The Turkish cuisine is meat heavy and so there are numerous meat dishes to devour when in the country. It is no wonder that when you think of most Turkish joints outside of the country, you think of kebabs. However, there is so much more to the cuisine than just meat. Take Borek for example, it is a pastry dish (that may be filled with meat, but the cheese one is more popular) that is super popular amongst locals in the country and has been throughout history. In our recent trip to Istanbul, we stayed near the Blue Mosque and unfortunately, we struggled to find any Borek spot near us. Thankfully though, we did manage to find one (Meydan Börek) on our final day and it was just around the corner from where we were and boy what a hidden gem it was. Read on to find out more.
Borek
Börek (or Borek) is considered one of the most traditional and popular pastry dishes in Turkey. It is crisp, flaky and filled and is often served at breakfast and brunch. Super thin dough (known as Yufka in Turkish) is used plus a variety of fillings (with meat, cheese and spinach being popular ones). Many countries try to claim it (like Greece), but sources trace it back to Turkey and the particular method of layering sheets can be dated back to a hundred years B.C., meaning it is one of the country’s oldest culinary delights. Borek was something that was known to be popular during the Ottoman Empire and it still stands strong especially with locals in Turkey.
Hidden gem in Istanbul near the Blue Mosque
Minutes away from our hotel and within a ten minute walk from the Blue Mosque sat this little hidden gem (Meydan Börek) that specialises in Borek as well as other home cooked Turkish dishes. Despite it being so close to the major tourist desintations of Istanbul (The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia), this was a spot unassuming in its nature as well as being unassuming in its clientele. All we saw there were locals. Turkish locals of all ages came in to devour their home cooked Borek for their breakfast or brunch with a nice hot cup of Turkish tea. What a combo by the way! The gentleman greeted us with a big smile and a very warm greeting. Surprisingly, he spoke very good English. He told us that this was a family run joint that serves locals with home cooked Turkish food. His mum was at the back cooking up all the dishes and he and his father were out front serving hungry locals.
We ordered meat Borek and cheese Borek along with some Turkish tea. This was for brunch for us and we hoped it was for breakfast, so we would’ve been hungrier. Nonetheless, you can taste the freshness and the rustic feel you get from home cooked food. Maybe not the perfect restaurant quality product, but the imperfect, charming and rustic nature of the spot makes it what it is. A must visit especially if you near the area.
Getting there
Google Maps Location link: click here
