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Hellos from Istanbul! – Istanbul'dan Merhaba!







A magical trip to the city of Istanbul; even though I lived there for over 30 years, Istanbul still makes my heart beat fast, everytime I go. The colours, smells of spices, hospitality of its people, this city of many civilizations is a place not to be missed.

We were there at the Republic Day, and it was lovely to see the city covered with Turkish flags. A must stop is Hamdi Restaurant over looking the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and Old Istanbul, a feast to all your senses. Conveniently located by the Spice Market, it is a great spot to taste wonderful kebaps and mezes and enjoy the views.

While you are there, make sure to visit Spice Market; the colours, the smells will mesmerise you! Great place to stock up wonderful spices, dried peppers and eggplants, Turkish Delight and many more.

More Istanbul photos and recipes will follow soon – Turkish style pumpkin desert is cmoing up next, Happy past Halloween!

6 Responses to Hellos from Istanbul! – Istanbul'dan Merhaba!

  1. Anonymous November 1, 2010 at 9:09 am #

    Hello

    I would be grateful if you can please help me. I want to make lokum and your recipe – (http://www.ozlemsturkishtable.com/2010/05/turkish-delight-lokum.html) didn't work for me as then end product did not set and was sloppy. plz help,thanks. Nice website ;0)

  2. Beau Lotus 涟 November 1, 2010 at 11:41 am #

    I love Istanbul too though I was last there 15 years ago now. Lovely to be able to live it through your blog. 🙂

  3. Anonymous November 1, 2010 at 11:37 pm #

    Istanbul is truely magical and facinating.I was there summer 09 wtih my familiy and we felt in love with the city. The people were so warm and welcoming, some of them could evan recite the national hymn of Pakistan :)We had so many good food experiances and we also loved Hamdis.

  4. Ozlem's Turkish Table November 3, 2010 at 4:01 am #

    Merhaba,

    So wonderful to get your lovely comments about Istanbul – it sure is magical and I am grateful to share and hear experiences. My best wishes for more trips to Turkey, Selamlar,
    Ozlem

  5. Ozlem's Turkish Table November 3, 2010 at 4:03 am #

    Hello Beau,
    Many thanks for your comment. It is a city that lives 24 hours and even though it is changing, it is wonderful to feel the past and history alive. I hope you make it there again soon.
    Best wishes,
    Ozlem

  6. Ozlem's Turkish Table November 3, 2010 at 4:10 am #

    Hello,

    Thank you for your comment. Making Turkish Delight is a hard hard task and I admire you giving a go. It needs set preferably overnight or more if you can. There are various recipes and while looking out for you, I found the below website who has good reviews on Turkish Delight. Using some more lemon juice and cream of tartar will hopefully fgive better results.
    http://mideastfood.about.com/od/dessertssweetspastries/r/turkishdelight.htm

    I look forward to hearing how you get on, best of luck!
    Ozlem

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