On Encountering a New Food Shed

My absolute favorite thing to seek out in a new city is their food market. The distinctive sights and smells make each market unique. It's fascinating to see how the products available in the market define the area's foodshed. I've found that each market has a sort of signature, a distinctive way the produce is displayed. And you can begin to get a sense of the people by the quirky way they interact.

Markets connect people like nothing else, and no city has a market history quite like Istanbul. In this place where the east literally meets the west, trade has defined Istanbul, whether it was called Byzantion, Constantinople or Istanbul.

After getting worn out by the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Spice Market (pushy salespeople, too-high prices), we took a ferry to Kadikoy (cad-i-coo-ie) in search of what the guide books say is Istanbul's best market. After a little wandering, we found ourselves in a district of pedestrian-only streets marching up a hill overlooking the Bosphorus. A true neighborhood market, this one seemed ideal to me with its cobblestoned streets lined with food shops, restaurants and watering holes, apothecaries and other practical shops. We were definitely the standouts, being the only tourists in the area , but I could envision being quite happy to source my food here, and everything else I might need to live a happy life if I was an Istanbulla.

The stalls and stores were full of products representing the bounty of the region. I couldn't help drawing comparisons to California, my birthplace and what I've always considered an ideal food region. Istanbul borders the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, but they enjoy what we would call a Mediterranean diet. Stores offered a vast array of cheeses, olives, regional oils, fresh fruits and lots and lots of vegetables, many of which won't be ripe back home until about August. There were fish like none I'd seen. And the stuffed mussels they hawk all over Istanbul. Spices and exotic ingredients in jars and tins. It made we wonder about the size of the foodshed, and where it all comes from. So we went to a restaurant called Ciya (chee-ya), which specializes in Anatolian regional cuisine.

But in the market we just looked, and I took a lot of pictures. I regret I didn't have a lira to toss the old Greek man with his basked of eggs for his photo; trust me, he was totally National Geographic. I always feel a bit unwelcome taking photos in a market. The vendors would rather I buy. Oh, I'll buy something to gnosh on, but if I'm traveling, I can't stock up. I wish I could, because after seeing the beauty of their offerings, I wanted to cook up a fabulous meal. But I can't resist snapping away! I choose to believe they will opt to take it as a compliment that I found their display photo-worthy and thus appreciate my recording it. And I hope you can feel a little of the special quality of Istanbul and its food in these images.