Pazar (Farmer’s Market) in Istanbul
This post is a short “Hi, I am back!” post with lots of pictures. We are back from a short, fast week in Istanbul. It always goes in a vacuum and our heads spin in a million different directions. There are always a couple things I forget everytime I get on that plane in Istanbul. This time I forgot to eat kokorec and midye tava. I guess there is always next time.
I miss the old style shopping experience in Turkey. No one-stop big supermarket shopping, but rather gathering everything we need from small shops within a mile of our house from the people we have known a while. Bread from the bakery, flour, milk, eggs and dry goods from a small mom-and-pops type grocery store called “bakkal”, meat from the butcher, vegetables, cheese, olives, and other goods from our weekly market. This time I did not forget to visit our neighborhood’s farmer’s market which is called “pazar” in Turkish. It is set on the streets right behind our building every Friday, and in summer time, it can stretch a couple of miles. Due to the freezing weather and snow, this time it was a short stretch. I will have more pictures and recipes later. But first, wanna take a walk with me?
17 Comments:
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11:14 am
Feb 26, 2012I love pazars, especially in spring and summer. When I was in US I used miss them so much, but I can’t find time to visit them anymore.
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11:22 am
Feb 26, 2012Hope you had a good time & are back safe. Thanks for the walk through the market…I want a cup of that Turkish tea that man is drinking! I loved the markets when I lived overseas (Turkey & Greece). We always started at the bakery so that we could get a loaf of warm bread & munch on it as we went around to all the other shops. This way of shopping is so much more fun and educational. Shopping in the U.S. is so impersonal.
Ayway, I am so happy that I found your blog!!
Have a great day!
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12:01 pm
Feb 26, 2012Elaine, it is a great idea to start with a loaf of warm bread in hand, I have to remember it next time!
Pinar, hope you can have some free time. When you go next time, have a simit for me at the market. :) -
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1:35 pm
Feb 26, 2012Oh, thank you for sharing. That market looks fantastic. I, too, love shopping for all my needs at different “specialty” stores. There, people are usually passionate about what they sell and are invested in their product. Unlike the supermarket where it’s a bunch of unhappy teenagers trying to make a buck to go out with their friends on Friday night. Istanbul is definitely a place I’d like to explore.
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4:02 pm
Feb 26, 2012Beautiful! Thanks for the lovely card for the cafe wall and your spice gift! So glad you are back safe and sound and I hope you have both recovered from your jet-lag!
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11:20 pm
Feb 26, 2012awesome thanks for bringing me along :-) welcome home, its so hard the first couple of weeks missing home :-) hugs
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5:02 am
Feb 27, 2012wow lots of fresh produce…oh man..I want some of those black radishes!!! Have you tried them yet? REALLY delicious! I miss markets like this…
Welcome back and have a great week!
Angie -
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11:20 am
Feb 27, 2012Oh Ilke, I’m so jealous! I love these kind of markets, so much variety and color!
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8:58 am
Feb 28, 2012Oh, there is so much eye candy here. I love the piles of fish, the little cups of tea, the women all bundled in their scarves, and the open fire on the ground. Can you imagine an open fire like that at a farmer’s market in the U.S. I am trying to imagine the summer farmer’s market that extend nearly a mile. Just imagine…
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5:18 am
Feb 29, 2012I’m so glad I found your blog! Awww looking at the pazar, I miss Turkey. I know I say that every week, if not every day, but I truly do and I can’t wait to set foot there again. All the food and produce and people are amazing.
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6:05 pm
Feb 29, 2012Welcome home! What a lovely market- can’t wait for more pics of Istanbul to come. I keep seeing news articles about the city talking up how beautiful and cosmopolitan it is. Maybe one day I’ll make it for a visit….
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7:21 pm
Feb 29, 2012I want to go to Istanbul. I love shopping like this. So worth it. Welcome back! xo
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10:11 pm
Mar 8, 2012Lovely lovely pictures. We so enjoyed our visit this past fall and you are making us want to go back again NOW.
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11:07 pm
Mar 9, 2012Incredible photos that brought me to your country, Ilke. thank you for sharing this wonderful visit. xx
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12:24 am
Mar 10, 2012Hi Tom, wait for fall again, it was VERY cold for an expat-Southerner like me :)
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10:03 pm
Jul 4, 2012Hi, Ilke…can you tell me which pazar this is? I am looking into renting an apartment for our stay in Gallata or Singahir neighborhood perhaps (Beyongu area). Is this market nearby? I read about another market just West of downtown Istabul too called Tarlabasi….