A visit to Istanbul would not be complete without visiting the Chora Church and dining at the Asitane restaurant in Edirnekapi. If you would like to arrive by public transport, take the tramway to Topkapi Ulubatli, walk along the Topkapi walls on Kaleboyu avenue, and take a right at Kariye Cami street.
The Chora Church and Monastery has captivating mosaics, frescoes, marble decorations, architecture, and history. Emperor Constantine built this church outside the city walls during the Eastern Roman Empire period. Chora means “outside of the city” in Greek.
After the walk in the church, have lunch or dinner at Asitane. This fine restaurant prepares 600 year-old recipes of the kitchens of the Ottoman Empire’s Sultans. These recipes used to be the top secrets of the palace kitchens.
The menu gives clues about the tastes and spice preferences of the sultans during the year the recipe was originally made. The almond soup is flavored with nutmeg and pomegranate seeds. The winter terine soup has dried yoghurt and chestnuts. The cold appetizers include Ottoman hummus, a recipe from the year 1469, which is made out of curried chickpeas pureed with currants, pine nuts, and cinnamon. The cauliflower salad with tahini dressing and mustard seeds is from the year 1898. The warm appetizers include grilled Circassian cheese with oyster mushrooms and liver kofte, Turkish meatballs, and made with cinnamon, cloves, molasses, and pomegranate seeds. The rice and pastry dishes include Hatch borek, which is from 1844 and is made with lamb meat, almonds, pine nuts, and cardamon. The main course includes a dish called ‘Mahmudiyye,’ which is a chicken stew cooked with apricots, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, and cloves and is from the year 1539. Dessert includes honey halva with Antep pistachios and poppy seeds, a recipe originating in the 1500s, and rock kadayif, which are fried flat pancakes soaked in milk and orange syrup, a recipe from 1828. Clearly, the pomegranate seeds, pistachio and pine nuts, and spices, such as cinnamon, cardamon, and cloves, greatly distinguish these dishes from modern day recipes.
This article was originally written for and published on http://turkishvisafees.com/edirnekapi-istanbul/
The Chora Church and Monastery has captivating mosaics, frescoes, marble decorations, architecture, and history. Emperor Constantine built this church outside the city walls during the Eastern Roman Empire period. Chora means “outside of the city” in Greek.
After the walk in the church, have lunch or dinner at Asitane. This fine restaurant prepares 600 year-old recipes of the kitchens of the Ottoman Empire’s Sultans. These recipes used to be the top secrets of the palace kitchens.
The menu gives clues about the tastes and spice preferences of the sultans during the year the recipe was originally made. The almond soup is flavored with nutmeg and pomegranate seeds. The winter terine soup has dried yoghurt and chestnuts. The cold appetizers include Ottoman hummus, a recipe from the year 1469, which is made out of curried chickpeas pureed with currants, pine nuts, and cinnamon. The cauliflower salad with tahini dressing and mustard seeds is from the year 1898. The warm appetizers include grilled Circassian cheese with oyster mushrooms and liver kofte, Turkish meatballs, and made with cinnamon, cloves, molasses, and pomegranate seeds. The rice and pastry dishes include Hatch borek, which is from 1844 and is made with lamb meat, almonds, pine nuts, and cardamon. The main course includes a dish called ‘Mahmudiyye,’ which is a chicken stew cooked with apricots, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, and cloves and is from the year 1539. Dessert includes honey halva with Antep pistachios and poppy seeds, a recipe originating in the 1500s, and rock kadayif, which are fried flat pancakes soaked in milk and orange syrup, a recipe from 1828. Clearly, the pomegranate seeds, pistachio and pine nuts, and spices, such as cinnamon, cardamon, and cloves, greatly distinguish these dishes from modern day recipes.
This article was originally written for and published on http://turkishvisafees.com/edirnekapi-istanbul/