Street Food in Istanbul

Istanbul is full of delicious street food. Here are some examples:

Vendors sell a variety of seasonal fruits. Besides apples and bananas, this one is selling cherries and fresh, green plums. These plums are tart and crisp. At first I thought they were small, green tomatoes. 

My favorite street food, however, comes from the food carts that sell freshly squeezed juices. Orange ("portakal") juice is common. My favorite though is pomegranite ("nar"). Typical prices are 1-5 Turkish lira (TL).  2 TL = $1. 

"Simit" is similar to a sesame bagel except it is thinner, drier, and less chewy. 

Food carts also sell roasted corn on the cob and roasted chestnuts. 

I don't have a photo of a guy selling "midye dolmas", but they are another common street food. These "mussel dolmas" are a cooked mixture of fresh mussels, rice, and spices served on a mussel shell. The other half of the shell is put on top. For days I thought these food carts were selling whole mussels in the shell until I had midye dolmas in a restaurant.  The midye dolmas are delicious and are normally eaten with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. So you'll see a stand of mussel shells and lemons. That will be the midye dolma stand. 

You may have noticed I referred to all the vendors as he. That is because I never saw a female food vendor and rarely any female shopkeepers. 

The Birthplace of Freedom Fries

One of my favorite stories of politics and food involves when a conservative North Carolina Congressman forced the US House of Representatives' cafeteria to change the name of "French fries" to "freedom fries".  Why?  Because the French government refused to join the US in the debacle of invading Iraq. 

When the media asked for a response from the French embassy over renaming the fries, the response was a classicly French drole response. I don't recall the response word-for-word alas, but the response was basically that the US Congress could rename their cafeteria food as they saw fit and besides pomme frites were a Begian invention. The response made the Congressman look like a buffoon. 

And indeed the French embassy spokesman was correct:  "pomme frites",  the fried potatoes much loved by Belgians and Americans alike, are Belgium's national dish.  Whole cafés and pomme frites stands are dedicated to preparing and selling pomme frites to a hungry Belgian public. Often the frites come in a cone and are usually eaten with mayonnaise rather than ketchup. 

But just remember, like freedom, freedom fries aren't free.

Paris: Holy Crêpe!

crêpe:  thin like a tortilla but closer to the consistency of a pancake, the French crepe is used for both sweet and savory street dishes.  Be aware that the French pronunciation is closer to the English word crap than to the English pronunciation for crepe.  It is a bit unsettling.

Tonight I took a 10 mile walk in the wonderful 65 F evening along the Promenade des Plantes, a former railroad viaduct now turned into a 3 mile raised garden/walkway.  The other night I'd tried to buy a crepe from a street vendor and was told that it was forbidden to sell carryout food after 1am -but that I could eat in the restaurant.  I find this and other French laws sometimes surprising.  You can buy booze and topless soft porn magazines in the checkout lane of the grocery store.  Prostitution is legal.  Any couple -friends, roommates, gay couples- can form legal partnerships akin to marriage....but you cannot buy a carryout crepe after 1am?!  Perhaps there is some heretofore unknown hazard to late night crepes that I'm unaware of?

Anyhow, tonight I went back and despite my fretting over my poor French, I ordered a ham and cheese crepe with seeming success.  The creperies make a stake of crepes and then grill on the crepe maker whatever filling you want.  It was really good.

But the crepe guy realized I spoke English -he is the one who told me "carryout is forbidden" the other night.  He asked where I was from in English.  I told him.  I then asked if he was a native of Paris.  He looked like a number of people here who are of mixed French and Asian ancestry.  Then he says:  "I'm from Afghanistan."  Awkward moment.  So, I say "Our countries are kind of involved now."  ("Involved" covers so many things ranging from affairs to wars.)  And then he graciously says things are better now in Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion.  His father and brother disappeared into a prison there under the Taliban, and he doesn't know whatever happened to them.  He moved here 15 years ago.  He was really nice.   

Paris: The Falafel Sandwich

The delicious falafel sandwich represents one of the least expensive meals in Paris.  All of the falafel vendors I've seen are along the rue des Rosiers, the heart of the Jewish quarter.  These sandwiches consist of a white pita bread stuffed with a spicy eggplant mixture, hummus, a yogurt-cucumber sauce and a choice of curried chicken, beef, or chicken.

Paris: Outdoor Markets

biologique:  organic

marché:  market

bon marché:  cheap, inexpensive (literally "good market")

cher:  expensive (Who knew Cher's name literally was French for expensive?)

Inside the Place d'Aligre market -which has 

a covered area like New Orleans' French Market

Great outdoor markets abound in Paris.  The French don't spray preservatives on their food, and many people like to shop for fresh produce, meat, fish, and cheese at street markets.  

Some are more trendy and expensive than others.  The biologique -or organic- market on Boulevard Raspail for example is currently very hip with celebrities.  Ina Garten -the Barefoot Contessa chef on the Food Network- recommends it.  On weekends the prices are supposedly double what they are during the weekday market.

Most markets open only on certain days.  A few -like the less expensive market at Place d'Aligre- open every weekday (I'm not sure about  weekends).  I liked the Place d'Aligre market best because it was close to my apartment and less expensive.  The quality and variety in these markets amazed me.  I was also amazed how an area the day before or after a market would be spotless and completely empty.  The day of the market, however, the fish and other displays looked permanent and stationary.  The vendors must build and break down these displays with great speed and keep the area really clean during and after the markets.  The Thursday market on Boulevard Richard Lenoir near my apartment was huge and featured not just food but clothes and jewelry too.

 

 

Chinese foods for sell in the market

Cheeses

Paris: A Visit to a French McDonald's

pommes: apples

pommes de terre: potatoes...literally "apples of the earth"

pommes frites: French fries...actually a Belgian invention

Craving a quick meal -that I could easily order with my poor French- I tried my first French McDonald's on Saturday. I stopped by the one near the Blvd. Haussmann.

A Filet-o-Fish value meal -or rather what we would call one in the US costs about 6.5 Euros or about $7.70 at the time. Thus, it is quite a bit more expensive. The food tasted largely the same. The fish tasted better than we have at home. In fact, it seemed to have more fish than the fish plus fillers we seem to get at McDonald's at home in the US.

The fries -les pommes frites- tasted quite the same. I do notice the food is less salty here.

One thing of interest was that the fries came with two sauces: ketchup and a mysterious Pommes Frites Sauce. It is kind of like a mild Tartar sauce. Fairly tasty.