Food became one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways for us to experience Istanbul’s culture. The meals were generous, flavorful, comforting, and never felt overly complicated. There was a familiarity to many of the dishes, but also enough difference to make every meal feel like part of the experience.

Kebabs quickly became one of our go-to choices. Chicken, beef, or lamb was usually grilled until flavorful and tender and served with rice, bread, vegetables, or French fries. We especially came to expect the rice-and-fries combination, which we were always more than happy to see arrive at the table. After spending hours exploring the city, it was exactly the kind of meal we wanted—simple, filling, satisfying, and easy to find almost everywhere.

Sarah was a little more adventurous and tried manti, small Turkish dumplings traditionally topped with yogurt and seasoned butter or spices. Rich, creamy, and comforting, it was very different from anything we typically ate at home and gave us another glimpse into traditional Turkish cooking.

We also tried yogurtlu semizotu, a cool yogurt-based dish made with purslane. Its tangy, refreshing flavor was a nice contrast to some of the richer meats and heavier meals we were eating.

Another easy favorite was pide, a warm, boat-shaped Turkish flatbread topped with combinations of meat, cheese, vegetables, and spices. It is often compared to pizza, which made it an especially easy choice for us. After a long day of sightseeing, warm bread covered in savory toppings was exactly the kind of meal we wanted.

Even when we were not sitting down to eat, food seemed to be everywhere.

The spice displays throughout Istanbul’s markets were impossible to miss. Bright reds, deep oranges, golden yellows, and earthy browns filled containers and spilled across market stalls, while unfamiliar aromas drifted through the narrow walkways. They were as much a part of the visual experience as the lanterns, rugs, and ceramics. The colors alone made the markets feel alive and were nearly as interesting to photograph as they were to smell.

Then there was baklava.

Layers of delicate, flaky pastry filled with chopped nuts and soaked in sweet syrup made it one of those desserts that was almost impossible to pass up. Crisp, sticky, nutty, and incredibly sweet, it was easy to understand why it is such a beloved part of Turkish food culture. Pairing it with tea or coffee only made it better—and gave us a perfectly reasonable excuse to try another piece.

Turkish coffee was another experience all its own. Finely ground coffee is brewed strong and served in small cups, traditionally alongside a glass of water and sometimes something sweet. What made it especially memorable for us was the layer of coffee grounds that settled at the bottom of the cup. The coffee was already incredibly dark, rich, and intense, and knowing those thick grounds were waiting at the bottom somehow made the whole experience even more wonderfully dramatic.

It was definitely not the kind of coffee we could absentmindedly drink to the very last drop. The closer we got to the bottom, the darker and thicker it became until we reached that unmistakable layer of grounds—a very clear signal that the coffee portion of the experience was officially over.

What stood out to us most was that coffee in Istanbul was not simply about caffeine. It was about slowing down, talking, and spending time together. Sitting over a small cup felt like part of the city’s social rhythm rather than something to grab quickly on the way out the door.

But as much as Turkish coffee is part of the culture, apple tea was the drink that completely won us over.

We fell in love with it.

Sweet, warm, and comforting, it seemed to appear everywhere we went. Shopkeepers would often offer us small glasses while we browsed, which had the added benefit of turning what we thought would be a quick stop into a much longer conversation—and usually an enthusiastic attempt to convince us that we absolutely needed whatever happened to be sitting in front of us.

Sitting together with glasses of apple tea surrounded by rugs, lanterns, ceramics, spices, and the constant energy of the markets became one of those small memories that still immediately takes us back to Istanbul.

Food there was never just something we squeezed in between sightseeing stops. It was woven into the experience—the kebabs after a long day of walking, Sarah trying manti, warm pide, colorful spice stalls, sticky pieces of baklava, tiny cups of intensely dark Turkish coffee with grounds waiting at the bottom, and endless glasses of apple tea.

Each meal and drink gave us another glimpse into the traditions, warmth, and everyday rhythms of the city.

And while there were plenty of dishes worth remembering, apple tea will probably always be the taste that brings Istanbul back to us the fastest.