Kahvalti Dreams | Travel
Istanbul, Turkey
In May of last year, I read an article in Afar magazine all about Turkish kahvalti (pronounced kah-vul-tuh), the traditional breakfast spread in the gastronomic paradise that is Turkey. I had been planning a visit to a dear friend who had recently moved back to Istanbul, and I called her to tell her very explicitly that I would need to find all of the Turkish breakfast kahvalti delight. Last Fall, right after my visit to Beirut, I headed to Istanbul in pursuit of my friend and my kahvalti. While I cannot wait to return to that many-splendored city to eat so much more of it, and all the other gems of Turkish cuisine, I did have the pleasure of enjoying a few morning kahvaltis during my brief but beautiful visit. Here are a few pictures of my favorite, at a devastatingly lovely garden restaurant called Kahve6 in the Cihangir neighborhood of Istanbul.
Kahvalti is more of a format than a food, a compartmentalizer’s dream. The word itself denotes a ritual, a way of eating, a collection of hand-crafted products that highlight the region’s bounty, an invitation to take your time and enjoy your food. The spread most often includes cheese, preserves, cured meats, fresh veggies, olives, and a pastry or bread of some sort. What, specifically, you are eating really depends entirely on where you are eating it. You can get a plate for one at a restaurant, but it’s typically served family style in the home. It’s like a little table parade of all the best stuff, ready for you to mix and match and nibble in your own way. Menemen on the side, which is a most delectable egg scramble. You begin with Turkish coffee or black tea, maybe juice, gobble up all your goodies, maybe end with another coffee – turkish delight on the saucer, chatting all the while, enjoying your beautiful breakfast dream.
I visited Istanbul with my very dear friend, Chelsea. My soul sister, as they say. We met during our first week at the University of San Francisco and danced together for years. Her father is Turkish and she spent several years living in Istanbul with her parents and her grandparents in her adolescence. She has returned to Turkey many times since moving back to the US for high school, but moved back to Istanbul with her husband last summer. She is currently hard at work launching her non-profit, HandUp Istanbul, an organization that promotes agency and capacity building for Istanbul’s most marginalized. She loves fabulous food almost as much as I do…
