Ozlem's Turkish Table

Hellos from Istanbul again; indeed the city of the world’s desire. We visited Hagia Sophia today – I must have been there over 20 times by now and everytime I go back I learn something new and Hagia Sophia keeps on fascinating us. Completed in 537 and reigned as the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest by the Ottomans in 1453, Hagia Sophia remains as the most famous monument of Istanbul.

It is a joy to see that the interior renovation inside Hagia Sophia is now complete and you can appreciate this magnificent museum with no distractions.I keep on admiring the wonderful giant round plagues of Islam (with the name of God, “Allah” and Prophet Mohammed) right next to the mosaics of Virgin Mary and Christ, delightful at the dome.

And this is Hagia Sophia’s friendly cat that we all admired!

Next stop is the tranquil Basilica Cistern, where the Byzantians used to store water for the great palace – and a wonderful stop to cool down in the summer time!

And this is Argos column in the Cistern; this is considered to be one of the roots of the “evil eye”, as the thousands eyes on the column meant to protect from the evil eye.

Anyone for rugs? Turkish rugs are of high quality as they are made with double knots. We had the pleasure of waching how the rugs were woven at Nakkas Rug store, where they have a wonderful collection of tribal, wool, silk rugs and many more.

Top quality rugs explained by experts and a fine example of Turkish hospitality, highly recommended. And the Ottoman prints and Turkish Iznik tiles are irresistable too!

How about food? Nothing symbolises Turkish street food more than “Simit” – susame covered round pastries, available in every coner on street stalls.

And simit is best enjoyed over a glass of cay, our national drink, served on tulip shaped glasses. Cay is enjoyed here all through the day, a drink of friendsip and hospitality, offered to everyone whereever you go. I drink to that:)

Until next time, happy travels!

Hellos from Istanbul! Here we are all congregated in this fascinating city – I am still piching myself:)-
Our first stop was the magnificient Renaissance style Dolmabahce Palace to remember the opulance of the Ottoman Empire, even at its last legs with all its glory.


The soldier who stands still nonstop at the gate simply fascinates us

And the beautiful gateway from the Palace that opens up to the Bosphorus is just breathtaking, what a view!

In the evening, we had a real feast of Agean style mezes, fish and wonderful dessert at the Giritli restaurant in Sultanahmet. They source all their vegetables and herbs from the Agean region and all the mezes are a feast to the eye and stomach:)Here we are enjoying smoked eggplants, grilled octapus, fava bean puree, roasted red peppers, purslane wıth garlic yoghurt, pickled cucumbers, Aegean style marinated olives with feta cheese and many more. You get to taste a variety of freshly prepared mezes, a real treat.

And this is fresh seabass cooked in Aegean style, simply grilled with a little olive oil, served with rocket leaves and slice of lemon – a lovely and traditional way to enjoy it.

And this is our favorite dessert – Bodrum Lokmasi. A very light batter of yeast, warm water and flour is being fried as little drops. Then a warm syrup is pour over it.

Bodrum lokmasi is served with the wonderful Turkish ice cream, what a way to end a feast:)

I hope you enjoy the post and all we have been up to, and I truly hope you make it to Istanbul sometime to enjoy even more. I think what makes this country so special is the people and their hospitality, so welcoming. Highly recommended:)

I am soon off to Turkey to host an exciting culinary and cultural tour of my homeland! Me and 11 enthusiastic travelers and foodies, some of whom had been kindly at my Turkish cooking classes in Texas, will be exploring the many wonders of Turkey; so looking forward to it:)

We shall be exploring fascinating historical sites like Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, the battle fields of Gallipoli in Dardanelles, the ancient Greco-Roman city Ephesus at the Aegean coast, St Peter’s Grotto and the Mosaic Museum in Antioch (the world’s 2nd biggest) and many more. We all are very excited!

We shall loose ourselves at the wonderful smell, spices, colours at the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar,

We shall enjoy the wonderful Turkish cuisine like the locals do, and even better, will learn how to make it:)

So please watch this space to check out all the many wonders that we will be experiencing at my homeland in the next few weeks. I will try and post news from Turkey, my homeland, whenever I can and I hope you enjoy it:)

Best wishes for safe travels to all – Iyi Yolculuklar!