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Lokum, or Turkish delight, from Istanbul
Our Istanbul Food & Travel Guide is here! It’s our eighth destination guide on Kindle ($5.99; available on Amazon.com), but it’s extra special because it’s an Amazon exclusive—that’s right, this food guide is available on Amazon before it’s even on our website! (Think of it as an early release of our future kickass Istanbul section.)
Given Turkey’s epic history, you could spend years studying and sampling the cuisine of Istanbul—but if you don’t have that luxury of time, this new guide is for you. Here, we zero in on the most iconic of Istanbul’s foods and drinks—the greatest hits, you might say, from history and popular culture, from ancient boza (a fermented-bulgur drink) and everyday döner to street simit and late-night kokoreҫ. It’s your guide to the dizzying array of dishes known as Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı) and, later in the day, meze; here you’ll find the cultural significance of Turks’ favorite beverages—ҫay, ayran, rakı—explained. As with all our other guides, names are named—of kebab shops, meyhanes, bakeries, confectioners, lokantas—and maps are provided. Eat and drink these 22 things and you’ll savor the city’s essentials, meet its food producers/vendors, and wander through its myriad neighborhoods. In a word, you’ll really experience Istanbul…in the best-tasting way possible
