Istanbul Day 3: Turkish Cooking

We limited our Sunday adventures to Topkapi Palace, a Turkish cooking class, and istiklal Street.  On our way to the Palace, we happened upon a beautiful park where I actually saw tulips.  The tour guide had ademitly insisted the day before that tulips were not from Holland.  Instead, they originated in Turkey - the true tulip capital.

When the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet captured Constantinople in the 1400's, he built Topkapi Palace - a large complex with offices, military barracks, family residence, and a reception hall.  Through the following decades each sultan added his own architectural changes creating a hodgepodge of styles.

We started in the harem which refers to the sultan's wives, favorites, and concubines and their section of the Palace.  Although they could have up to four wives, most sultans chose only one.  The concubines were the female slaves who kept the house.  The sultan's wives and mother could select up to four "favorites" with whom the Sultan could "sleep."  A very interesting arrangement.  The women of the Ottoman empire actually possessed a great deal of power.  I learned  the 16th and 17th centuries are known as the "reign of the ladies" when the sultans' mother and wives essentially ran the Empire.

Again, the sheer opulence astounded me.  The mosaic tiles, gold mirrors, marble baths, and stone walkways make Mount Vernon look like a shack.  This palace alone illustrates the difference between a country where the leaders held much of the wealth and the beginning of our country where the leaders - while not quite "everyperson" - were not kings.

We took a break to try "Turkish coffee" at the cafe.  Tukish coffee is not a type of coffee, but it is a way coffee is prepared.  The grounds float freely in the brew leaving behind a layer of thick mud and requiring frequent stirring.  Although the strong coffee provide a well needed jolt, I will stick to cappuccinos. 

We returned to the hotel for a private Turkish cooking class with their chef.  We made karniyarik -  stuffed eggplant, Muhallebi - pudding, and sebzeli domates corbasi - vegtable soup.   For measuring ingredients,  he used drinking glasses and soup spoons.  A cup meant a literal cup.

In the evening, we squeezed in a trip to istikal Street, a pedestrian boulevard that is said to represent today's Turkey and houses one of the few Catholic Churches.  We walked up San Fransisco size city hills and arrived in a flood of people.  I felt like I was leaving RFK after DMB played their last song.   For three three hours, I kept repeating, "Where are all these people going?"

The day ended with a kabob and a very wet walk home.

Another delicious day.