How I wish I could have tried all the scrumptious street food with such tantalising scents as I walked through Istanbul … As this writer suggests, “Istanbul is a goldmine of culinary variety” – from simit, the freshly baked, molasses-dipped and sesame-crusted dough to balık-ekmek, the popular fish sandwiches to Ytantuni, a thin tortilla with beef, tomatoes, peppers and a generous sprinkling of spices, there is so much street food on offer, but mostly wheat-based! I’ve been gluten-intolerant for over 20 years now and this has always been the hardest thing for me – not being able to try new delicacies when I travel! Had I stayed there longer, perhaps I would have found more exciting gluten-free options to try but with just a few hours to explore the historic sites of Istanbul, I only found three street foods that were suitable.

Three Gluten-Free Street Foods in Istanbul

Kestane Kebap: From my observation, chestnuts are to the Turkish, what groundnuts are to Batswana and cashew nuts are to Tanzanians! Roasted chestnuts seemed to be on every street corner, and at all tourist attractions. The roasting of chestnuts over hot embers has such a beautiful aroma and after initially ignoring a few carts, I couldn’t resist. So foreign were they to me, that initially I didn’t even know what they were called, and I had certainly never tasted them. They were served very warm in a brown paper bag, had a soft tasty texture and kept me satiated for quite a while.

Mısır: The chestnuts were almost always coupled with corn on the same cart. So, where you saw chestnuts, you’d see corn. Unlike the chestnuts, this was not new to me as it is a very popular street food in Botswana – the Turkish version is just softer, sweeter and more yellow than the variety we get at home. There are two main versions sold on the streets – köz mısır, roasted corn on the cob, and süt mısır, boiled corn kernels seasoned with salt. Apparently, a third version has crept into the mix – corn kernels served in cups and topped with either ketchup, mayonnaise, red pepper flakes, or other condiment of your choice. I only saw the first version – the roasted corn on the cob.

Dondurma: So NOT trying this Turkish ice cream, is my biggest regret!! One of our Turkish colleagues recommended that we go to Hamdi Restaurant in Eminönü as it offers the finest, most immaculate taste of Turkish kebab with a variety of appetizers such as roasted eggplant salad, hummus, and gazpacho. It was a brilliant recommendation as not only was the food divine, but the views were spectacular! We got to see the Golden Horn, the historical New Mosque, both Asian and European sides of Istanbul, and the Bosphorus Bridge, which connects the Asian and European sides of the city.

But on the way to the restaurant my colleagues couldn’t resist some ice cream. I was so focused on the delicious lunch ahead that I said, “No thanks!” You should have seen their faces as they enjoyed dondurma, a dense, chewy ice cream made by adding mastic resin and salep (flour made from tubers of wild orchids), to the basic milk and sugar mixture. My colleagues loved it and raved about it, even weeks later. What I did get to enjoy though was the artistic manner in which the ice cream seller assembled the cone, tossing it and several scoops of ice cream into the air like a circus juggler, before handing it to the buyer, neatly assembled. This almost made up for my poor decision not to try it!

Although I’m disappointed there were so many street foods I couldn’t try, I’m grateful for those I did try and also just content that I got to see just how big the street food culture is in Istanbul.

Have you tried roasted chestnuts? Have you ever regretted not trying a food in a new place? What street foods are common where you live? Do you have a big street-food culture in your town?

So excited to be linking up with Jenn and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics! Be sure to join the party to read what other runners are up to!