Turski slatkiši/Turkish delights

Turske poslastice se uglavnom značajno razlikuju od ostalih evropskih slatkiša. Glavni dezert je, naravno, čuveni lokum, tačnije rahat lokum što u prevodu zlači ,,komfor za grlo“. U Turskoj je to u prošlosti bila poslastica namenjena višoj klasi. Ratluk se uvijao u svilu i tako donosio na dvor, medjutim danas se služi u gotovo svakom kafiću uz tursku kafu. Nekad je i prekriven crnom čokoladom, mada, turski slatkiši retko sadrže čokoladu. Glavni sastojci su orasi, šećer, brašno, badem, pistaći, puter i šećer u prahu koji se uglavnom stavlja preko. Za lokum se takodje smatra da je donosi mir u Sultanov Harem i zato je bio omiljen medju džarijama. 

 

Od ostalih slatkiša tu su: halva i djezerje, baklave i kadaifi, a od slatkih pića moj omiljeni salep i razne vrste zašećerenih voda koje oni nazivaju meyve su.Glavni sastojci halve su brašno, puter i šećer i smatra se jednim od najstarijih dezerta. Halve obiluju bojama, često su jako lepo išarane i upakovane, pa su popularne kao suvernir medju strancima. Dok su džezerje karamelizovane šargarepe sa pistaćima posute kokosom i smatraju se najboljim afrodizijakom. 

 

Ukusi voćnih voda mi se nikako ne svidjaju, naravno slično je soku samo razblaženo i u Turskoj kada naručite vodu, često morate da naglasite da ne želite zasladjenu. Salep je izuzetno sladak, gotovo poput torte, iako se pije. Glavni sastojak je mleko, a na vrh se stavlja cimet, uvek se pije topao. Naravno, to turiste u Turskoj ne sprečava da ga piju i leti. 

Ono što je veoma zanimljivo su ljudi koji prodaju sladolede na ulici. Oni su više cirkusanti nego sladoledžije,a ukoliko naručite jednu porciju dondurme (turskog sladoleda) prvo ćete imati čast da uživate u performansu točenja sladoleda. Oni podsećaju na iskusne barmene koji prave koktele i veoma ćete ih lako prepoznati jer su veoma glasni, ali i obučeni u turska odela crvene boje. Naravno, ovde su veoma popularni sladoledi sa bademima i pistaćima, koji su glavni sastojci i ostalih slatkiša.  

 

Uglavnom, šta god da izaberete od slatkiša, nećete pogrešiti jer je većina pravljena ručno, po receptima poslastičara sa dvora. Moja glavna zamerka je u početku bila nedostatak čokolade u slatkišima, medjutim ispostavilo se da su bademi, pistaći i orasi i više nego adekvatna zamena.

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Turkish delights are quite different than other European sweets and cakes. The most popular dessert is lokum which means ,,comfort for throat“. In Ottoman Empire it was dessert for high society and was also very expensive. Lokum was packed in finest silk and brought to Ottoman Palaces, but today they serve it in almost every coffee shop when you order Turkish coffee. Sometimes it is covered in dark chocolate, but most of Turkish desserts are made without chocolate. Main ingredients are nuts, sugar, almonds, pistachios and sugar powder. Legend says that lokum brings peace to Sultan's Harrem and that's the reason why it was favourite concubine’s delight.

 

Other popular desserts are: halva, cezerye, baklave and kanafeh and the most popular sweet drinks are salep and fruit water. Main ingredients are flour, butter, sugar and is considered to be the oldest dessert. Halva is rich in colors and when they put it in nice boxes it is very popular as a souvenir among tourists.

I really don't like the taste of fruit water, it's the same as juices just with more water, it's too sweet and sometimes you have to emphasize that you dont want sweet water with fruit tastes, just normal one. Salep is very sweet, milky, warm and with a lot of cinnamon on the top. It's Turkish version of hot chocolate, but they also drink that during summer time.

Street ice-cream sellers are very interesting, because they are more performers than traders. If you order one portion of Turkish dondurma you are gonna be able to see quite of a show in front of you. And they are very loud, wearing Turkish traditional clothes. The most popular ice-creams here are those with almonds and pistachios and other nuts.

 

Whatever you choose to taste, it's gonna be right decision, because Turkish delights are mostly hand made, following receipts of Sultan's cooks. In the beginning I hated the fact that you can't find any chocolate in sweets, but it turned out that nuts are the best choice and healthier ofc.

Carstvo djevreka u crvenim kolicima/ Turkey-the kingdom of simit

Ono što će vam verovatno prvo privući pažnju na ulicama Istanbula su crvena kolica na kojima se prodaje djevrek. Iako ga ima u gotovo svim srpskim pekarama, djevrek jednostavno nigde nije toliko popularan kao u Turskoj. Uvek sam se pitala kako prodavci uspevaju da zarade od prodaje ovog peciva, jer košta samo 1TL, a crvena kolica se nalaze na svakih 20-ak metara. 

 

Prodavci su uglavnom ljubazne deke, koji verno sede iza svojih crvenih pokretnih kućica, piju čaj I čitaju novine. Ja sam djevrek probala na nekoliko mesta, ali uvek se vraćam samo jednom dekici. Djevrek se pije uz uglavnom uz tradicionalni turski crveni čaj poslužen u čašicama u obliku lala. 

 

Ukoliko ste pomislili da prodavce djevreka nećete videti dok padaju kiša I sneg, grdno ste se prevarili. Oni su uvek tu, od ranih jutarnjih časova, pa sve dok ne prodaju djevreke. Na Taksimu I po Istiklaalu ćete ih videti I u večernjim terminima. Uvek ljubazni I nasmejani, verni svojim djevrecima, predstavljaju zaštitni znak ovog grada. 

 

Koliko je ovo pecivo popularno, svedoči I lanac pekara po Turskoj pod nazivom Simit Sarayı, što u prevodu znači Palata djevreka. Na ove pekare ćete naići na svakom koraku, uvek su pune I često imaju predivan pogled jer se nalaze na najprometnijim mestima i u blizini turističkih znamenitosti. Ukoliko vidite mladiće koji na plehu na glavi nose po stotinak djevreka, naročito u jutarnjim satima, nemojte se začuditi. To je pravi način da vam Istanbul poželi Günaydın (dobro jutro) :-)

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First thing you are gonna see on the streets of Istanbul is small red carts where simit is sold. Even though this kind of bagel with sesame is well known all around the world, it's beyond popular in Turkey. I always wondered how people earn by selling simit, because it costs just 1TL, and red carts are literally everywhere. 

 

Traders are mostly old grandpas, very loyal to their bagels, friendly and always smiling, and they  sit every day behind their simit carts, drink tea and read newspapers. I tasted simit on many places, but I always go back to the grandpa where I first tried this bagel. In Turkey, you take bagel mostly with traditional Turkish red tea, served in a glasses that have tulip shape. 

 

If you thought that you were not gonna see simit sellers during rainy days or snow, you have to know that they are always there. From the early morning till they sell all the bagels they have. On Taksim and in the main street Istiklal you are gonna see them even late in the evening. And their simit is so yummy. 

 

There is also well known chain of bakeries called Simit Sarayı, meaning Palace of Simit, and you can find them in the most touristic spots and near the main square. These bakeries are very famous, very crowded and mostly have amazing view if you are sitting on the balcony. 

 

If you see guys carrying hundreds of simit on their heads, especially early in the morning- be sure that it’s just the way of Istanbul telling you Günaydın (Good morning) :-)

 Enjoy your journey lifelovers and world travellers,

Ana <3

Nişantaşı- Pariz u Istanbulu/ Nişantaşı- Paris in Istanbul

U ovaj deo grada vas turističke agencije neće odvesti. Zato sam ja uvek bila protiv uplaćivanja aranžmana, jer samo vi znate šta želite da vidite, a agencije vas mnogo sputavaju. 

 

Nişantaşı je, po meni, najlepši deo Istanbula, boemski i kosmopolitski, evropski, a opet ima snažan pečat Turske. Većina stanovnika su stranci i proevropski orijentisani Turci. Nekretnine su ovde najskuplje, a propos šopinga predstavlja Meku svih luksuznih brendova, a recimo da pruža i veliki izbor što se tiče barova i restorana za večernje izlaske. 

 

Ono što je mene oduševilo je što je to grad u gradu, izuzetno čist i uredjen deo, oivičen predivnim parkom pod imenom Machka park. I da, ima puno mačaka i jeste, park je po njima dobio ime. Morate znati da su u Turskoj mačke malo naprednije i ne možete ne zapaziti da imaju nekih 5kg više od prosečnih.

 

Orhan Pamuk je baš na Nişantaşı-ju živeo i o njemu je često i sa puno epiteta pisao, jer samo tako i možete dočarati Nişantaşı. U prošlosti je Nişantaşı predstavljao mesto gde su se otomanski strelci i sultani okupljali da se takmiče u streljaštvu. Ukoliko malo bolje obratite pažnju zapazićete kamenje na kome su zabeleženi rekordi u dobacivanju strele. 

 

Ako imate sreće da se nadjete tamo, preporučila bih vam da zavirite u butike i njihove živopisne izloge, da svratite u City’s, mali, ali ekskluzivan šoping mall, da protrčite Machka parkom i da usput pojedete dževrek koji se prodaje u crvenim kolicima i koji košta 1TL. Fun fact: Po meni je najbolji onaj  ispred City's-a, ali taj košta 1,5TL i dekica koji ga prodaje je mi je stavio mašnu na kesu sa djevrekom :-)

 

Primetićete da u uličicama koje su paralelne i vode prema Şişliju nalaze se uglavnom butici koji prodaju iste stvari. Tako su butici sa ekskluzivnim ženskim haljinama načičkani jedan do drugog, onda u sledećoj ulici ide red butika sa muškim odelima itd. Turci se ne plaše konkurencije, očigledno i prodavnice su tako rasporedjenje manje-više svuda po Istanbulu. Izuzetno neobično, ali olakšava kupovinu jer imate raznovrsnu ponudu onoga što tražite na jednom mestu. 

 

S obzirom da je ovde sve žipopisno i šareno, ne zabooravite da povremeno trepćete :-)

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Touristic agencies  are not gonna show you this part of the city. That’s one of the reasons why i was always against group tours, because you are supposed to see parts of the city that you are interested in, not just the most touristic parts.

 

Nişantaşı is, according to me, the most beautiful part of Istanbul, bohemic and European, and again still Turkish. Most of the inhabitants are foreigners and proeuropean Turkish people. Properties are very expensive, but it’s literally the center of shopping and all the exclusive brands, but you can also find nice restaurants and bars for night life. 

 

I was amazed by the fact that it is the city in the city, clean and tidy and when you go down the hill you can find Machka park (meaning cat park) but its perfect for running actually. You are gonna realize that cats there are quite big, and they weight approximately 5 kg more that normal ones.

Orhan Pamuk lived in the neighbourhood and he often described Nişantaşı in his books.  Nişantaşı means marking stone for Otoman archers and sultans, and they were all competing here.

 

I would highly recommend you to check all the shops there, colorful windows, to go to City's shopping mall, view from the last floor is amazing, to run through Machka park and eat simit, that costs only 1TL, but the one in front of City's is the best one and cost 1,5TL. If you are lucky as me, you can get bow on your simit :-)

 

You cannot ignore the fact that most of the shops are located by the products they are selling. So, in one street you can find  exclusive dresses for women, in other street just shops with elegant suits and it's pretty obvious that Turkish people are not afraid of keen competition. I've never seen that anywhere else, except in Istanbul. But it actually makes your shopping easier, because when you want to buy sth, you know which street you should visit.

 

Reminder: You are prob gonna stare at everything in Nişantaşı, so don’t forget to blink from time to time.

 Enjoy your journey lifelovers and world travellers, 

 Ana <3.