largest producer of hazelnuts. Both are worth purchasing on your visit to Istanbul, but if space is an issue, prioritise the pistachios.
Always a luxury, nuts have become particularly expensive in recent years. This is partly due to a shrinking local supply, with walnut trees in particul being chopped down and replaced by easier crops in parts of the country. As a result, the market is now a mix of local and imported (usually inferior) nuts. Always taste the nuts before purchasing to make sure they’re of the standard you’re looking for.
Pistachios are usually from Gaziantep or Siirt, with the former being the gold standard. So ask for Antep fıstığı when shopping for pistachios, and taste the various versions of it on offer to find out if the more expensive ones are worth the premium. This will vary from place to place (and palate to palate).
If you’ll be using pistachios as an ingredient, make sure to get unsalted pistachio kernels from Gaziantep (çiğ iç Antep fıstığı). You can get them with or without the purple-ish skin – your choice (or get both). They also sell them slivered or ground, if that takes your fancy.
Be aware that some places sell what looks like ground pistachios, but is actually coloured ground peanuts. They should be labelled as such, but I can’t guarantee they won’t try to sell it as the real thing to unsuspecting tourists.
When it comes to hazelnuts, I like getting double roasted ones (çift kavrulmuş fındık). These are beautifully crispy and with a distinct nutty flavour, and only cost a few liras more than regularly roasted ones. They’ll have raw ones to sell you, too (çiğ fındık), but I like the convenience of getting already roasted and peeled hazelnuts.
Of course, almonds and walnuts are available too. Much of it excellent, though many places only have second rate imports on offer. If purchasing, make sure to taste beforehand. Cashews and other nuts are usually imported and unlikely to be superior to what you find at good grocers in other countries.
You’ll find nuts in specialist kuruyemiş shops all over the city, including at the spice market. Most spice vendors also sell nuts. It’s best to buy from high circulation places to ensure the nuts are fresh.
Dried fruits
The kuruyemiş shops will also have a plethora of dried fruits on offer. Again, make sure to taste before buying as quality and freshness can vary considerably from one shop to another.
I’m sure you already have your favourite, but here are a few local varieties I recommend trying:
Brown apricots (Gün kurusu kayisi). These are more natural and sweeter than yellow dried apricots, which are treated with sulfur dioxide to keep the yellow colour after drying. Larger ones (“jumbo”) are usually better than smaller ones, and they should be very soft. The taste is caramelly with little to no tartness, almost similar to dates.
Mulberries (kuru düt). Dried mulberries are an addictive snack! They come in light and dark versions – I prefer the light one when snacking on dried berries. Dried mulberries should retain a slight chew and not be completely dried out.
Figs (incir), preferably dağ incir (“mountain figs”), which are more natural looking and have a superior taste.
Raisins (kuru üzüm), which can be larger and juicier than the ones you find in Western supermarkets. Make sure to get ones without seeds (çekirdeksiz).
At the same shops, consider tasting pestil, a traditional dried fruit leather which can be eaten plain, or wrapped around a sweet filling, like hazelnut paste.
Herbal teas
For some reason Turkey has become synonymous with apple tea, a sweet instant tea that no local ever touches. It’s mainly offered to tourists, though you’ll also have plenty of chances to taste regular tea (çay) during your visit. This is a domestic black tea from the Black sea region. It’s nice, but my humble view is that you can get higher quality black tea elsewhere. Instead, I recommend trying some of the local herb teas.
Both spice vendors and kuruyemiş shops will sell them. They’ll also have a creative set of herbal tea mixes with all sorts of kitsch names, particularly if you’re shopping in a touristy area. I prefer the clean flavours of individual teas, though many tourists enjoy these blends. These are my favourites.
Sage (adaçayı) – wonderful after a heavy meal.
Linden (ıhlamur çiçeği) – what Turks drink when they’re feeling a bit under the weather. And now me, too! Comes in different qualities – make sure to get a batch which is basically all flowers and no (or very few) leaves.
Turkish lemon balm (melisa) – nice and gentle.
A more unusual one to consider is purple basil (reyhan), which gives a mild aniseed-scented basil flavour (and a blue tea!).
Those are some of the things I usually keep, and which I think are worth considering taking home when you visit Istanbul.
Want to know where I shop for each of these items? Along with a handy map showing the location of each place, and a couple of suggested places to eat if you get hungry en route?
Then you’ll want to make sure to become a paid subscriber before the weekend.
The paying subscriber newsletter this week will feature my recommended places to shop for these ingredients, plus a full day itinerary for exploring Istanbul’s culinary treats on either side of the Bosporos – an extended version of a route I’ll be taking with a group of visitors from Norway tomorrow. I’ll also make sure to include a few quick bite restaurants to consider if you get hungry on the way. It’ll go out on Sunday.
Like the list of restaurants from two weeks ago, the list of places will be a continuing work in progress, and will get updated from time to time as I discover new places, or if current favourites change.