Honeymoon in Turkey

My husband-to-be and I will be honeymooning in Turkey in May. We will be visiting Istanbul, Antalya, and Ankara among other places. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions regarding particular foods we should try, or restaurants we should visit while there. Last night, I met an older lady who was born in Istanbul. She advised me to try a type of "chicken pudding" that is common there. She wrote down the name for me, but of course I don't have it here.

Any suggestions, or just reflections on Turkey in general would be appreciated.

maureencd wrote:She advised me to try a type of "chicken pudding" that is common there. She wrote down the name for me, but of course I don't have it here.

Tavukgögsü (chicken breast pudding)?

Bill/SFNM

Tavukgögsü.

The very thing! I spelled it out phonetically. Thanks for giving me the actual spelling.[/quote]

maureen,

There's a book on Turkish food that I bet would be a great help to you on your trip: Eat Smart in Turkey, by Joan and David Peterson. We have the Eat Smart in Mexico book by the same authors, and it's great: lots of definitions of ingredients and menu dishes, with regional specialties noted. So I'd expect their Turkish volume to be equally good.

Here's a link on Amazon.

Have a wonderful honeymoon, and congratulations!

Amata

Congratulations!

I think yu have picked a wonderful honeymoon location. Turkeyis a beautiful country with lots of cultural offerings, scenic beauty and great food.

Some things that come to mind from my trip are:

Gozleme - These are pancake thin flatbreads filled with either a ground meat mixture or a white cheese and parsley mix. Both were delicious. Try to get to a location where you can watch these being prepared. We ate at an outdoor restaurant in Istanbul where there were low tables scattered around and two women using a very, very thin rolling pin making the gozleme in the center of the restaurant. The gozleme, after they are rolled out, are cooked on a griddle very similar to an Indian "tava."

We enjoyed drinking Ayran with the Gozleme. Ayran is a yogurt-based drink which is salty. Quite refreshing in the heat.

You wil also see plenty of Lahmacum - a thin pizza topped with ground meat - either lamb or ground beef. These are a fine snack and have a flavor and texture that is quite distinct from the American pizza.

Make sure you take the ferry which crosses the Bhosphorus. This is a spectacular scenic experience plus, if you go on a Sunday it is half price and therefore a great draw for the locals who are very warm and friendly.
Gastronomically this is a great trip - at each ferry stop there is some local specialty you can enjoy. Not to be missed are the grilled fish served on a crusty roll with fresh herbs and lemon . Very simple, but delicious. Also not to be missed is the yogurt that is sold by vendors at one of the ferry stops. They come right onto the ferry to sell it- the yogurt is thick and creamy and has a thick coating of confectioners' sugar dusted on top.

Ah, makes me want to go back!! Have a great time.

Jyoti

Well, as they say -- the honeymoon's over.

My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon in Turkey on Wednesday night. It was a two week bus tour during which we saw most of the highlights of the country (The Aegean cost, the Mediterranean, Ephesus, Cappadocia, Ankara and finally Istanbul). I know what you're thinking -- and you're right. It was EXTREMELY romantic. I mean, how many of you have had the chance to share a twelve hour bus ride with your new spouse and 24 geriatric tourists?

But enough about my good fortune . . . let's talk about the food.

At each hotel, we had what I think is a typical turkish breakfast. There were generally an assortment of semi-sweet breads and several different types of fresh cheeses. Most of them were very feta-like. Every buffet also featured at least two types of olives. However, the star of the breakfast table most certainly had to be the yogurt. There was always a big bowl of fresh yogurt with an assortment of jams for mixing. Some places had yogurt mixed with sesame oil, which I was not brave enough to try. No turkish coffee in the mornings. Most places we went to had a Nescafe machine as sop for the tourists.

We were generally on the bus when lunchtime rolled around. Our tourguide would stop at roadside restaurants. Most of these were cafeteria or buffet-style. One or two had table service. After consulting my guidebook, I think that these type of places are called "Lokantas" (although our guide never referred to them as such). Most of these places served an assortment of salads, buttered rice, and some stewed vegetables (always eggplant and something else). A specialty seemed to be eggplant with ground beef. My poor husband was appalled by this combination for some reason. My favorite meal at these roadside joints was on the road between Ankara and Istanbul where I was served three of the tenderest little lamb chops for a cost of 9 turkish lire (about $6.50).

On several occasions we got to have dinner away from the tour group. This gave us a chance to visit some local restaurants. In Izmir we went to a competent Italian restaurant with a beautiful view of the Aegean. My favorite meal was in Antalya (on the Mediterranean) at a kebab place in the old city. We sat outside and ordered the mixed grill. Our waiter seemed to be working overtime to please us. Along with our enormous tray o' meat, he also struck a match to a glass-full of cleaning solution, so that we could have a green torch on our table. So kind of him. Then, after dinner, he wrapped our coffee cups in napkins and set THEM on fire. What a showman! We left him a big tip and hurried away before he tried to light us on fire.

My one problem with Turkey is that they have no pork products. In my logical mind, I knew that this would be the case. However, my heart and soul protested everytime they tried to offer me a piece of veal ham. Dear God.