November – December 2014: Istanbul
The weather has taken a long time to turn but turn it has and this cold, wet weather seems to be telling us that winter is really here.
But we can’t really complain: if you go along to your local market or manav, most of the fruit and vegetables are still there with some seasonal additions. However, it’s the choice of fish that has changed since last month:
Karaköy Fish Market yesterday afternoon! |
he’s also frying some squid |
Also look out for bluefish or lüfer, sole/dil, and mackerel/uskumru.
Fruit
Now is the time when the citrus family begins to steal the show. Grapefruits have started and the oranges/portakal here are second to none. Mandarines or mandalina have been around since last month but officially come into their own in December. Eat those oranges while you can! Also buy the smaller ones to squeeze for their juice.
The other winter fruits that you shouldn’t miss are:
- quince/ayva
- persimmons/ Trabzon Hurması
- and pomegranates/nar.
huge and beautiful |
these pomegranates were very red in colour: sometimes they are quite pale simply because they come from a different region. |
a sea of green |
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