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Food Drinks Prices |
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Gözleme is a delicious pancake made by Turkish women. First the dough is rolled out on a small wooden table and then fried on a special griddle pan and filled with cheese and herbs. For late night fillings, go to one of the many cheap restaurants selling çorba (soup) to sample some of the delicious fresh soups - lentil soup is a good safe bet and is served with a squeeze of lemon and a mountain of bread. Other soups include tomato, chicken, rice & vegetable, tripe, trotters, or yoghurt, sour grain & spice. For a more sophisticated start to a meal, sample some of the Turkish meze (starters). There are an endless variety of hot and cold starters which you can select from the fridge (cacik - Turkish thick yoghurt dip, aubergine mash, bean dishes, courgette croquettes, cheese rolls (similar to spring rolls), pickled vegetables, cold baked aubergine with onion and tomato, dolma - stuffed vegetables and a whole range of fish, starters - squid, calamari, sardines, anchovies). Follow with some of Turkey’s excellent fish or seafood. Be aware of the price before you order, fish is sold by market price. Even so, it is probably still half the price of other western countries. Meat dishes are usually cheaper and include Adana kebap (spicy ground meat on a skewer), Iskender kebap (doner kebap served on flat bread and yoghurt), köfte (meatballs), sis kebap (grilled pieces of meat on a skewer), tasty chicken dishes and just about every edible part of a cow and sheep! It might not be a true Turkish dish, but the jacket potatoes that you can buy in the larger cities are excellent! Look for the black potato ovens with the word Kumpir. You get to choose a from a endless list of toppings including salami, russian salad, beetroot, corn, cheese, peas, yoghurt etc. There are hundreds of Bufe (on just about every main street) in the cities. Here you can buy hamburger type snacks filled with salami or sausage with cheese, tomatoes and pickles. For the sweet-toothed, Turkish Deserts are not to be missed. Every street has a pastane (sweetshop) bursting with sticky cakes, sweets, biscuits etc. Syrup-soaked baklava is the most famous Turkish desert. But for a less sickly choice, try some of the milk-based puddings or the excellent dondurma (icecream). One word of warning when ordering any food - always check the price before ordering, check the cover charge for the table and check the bill carefully when paying. You will be expected to pay for all dishes, even if you did not order the complimentary snacks.
DRINKS Forget about Turkey being a non-alcohol Muslim country. Alcohol is freely available everywhere. The national drink raki is an aniseed based liquor similar to Ouzo and Pernod and is drunk either straight (as a clear spirit) with a separate glass of water, or mixed half and half to produce a milky white drink. Be warned, it is deadly! The state liquor company Tekel also produce a drinkable (but strong) vodka and gin and a Turkish version of brandy and whisky. All are absurdly cheap (£3 for a litre). Turkey has its own brands of beer (bira), the most popular being Efes which is cheap and available both dark and light. Turborg and Troy are other good brands. Turkish wine demands an acquired taste, but after the first few bottles, it becomes quite drinkable and is very cheap. The best two brands are Kavaklidere and Doluca. Try some of the excellent sparkling varieties for a special treat. Drinking is accepted in all tourist areas, however if you step off the track, remember to be respectful to muslim traditions. If you don’t fancy alcoholic, there are plenty of soft options. Cay (tea) is the country’s favourite drink and you’ll be offered it everywhere, refusal will often offend, so don’t be frightened to accept (be warned that Turkish drink their tea without milk, so you must always insist for extra milk). Elma (apple) cay is delicious and good for that sugar craving, but try not to get too hooked as it is made purely of sugar and chemicals. For coffee lovers, the news is not so good. You are sure to find cappuccino and espresso in at least one bar in the tourist areas, but otherwise the choice is limited between Nescafé and kahve (similar to strong Greek coffee). To be a real Turk, drink ayran when you eat your kepab or pide. It’s a watered-down yoghurt drink usually with added salt, but make sure it’s chilled. There are endless fruit juices available, although often very sweet. Fresh orange juice is much more refreshing. Finally, water is so cheap, and available everywhere, so don’t even think about drinking tap water, your stomach will thank you for it! |