My most recent trip to Istanbul was inspired not so much by a need to sample once again the good Turkish cuisine that I enjoy but because I had become curious about the candy known throughout the Near East as Rahat Lokum and in England and North America as Turkish delight. Historians are in general agreement that this treat was first made in the 16th century by Hadjii Beker, who, after having made a pilgrimage to Mecca, owned a confectionary shop in the Great Bazaar of Constantinople. Constantinople became Istanbul in 1930 but the market, which was built in the 15th century, continues to house some of the most famous candy makers in the world and to enter nearly any of the hundreds of these shops is to quickly realize that their owners are among the world's most charming liars.

Nearly all claim that they are direct descendants of Hadjii Beker and, to add an air of authenticity to their claims, proudly and state that theirs is the only true and original recipe. In one such shop, the owner swore to me that the recipe was handed down to him in the greatest secrecy by his father, who received it from his grandfather, who in turned had received it from his grandfather's grandfather. When I pointed out to the owner that the owners the candy shop adjoining his had told me exactly the same thing he smiled patiently, as one might at a child, and explained that his neighbors, like all of his other competitors, were simply liars.

Candy is neither the beginning or the end of the Turkish culinary scene, and Turks, who enjoy talking about food almost as much as they enjoy consuming it, have stories about many of their favorite dishes. There are, for example, a dozen or more stories about how the dish known as Imam Bayild"- "the holy man has fainted" - received its name. Some say that the dish, made by first boiling and then frying eggplants that are stuffed with a mixture of onions, garlic, tomatoes, lemon juice received its name when an Imam or holy man fainted with pleasure the first time his wife served it to him. Others say he fainted because from shock because his wife used a huge amount of extremely expensive olive oil to make it. Yet another tale has it that he fainted because the dish was so good that he was convinced that it had come directly from heaven.

Even the meatballs known as Kadin Budu (woman's thighs) have their story. Some claim that they were given their name because of their "plump, round shape" and others (mostly men) say that that they are called this because they are "as juicy and as tender" as the thighs of a woman.

With or without the stories and tall tales that accompany many Turkish dishes, the cuisine of Turkey is one of great simplicity and even greater charm. Because the country was once the center of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has had an enormous influence on the dining styles of many Middle-Eastern nations. And, because the Turks borrowed a great deal from their neighbors, modern Turkish cookery is influenced by that of the Greeks, Iranians, Kurds, Armenians, Romanians and Albanians. If one were to seek the archetypical Middle-Eastern cuisine, it would surely be that of Turkey.

I have visited Turkey several times on every visit I am reminded once again that dining out is a favorite activity of Turks and that restaurants and street vendors are an important part of the culture. Within the city many restaurants stay open all night and the better-known places are frequently crowded even at three or four in the morning. Even streetside food vendors may be found in the small hours of the morning selling anything from cooked rice, spit roasted lamb, white cheeses, grilled fish and spiced fried chickpeas to a variety of ice creams, waffles, melons, oranges, peeled cucumbers, or candied fruits. Experienced visitors to Istanbul know that some of the finest and least expensive foods are to be found at such stands and that passing by without stopping to sample the fare at such places is almost impossible.

Many of the residents of Istanbul have adopted the habit of starting their meals at cafes where, from five to eight in theevening they feast on a large variety of mezes, small appetizers that are accompanied by Raki, the Turkish liqueur similar to other Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean beverages such as Arak, Ouzo and Rakiji). Dinner itself, especially in more sophisticated families, and regardlessof whether it is eaten at home or in one of the city's two thousand restaurants, starts at about 10 in the evening. In addition to those who dine at restaurants and hotels, many locals take their meals while strolling from one street vendor to another, eating a bit of lamb here, a few shrimps there, a stuffed vegeable or two here and finally, a pastry or an ice cream at yet another place.

Although one can dine marvellously in Istanbul, a bit of guidance is in order, for this is a city that also boasts a large number of truly terrible restaurants. The following recommendations (and a few hints on places to avoid) are based on two recent trips to Istanbul

Le Patisserie, at The Pera Palace Hotel (Mesrutiyet Caddesi, 98. Even if you are not addicted to superb cof fee, the world's best teas (the coffee shop offers twenty-seven varieties), great marzipan, chocolate filled croissants and the world's best baklava, this is a place you must try for either morning or afternoon coffee. The old world service and the quality of the sandwiches (try especially the fresh sardines on white bread and the peppered goats' cheese on crackers) alone make this place an absolute must to visit for a light snack or meal.

The hotel in which the cafe is situated is the last of the grand Victorian hotels in the city. Built in 1892 for passengers en route from Paris, London and Vienna to the mysterious East, the hotel stands out because of its high, dark wood ceilings, its magnificent chandeliers, Rococo elevator and vevet and gilt that are to be found everywhere. The coffee shop, like the hotel itself is definitely of another century and the list of those who have sipped coffee or tea here includes such notables as Kamil Ataturk, Mata Hari, Greta Garbo, the late Shah of Iran and an Albanian spy named Cicero. Pure Orient Express (Agatha Christie wrote her most famous thriller in Room 411) the hotel is definitely worth staying in.

Hadjii Baba: Istikal Caddesi grisi 49 (near Taksim square). As you walk up the narrow stairs that lead to the dining room and exquisite garden there are few clues to let you know that you are about to enter an absolutely marvelous, unbelievably inexpensive and truly traditional Turkish restaurant. Asking to see the menu here is a mistake. The waiter will tell you what to order and, if you have any sense at all, you will follow his advice to the letter. On my last visit, I was accompanied by three friends and our meal started off with a meze (a selection of appetizers) of eighteen small dishes which contained, among other things, smoked fish liver, tiny pastry-wrapped parcels of salted goats' cheese, meat filled artichoke hearts, fried fresh anchovies, spiced beans, cucumbers and herbs in yoghurt, green peppers stuffed with tiny shrimps and herbed rice and several fantasies on eggplant. After a soup of yoghurt and rice with mint we went on to main courses of chicken Kiev (far better than the French-Russian version of this dish), shrimp with hazelnut sauce, lamb and eggplant stew and a rice pilaf with eggplant and spiced ground beef. For dessert we had a variety of fruit based dishes, named, happily enough "Lady's Navel", "Beauty's Lips", "Nightingale's Sighs". and "The Sultan Smiled", the first two of which were heavily sugared and the second of which were served with potent fruit liqueurs. The bill for four,including a bottle of Raki and two bottles of wine came to anastonishingly inexpensive $58.

Asitane Restaurant: Kariye Camii Sokak 18, Edirnekapi (near the Mirimah Mosque). Telephone 534 84 14. Located in the tiny but charming Kariye Hotel, this formal restaurant specializes in "saray" cookery, the kinds of dishes that were consumed in the palaces of 18th and 19th century Turkey. During my own last visit, the waiter advised us that the fish and seafood were especially good so we started off with a meze of spiced lobster salad, shrimps in mayonnaise sauce, mussels stuffed with rice and pine nuts and vine leaves that had been stuffed with rice, onions and chopped calamari. The artichoke and potato soup we had was a delight and our main courses, a shrimp casserole that had been seasoned with cloves, onion, bay leaves and oregano before being topped with cheese and finished under the grill and the red mullets that had been wrapped in vine leaves and then cooked in a garlic-rich lemon-butter sauce, pleased us enormously. For our final course we restricted ourselves to a bowl of delicious "Asure", adessert named after Noah's Ark, which contains, among other things, raisins, white beans, apricots, figs, almonds, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, rose water and potato flour. The bill for four, including two bottles of wine and coffee, came to $160. This is expensive by Turkish standards but frankly is well worth the money.

Pandeli: Misir Carissi Street. Located in the exotic spice market of Istanbul, this restaurant may be super-simple but it features truly excellent country-style dishes. For starters consider the Circassian chicken, boned chicken breasts that have been filled with ground walnuts, garlic and a variety of herbs and then boiled in chicken stock and seasoned with hot pepper; the fried lamb liver; the mussels that come in a sauce based on walnuts, yoghurt and garlic; and the eggs baked with anchovies. For main courses stay with the basics, the best of which are stuffed eggplants, lamb stew with peas, lamb kebabs, grilled lamb chops seasoned with mint, and the spicy kebabs known as "cizbiz kofte". Do not have dessert here but walk to the pastry shop directly opposite and there try the baked rice pudding, the pumpkin and walnut dessert and the stewed cherries, all of which are marvelous. Prices at both of these places are so low you will find it hard to believe your bill. A meal for two based on the above dishes and including all the beer you want to drink, will come to under $12.00.

To Avoid In Istanbul

Do not let anyone convince you to eat in the district known as "Kumkapi". Even though there are dozens of fish and seafood restaurants here, they are nearly all of the type where the owners or waiters stand on the sidewalk, virtually grabbing every tourist that walks by and trying to convince them that theirs is the best food in town. Some have charming sales pitches, others simply grab you by the shirt sleeve and try to drag you in. Whatever, their tactics should ignored, for most of these restaurants specialize in fish that have been dead for far too long, meat that has been outside the refrigerator so long that it has acquired an odd smell and salads that have been sitting in the sun so long that they have a peculiar greenish-white color.

Also to be avoided, even though nearly every hotel concierge and tour guide will try to send you there, is "Konyali restaurant" at the Topkapi museum. The museum is an absolute must to visit but the restaurant deserves only scorn, for even though it offers alovely view of the Bosporus, the tourist-oriented food often borders on the inedible, the service is terrible and the prices are far too high.

The recipes for a small collection of traditional Turkish dishes can be found by clicking here.

To read a few of my impressions about Turkish wine, click here.

© Daniel Rogov