Street food in Istanbul is one of the top concerns of tourists coming to Turkey. In this Muslim country, food is always the thing that makes many people pay the most attention. Below are 10 Istanbul street dishes you should try when coming to this country located on two continents.
Many people say that because Turkey is a Muslim country, the food in this country is often difficult to eat. Correct! But what would traveling to Türkiye be like if we didn’t enjoy some of the country’s famous specialties, right? Come, join VT Travel PLus to discover the irresistible street food delicacies below. Even just looking at them with your eyes, you will feel “craving” and want to fly to enjoy them immediately.
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Kebab
Have you ever heard of this dish? It’s very similar to the name Kebap bread, right? Kebap is one of the outstanding dishes of modern Turkish cuisine. Kepad is simply a meat dish grilled over wood, served with chestnuts in a very delicious paper bag. You can find this dish anywhere on the streets of Istanbul on crowded days.
In addition to kebap, you can also eat Doner Kebap, a famous bread dish known to many people. Bread is made from beef, chicken, or lamb, Muslims do not eat pork. In addition, there are many other ingredients such as onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, sauces, etc. for you to choose from.
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Simit bread
A name that cannot be ignored when talking about street food in Istanbul is simit bread. Simit is actually a snack that appeared in the 16th century because groups of tourists coming and going from Instanbul brought this dish with them to the city of Izmit. Nowadays, the Turks use Simit very commonly, eaten in the morning with tea or coffee.
Simit bread is shaped like a curled ring or rope. Cakes are made from flour, milk, butter,… but with a unique recipe that makes it unique in the world. When finished, the cake will be sprinkled with sesame, baked and then enjoyed. It has a golden crust and is very delicious. Because there is a lot of sesame and protein, the cake makes you feel full quickly.
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raw meatballs
Çiğ köfte is one of the most delicious raw meat dishes in the world that Türkiye holds with a spicy taste that tears the tongue. Even though it is raw meat, it looks very attractive because it is served with many different ingredients such as basil, lemon, eggplant, etc. Çiğ köfte is eaten by Turkish people with flat bread, salad, and essential oils. pomegranate seeds and spicy sauce.
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Eat tomatoes
Midye Domasi is a dish made from mussels or clams. The Turks love dishes made from mussels along with a number of other ingredients, giving them a very unique flavor. Midye Domasi is known as a famous hangover dish in Turkey with a unique preparation of stuffing spicy fragrant rice mixture into the intestines of mussels, then eating with lemon juice.
You can find Midye Domasi in many places on the streets of Istanbul, especially served on a tray on every other street corner in Taksim at night. At restaurants in Türkiye, people also continuously bring out these dishes until you say stop. The owner will calculate the bill by counting the clam shells on the table. The secret to eating this dish is that when you feel a little full, you should ask the restaurant owner to stop serving it, because by the time the rice begins to expand in your stomach, you will no longer have the energy to eat.
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Chicken Rice
Tavuklu Pilavi is a traditional Turkish chickpeas rice dish with the rich flavor of rice, beans, etc. The rice is served with thinly sliced
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kokoreç
Kokoreç is sold all over Taksim Square, Istanul so you can freely choose to buy. This dish is made from the large intestine of a sheep, a specialty of Turkey. After being grilled, the large intestine will be chopped, mixed with different spicy spices and served with bread and salad. The food will be presented on a plate and looks extremely delicious.
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Asks
Pide in Türkiye, also known as Pizza, is essentially a flat bread baked in a charcoal oven. The top of the cake is sprinkled with various ingredients such as Turkish sausage, smoked beef, chopped lamb, avocado and some vegetables.
Usually, restaurant chefs or street traders will complete this dish by cracking an egg on top of the cake when it comes out of the oven to add flavor. On the other hand, eggs also make the dish more attractive and fatty.
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Fish and bread
In the list of the most popular street foods in Istanbul, the name balık-ekmek cannot be missing. This type of cake has another, more popular name, which is fish sandwich.
It looks a bit unique and difficult to eat, but when you enjoy it, you will feel a very unique flavor, and certainly the temptation of this dish is unavoidable.
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Maras Ice Cream
A street food in Istanbul that many tourists come to enjoy is Maraş Dondurma. In fact, this is a very special ice cream dish in Türkiye that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Unlike Italian ice cream, Turkish ice cream has a special natural flavor, is chewy and requires a lot of chewing.
Maraş Dondurma ice cream is made from the powder of Orchis mascula roots, so it feels very thick when eaten, instead of melting easily like other ice creams. When buying ice cream on the streets of Istanbul, you will also enjoy the skillful performances of the vendors. A really interesting experience, right?
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Situation
Dürüm is one of the culinary inventions of the Turks. You will only encounter them on a street corner when you are at the fanciest of restaurants. This meal will definitely fill you up with a variety of rolled ingredients such as chicken, beef, cheese or many vegetables you like.
To enjoy the comfort of enjoying special food, stop by Bambi or Kızılkayalar in Taksim Square at any hour of the day!
Above are some street foods not to be missed when coming to Istanbul, Türkiye. It will be a big regret if you do not experience the delicious dishes mentioned above for yourself. Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year to travel to Turkey, so you can pack your backpack and go right to this country with unique culture and cuisine!
