19th century street taste of Istanbul

Simit seller || Photo: fikriyat.com/galeri/tarih/osmanli-sokaklarinin-simgesi-seyyar-saticilar

Street foods, with their modesty and accessibility, are sometimes one of the most affordable and beautiful ways to feed oneself. Especially multicultural and crowded settlements, and port cities, as well as towns with low levels of prosperity, generally offer a great variety of diverse and affordable tastes on the street. At the end of the 19th century, Istanbul witnessed such gastronomic feasts. Culinary culture of Armenians, Greeks, Jews, and Muslims; the new food brought by migrants from the Balkans to Istanbul; the new habits of nourishment resulting from increasing trade with Europe… On the streets, the lifeblood of this feast, not only foods such as halva, mussels, simit, rice, kebabs, stew, meatballs, fish, but also drinks such as boza, sherbet, tea, and coffee had a wide place. Street food was the only way to consume meat at a cheap price during this period for low-income people, especially for those who lived away from home, who missed the flavours of their hometown, and for single workers who could not cook at home.