A familiar flavour: Street food chickpea and rice
Since it is frequently cooked at homes as well, chickpea and rice may sound quite familiar. But it must be especially noted that the flavour of the chickpea and rice cooked at home is never the same as the one on the street. Moreover, it is even more special when eaten with the addition of chicken, as chickpea & chicken & rice. To get the taste of this flavour to the fullest, we recommend you not to miss when you see a rice wagon, and also order ayran to drink beside it.
Haunting taste: Kokorec
Kokorec, which is one of the most characteristic dishes of Turkish cuisine, is one of the first to come to mind when it is a matter of İstanbul’s street delicacies. For this flavour that you can come across on food wagons on streets, snack bars and restaurants are also becoming more and more common day by day.
Becoming indispensable once tasted for those who stand distant at first impression, kokorec is made from calf or lamb meat. Small and large bowels are skewed and cooked by rotating. After the meat is cooked, spices such as black pepper, chili pepper, thyme and salt are added, and meat is finely chopped and served in a half or quarter size bread depending on your choice. By the way, we should note that pickles go very well with kokorec! Moreover, if you order ayran or pickle juice beside it, you will have made the best of İstanbul’s street delicacies. For eating the best kokorec in İstanbul, you can go to the towns of Çengelköy or Kadıköy.
With plenty of toppings: Ortaköy Kumpir
Baked potato, butter and kashar cheese… As this trio comes together, is it possible that a tasteless food comes up? Kumpir is prepared with a baked fat potato being cut from the middle and blending the inside with kashar, salt and butter. With the colourful salad, appetiser and garniture included, it reaches a superior flavour. And the address to eat this food, which has a stable place among İstanbul’s street delicacies, is quite obvious: Ortaköy! If you drop by Ortaköy or if you go there only to eat this excellent delicacy, have your kumpir prepared with your favourite toppings and enjoy eating by the fragrant seaside air.
Warm and sincere: Simit
You must have heard of or seen that famous depiction of “throwing simit to the seagulls” from people telling about İstanbul or in those classic İstanbul photos. Because simit is the most liked İstanbul street delicacy both with the nostalgic meanings it associates and its flavour. Virtually the saviour of the moments of hunger while walking on the crowded streets of İstanbul. And if there is well-steeped tea beside it, the pleasure is doubled.
Having survived to our day from the Ottoman period, the crispy simit has a unique attraction indeed when freshly out of oven and it is smoking hot. On the other hand, we can easily say that we can find the best simit in İstanbul with the sellers with food wagons at squares, town markets or side streets.
Scenery companion: Fish sandwich
Telling about İstanbul’s street delicacies, we should not skip the excellently smelling fish sandwich. As an unforgettable taste with onions, greens and soft bread, fish sandwich is a flavour that attracts the attention of both İstanbulites and local/foreign tourists. Karaköy and Eminönü are virtually heavens when it comes to fish bread! The smell of fish sandwiches cooked on boats attracts you as you pass by and you can suddenly find yourself eating a fish sandwich against the sea view.
Even its smell is enough: Roasted chestnut
It is a delicious food that makes you say “I am in İstanbul!” at the moment you get its unique smell. It is a street delicacy that you should definitely find an opportunity and taste during your İstanbul trips, especially in the winter months. You can fill in a paper bag this food, which you can often see on food wagons especially when you walk around Beyoğlu region, and have a walk on İstiklal Avenue, or you can take a mini İstanbul tour by going down to Karaköy from Kuledibi. Remember that you should taste roasted chestnuts when you are hungry, not full. Because chestnut is also well-renowned with its benefits and nourishing.
Ambrosial taste: Stuffed mussels
If you are one of those who say “Not without eating stuffed mussels!”, you are very lucky, because stuffed mussels are one of the irreplaceable street delicacies of İstanbul. Once you start eating this delicacy, which can be found at every corner in İstanbul, we do not think that you will stop eating fewer than ten at a time. The mouth-watering stuffed mussels with plenty of lemon juice and palatable seasoned rice can be found in many towns and districts, particularly in Taksim, Beşiktaş and Kadıköy. If you wonder where to eat the best stuffed mussels in İstanbul, we recommend you to turn your route directly to Beşiktaş.
Crispy and delicious: İstanbul-style fried mussels
Fried mussels, which attract you with its smell even before you taste it, are one of the best and crispy street foods that you can have in İstanbul. You can enjoy this taste, which is cooked by lining the mussels dipped in flour, egg, soda and carbonate, and frying them on wooden skewers, by dipping them in the wonderful tarator sauce with walnut.
A classic for winter: Boza
Boza, a traditional and relaxing flavour that reminds most people of the best memories of their childhood. In fact, many Turkish people’s parents must have told about those well-known boza sellers walking on the streets, shouting out: “Bozaaa!” in winter months. Well, for drinking that nostalgic delicacy duly with cinnamon and roasted chickpea, you can drop by Vefa town of Fatih.
Only one is not enough: Wet burger
Another one of the street delicacies of İstanbul, the fame of which has crossed the city borders, is the wet burger. Wet burger conquers the stomachs with its fluffy hamburger bread covered with special tomato sauce all around and its wonderful meatballs. This delicacy has become so popular recently that Taksim and wet burgers are like an inseparable duo. This delicious hamburger, which is famous for usually being eaten at late hours at Taksim Square, can now be experienced at many corners of İstanbul. But we are telling you, its taste is distinguished in Taksim.
If you are looking forward to tasting the palatable street delicacies of İstanbul, from kokorec to roasted chestnuts, wet burger to stuffed mussels, you can get an İstanbul flight ticket!
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