Topkapi!

Istanbul just keeps on giving. Topkapi Palace is full of intrigue -- emperors, sultans, concubines,  harems, eunuchs, many wives (isn't one wife work enough?), politics, royal families. It was a symbol of power for the Ottoman empire, and when the empire finally collapsed after World War 1 (around the time my grandparents left Turkey), the new government turned the palace compounds into a museum. All this commotion and drama would have made for a great HBO series. Now Topkapi is a World Heritage Site.

After standing in line with the hordes to buy tickets, you enter the 500+ year old palace through the Imperial gates.  At every glance there are gardens exploding with tulips (Istanbul is a tulip center -- we were lucky enough to come at the last gasp of tulip season -- Holland has nothing on Turkey when it come to tulips). Tulips feature so much in Turkish, they're reflected everywhere, from tile walls (of the palace and more), painting, pottery and such. There were no furnishings in the room, so it was hard to figure how the endless hallways and rooms fit together (a little eavesdropping on some group tours explained a little).

Of course, palaces usually boast the best real estate, so the views of the Bosphorus were breathtaking (even through a somewhat smoggy haze). There are plenty of places to get lost in the Palace which had numerous additions over the centuries. And at one point Adina and I lost each other for about 30 minutes. We eventually ran into each other just as I was formulating my plan about escape back to our hotel room.

We decided to forgo the extra visit to the Imperial Treasury because the line to get in was crazy long, wrapping itself around an entire courtyard. It was too hot and we were getting hungry.

As we were leaving we noticed generator trucks and scurrying about for some soft of event. Crews were setting up for Istanbul's jazz festival event for the next evening.

Loco for Loukma.

Hot fried dough orbs bathed in sweet syrup. That's an entire food category that makes me giddy. I still have memories of Indian Gulab Jamun in Jaipur...

This was sold as street food on my Bosphorus cruise stop. I bought them as we were leaving to board the ferry on its return. I ate a few. Adina gobbled a couple. A few "popped out" of my little dish in route and the rest I gave to a surprised but happy stranger while we waited to board the ferry. 

For many years I've made my version of loukma, which is called Bimuelos -- I even published one a few years ago in HOUR Magazine as a Sephardic Chanukah treat.

Here is my story (just click on the link). 

Bimuelos (or Loukma in Turkish)

Foods fried in oil are allegorical and traditional during Hanukkah. Most American Jews are of Eastern European descent and are known as Ashkenazim. Latkes, (fried potato pancakes) are the American “it” food at Hanukkah. Like their German or Polish relations, latkes stem from the culinary traditions of these countries.

Jews who settled in Spain and Portugal, are referred to as Sephardim. The Spanish Inquisition scattered Sephardim to, among other places, what is now Greece and Turkey, where other cooking styles were adopted. Among these are fried sweets called bimuelos, small yeast fritters, drizzled with honey syrup.

Bimuelos

Vegetable oil for frying

Batter

1/2 cup warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 packet (about 2 teaspoons)
active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2-1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Another 1/2 cup warm water
1 large egg

Honey Syrup

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Prepare the batter: Combine water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Allow the mixture to sit until it becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining batter ingredients and, using an electric mixer, beat until uniform. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp (not wet) towel and allow the batter to rise for 1 hour.

While the batter is rising, prepare the honey syrup. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and slowly bring to

a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow

to cool.

Fry the batter: Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towel.

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large saucepan over high heat, to 375 degrees. Use one spoon to scoop up a small amount of batter. Use another spoon to form the batter into a ball while dropping it into the oil (do not crowd the pan). The fritters will puff and rise to the surface of the oil. Cook 1-2 minutes, turning them in the oil to cook all around.

When cooked, transfer the bimuelos to a bowl and drizzle with the syrup. Serve hot or warm. Makes 12 servings.

Spice Girl.

One benefit of the Bosphorus cruise is that you end up where you started, right in Eminönü.  What this means to foodies (and non-foodies) is the Istanbul Misir Carsisi, the old Egyptian Market (Misir mean Egypt and coincidentally  "corn" -- the food on a cob). This is the holy grail of markets -- the famous spice market. It's big, it's bustling and it's an amazing photo experience. Every spice you can imagine (and some I've never heard of) is represented here. 

But it's not all spices -- it's food (nuts, dried fruits),  typical bazaar stuff -- knickknacks, souvenirs. What comes with these all these stalls selling are the owners of the shops, each wanting you to "give me a chance" to sell you their wares. Nothing turns me off from shopping than someone forcing me to do it. Besides, I still have spices I brought back from my Morocco adventure in 2001 (now they are just souvenirs -- I promise I'll throw them away when I get home). And a friend, recently returned from India, brought me some fresh spices I still haven't broken into). 

Spices have a limited shelf life. They don't get rancid or anything, they just become dull. And dull spices, like dull people, just aren't that desirable. 

Still, the spice market Misir Carsisi is worth the visit. If you don't buy the spices (or candy, nuts or dried fruits), or anything else here, don't worry, you'll find it again and again and again at every farmer's maket, street corner, other bazaar or little shop, all over town. 

On the periphery of the market you can buy live birds, bunnies, guinea pigs and other assorted pets and pet paraphernalia, as well as