The Istanbul kitchen is regarded as one of the best in the world. Ingredients, chefs, styles and tastes came from every part of the Empire to the capital, making the Ottoman Turkish kitchen significant in world cuisine. 

The typical dish of Istanbul would consist of lamb, mutton and veal, to which a variety of vegetables are added. Pilaf, all kinds of pastry, bulgur, haricot beans, rich olive oil and vegetables are used as side dishes. 

Meat balls, shish kebab and doner kebab are the classic, most classic dishes found in any kebab restaurant, together with peppers, yoghurt, eggplant. Because of its coastal location, fish is also popular although is usually cooked simply, such as grilled or fried with olive oil and lemon juice.

Like the rest of the country, the usual way of starting a big meal is with mezzes, a selection of hot and cold dishes such as meat, fish, salads, vegetables and cheese, shared amongst the table and eaten with fresh bread. To finish your meal, pastry tarts, baklava, kadayif and a whole host of sweets are available not only in restaurants, but in pastry shops which have often been going for generations.

To wash down your meal, Turkey’s most famous drink is Ayran: Ayran is a cooling, salty yoghurt drink which is refreshing in summer and can be found everywhere, from street stalls to restaurants. 

Turkish coffee is legendary, usually served very sweet and strong and drunk from tiny cups. It normally follows a meal, or is popular in cafes and offered when visiting people or even sitting in carpet shops! The expression, “a cup of coffee has a memory of 40 years”, has been repeated by Turks since the 16th century.

IslamiCity has made arrangements with Istanbul's best and the most famous restaurants and in your 10 day Turkey tour, you will insha-Allah experience the best examples of the World famous Turkish cuisine.

Some popular mouth-watering items you may taste would include:

• Manti -a dish of noodle-dough parcels filled with meat.
• Lahmacun and Gozleme - bread based snacks. The first is a thin pizza-style snack. The second is folder over or rolled up.
• Kebabs -Kebabs may be meat, fish or vegetables. The most popular varieties are "doner" sliced roast meat), "shish" (cubes of meat on a skewer), "Adana" (minced meat grilled on a skewer) and "Iskender" or "Bursa Kebab" ( doner meat on bread with a rich tomato sauce and yoghurt ). Bursa is where the Iskender kebab was born and made best. As a tour visiting Bursa, we will visit and enjoy a lunch or a dinner in Bursa where Iskender kebab was first invented. After decades of history, Bursa Iskender is still the best place to experience this delicious kebab.

Palace Specialties

• Imam Bayildi - literally "the imam fainted", is a dish of aubergines stuffed with tomatous and onions. 
• Karniyarik -a dish of aubergines, split open and stuffed with minced lamb, oine nuts and currants.
• Hunkar begendili Kofte - meatballs "with Sultan's delight" : a puree of smoked aubergine ith cheese.
  

Sweets

• Sweets are eaten throughout the day in Turkey, not just after a meal. They are sold in shops, on stalls and by street vendors. Some sweets are linked to religious feasts. Istanbul is renowned for its baklava.
• Tavuk Gogsu - a milk pudding made with shredded chicken breasts, served with cinnamon
• Ashure - also known as "Noah's pudding", made with a combination of dried fruit and beans.