One of the first places we went in Istanbul after we unpacked was the Spice Bazaar. This is not the Grand Bazaar, but a much smaller one, focused mostly on spices . Hence the name (though in Turkish it is the ‘Egyptian Bazaar’). We thought it would be a good introduction to bazaar life, and we needed some spices. It dates to after the Great Fire of 1660, and it was part of the New Mosque complex right on the Golden Horn. As you can see from the pictures, it’s not just spices, though the majority of the items for sale are edible. (Yay!) It is not as overwhelming as many bazaars, like the Grand Bazaar, or the Bazaar in Cairo, but it’s still got an awful lot going on.
In addition to every kind of spice you can imagine, merchants sell dried fruits and vegetables, nuts, and teas. Among the most interesting were the strings of dried eggplants and peppers. We’ve discovered that they are reconstituted and then stuffed with rice – stay tuned for a recipe! There are also loads of sweets for sale (another post coming up on them). One thing we found puzzling, as we always do in markets like this, is how everyone manages to sell basically the same things and all remain in business. Then again, it is always crowded, so there must be enough spice-buyers to go around.
We girded our loins and got ready for some serious bargaining. Most of the spices for sale here are pre-ground, so not actually that great for cooking. And the merchants will work very hard to sell you ‘viagra tea’ and Turkish saffron. We know nothing about the former, and about the latter we can assure you that it is not saffron, but a distant relative with limited colouring properties and none of the smell or flavour. There are packets of spices and grinders which would make a nice present or souvenir. (They vacuum-pack nuts and spices, so that’s also an option.)
We ended up with hundred grams or so each of peppercorns, rock salt, whole cumin, oregano, hot paprika, and a pound/half a kilo of pistachios. Also, as you can see, a nifty grinder to grind them all up in. That probably won’t leave Istanbul, but it’s fun to have for now. The whole thing cost about $25USD, half of that for the pistachios. All in all, a good haul for our first trip!
