Foodie tour of the spice market

On Monday morning we were met by Kathy again and headed out for our “Foodie tour” where she had promised us that we would “graze” our way thru the Spice Markets…..YUM!!!!

We took the tram to Eminonu station and walked past the “New Mosque” which was where we had gotten lost  several days ago.

There was a huge plaza filled with pigeons and, of course, there were vendors selling trays of bird seed……

I had wondered about the Doner Kabob restaurants that dotted the area.  Did they make their own meat layers or did they buy it pre-made.  This photo seems to answer that question……

As we entered the Spice Markets we were greeted by the  cacophony of smells and the usual mixture of shops with each having a specialty…..

……olives  (didn’t know there were so many kinds)…….

……sausages…….  …not sure what I like best in this photo…..all of the many nuts for sale or this guy checking out his hair in a shop mirror……

….lungs, stomach or feet anyone???………

….spices and grape leaves……

…henna for a tattoo party……

….special ingredients for teas…….

…..or Turkish Delight!!!…….

The Spice Market was originally a medicinal market and this was one of the first pharmacies.  This gentleman is qualified to dispense herbs and other medicines…..

Not far down the corridor we entered this wonderful shop and spent about 30 minutes buying all sorts of delightful things……

He had huge slabs of Turkish Delight….the red one is Pomegranate based….

The proprietor carefully bagged up our choices and then vacuumed sealed them so that they could enter the country.  Here he is dishing up a bag of dried figs….. When I pointed to tea leaves and said that I wanted to purchase some, he pointed to a bag and said that it was better quality AND cheaper, and was what the local’s would buy.

This is a shot of one of the corridors of the Spice Market.  Interestingly, we were confronted with hawkers much more here than in the Grand Bazaar…guess we looked hungry!!!!

The next stop was to the shop that, according to Kathy, has the best Baklava in town.  If nothing else, they certainly have the best selection!!!!! 

We picked out our choices and headed upstairs to enjoy our treats with some hot drinks. They were all very sweet and very yummy.

I loved this Turkish Coffee container…….

We moved out of the Bazaar building and walked along the paths to see the outside stores.  This may look like nuts, but it is actually pet foods….. 

…and medicinal leeches of all sizes are available…..

….and this garden shop sells seeds and onion sets……

We continued walking and ended up in the fish marketplace which is right on the bay.  I loved the way these fish were artistically displayed…….

I was also impressed with the disposal system of water channels that ran from the shops and out to sea….. 

At this point it had been about 15 minutes since we had eaten so Kathy proclaimed that it was time for more food.  Fish this time.  She ordered a plate of  Hamsi (Sardines) that were being freshly fried as we watched…….

We sat at our table, complete with newsprint placemats and looked at this huge plate of fish.

What to do….what to do…… make sardine sandwiches with a leaf of Rocket, a slice of onion and a squeeze of lemon……

….delicious!!!!!

Here we are before starting the feast…….

As we waddled away  we passed two noteworthy items.   The first is a tea tray that I have described in earlier posts.   These are used to ferry cups of tea to the various shopkeepers……

I also liked this well-used scale and weight set……

We ambled further along and ended up in a hardware area and found these bags of wonderful colored powder…….

Kathy explained that this is how paint is colored.  You buy the base paint and then add your own dye powder.    I’m sure that it makes for some interesting colors……

In preparing for our ferry ride to the other side of Istanbul, Kathy suggested that we purchase a Simit to feed the seagulls with.   Knowing how good they are, it was very hard not to eat it myself….. We once again hopped on the Ferry and headed across the  Bosphorous Strait to the Asian side of Istanbul.  Kathy pointed out various landmarks as we sailed, including this hospital where Florence Nightingale served during the Crimean war……

As we were coming into port, I saw a streak of grey moving in the water and realized that there were several dolphins gamboling around the ship.   As they continued to play, more and more people moved to our side of the Ferry and the mood lightened visibly.  Nobody can be mad when dolphins are around!!

Since it had now been over 30 minutes since our last food ingestion, Kathy suggested a fun spot for a touch of something to drink.  She and Michael both had coffee, but I opted for lemonade that had mint in it.  It was cool and very refreshing .  Besides, who can say no to a curly straw!!…… We sat in an upstairs room that had interesting, eclectic furniture….. We walked past this tray of stuffed mussels and asked Kathy if we should try one.  She smartly talked us out of this particular tasty treat…..

OK, walk for 10 more minutes and then stop at the CIYA Cafe and have another meal.   Kathy ordered mezze (appetizer) size servings of several items …..

…..well, TEN items to be exact……

We enjoyed eating out of  metal bowls and trying various Kurdish delicacies such as Meatballs and Cherries, Stewed Artichoke, Yoghurt Soup with Meatballs, Bulghar Balls, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Stewed Spinach, Yoghurt, Celery Root and Stewed Beans.

At the end of the meal we were brought glasses of lemonade and fruit juices to finish off the dining experience.

And in case we were still hungry, Kathy took us past the “Roasted Sheep head” stand……. …and thru the pickle shop featuring everything from Oranges to Pine Cones….

At this point, we were ready to sit and relax and quickly found a Nargile shop where we could do just that…..and smoke a water pipe at the same time.  Kathy sat with us for a while and, after making sure that we knew our way back to the dock, said goodbye.

As we walked back to the dock, I saw several men selling little slips of paper.  I found out the next day that they were lottery tickets!!!

It was extremely windy and I can’t imagine how he kept them from blowing away!!

As we traveled back to our hotel, we discussed the fact that we really enjoyed the Asian side of Istanbul more than the European side, probably because it is so much less touristy!! 

The day ended with the requisite “Terrace Time”!!  We needed all of the rest time possible because tomorrow WE PACK!!!!