The breakfast of champions
Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı) is not a meal, it's an event. Expect a table groaning under small plates: white cheese, honey and kaymak, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, fresh bread and çay to wash it down.
Don't rush it. The whole point is to linger.
Street food you can't skip
Simit (sesame bread rings) for a snack, midye dolma (stuffed mussels) by the harbour, and balık ekmek (fish sandwich) on the Galata Bridge in Istanbul.
- Simit: the Turkish pretzel, everywhere
- Lahmacun: flat, crispy, fold it and eat with lemon
- Pide: the boat-shaped pizza you'll dream about later
Sweet endings
Save room for baklava, properly made with pistachio and drenched in syrup. Follow it with a tiny cup of Türk kahvesi, thick and unfiltered, grounds and all.
Then walk it off. You've got a beach to get to.
