Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [208]
Idlewild (12 West 19th Street, New York / 212 414 8888 / idlewildbooks.com) is a relatively new store named after the original name for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Owner David Del Vecchio, previously a press officer for a United Nations humanitarian agency, likes to say that “idle and wild are nicely associated with travel.” When I last checked, the Turkey section included a few cookbooks, an Atatürk biography, novels by Orhan Pamuk, a history of the Blue Mosque, maps, and a full range of guidebooks.
Kitchen Arts & Letters (1435 Lexington Avenue, New York / 212 876 5550 / kitchenartsandletters.com) is one of North America’s premier stores devoted exclusively to food and wine. I found many of the Turkish cookbooks I recommend here—especially those published overseas—but the store also sells titles that are travel-and food-related.
Longitude (115 West 30th Street, Suite 1206, New York / 800 342 2164 / longitudebooks.com) is first and foremost a mail-order company, though visitors are welcome at its storefront. Visit the Web site to request its very good catalog and to see the staff’s essential reading recommendations for your destination.
Boza
An ancient beverage—the earliest documented evidence dates from the fourth century BC in Anatolia—boza is a thick, bubbly, nonalcoholic drink made from fermented and crushed millet. It’s available and drunk only in Turkey and the Turkic Republics and is strictly a wintertime libation. Years ago, boza sellers would appear on the streets of Istanbul at the first sign of winter, advertising their wares with the cry, “Bozaaaa! Haydi Bozaaaa!” The peddlers wore very colorful clothing and poured the boza out from wooden kegs slung over their shoulders. Nowadays they are a rare sight, and boza is mostly sold at boza shops and some supermarkets, delicatessens, and pastry shops.
Without exception, everyone agrees that the best brand is Vefa. The Vefa bozacı shop, established by Albanian immigrant Hacı Sadık Abey in 1876, is still in the same family, and the décor and recipe for the drink have remained unchanged since it opened—even the glass that Atatürk drank from when he visited in 1937 is still there. Vefa Bozacı is in Aksaray (Katip Çelebi Caddesi 104/1, Vefa), and the shop is so famous that the entire neighborhood is known by that name. The shop is quite attractive; it also sells quality lemon and pomegranate sauces and vinegars. There is also a Vefa stand in Sultanahmet, on Ramazan Sokak. I’ve been told boza may be an acquired taste, but I like it. It’s been described as one of the most unique flavors of Turkey, if not the world, and may also be made with barley, maize, wheat, or oats. Whatever grain is used, it’s boiled until incredibly thick, like dough; then it’s put through a sieve, and sugar and yeast are added. It’s left in barrels to ferment, and when air bubbles form on the surface, the boza is ready, but only lasts for four to five days. It’s usually served topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas.
C
Calligraphy
Though calligraphy reached its artistic pinnacle in Istanbul, calligraphy is not of Turkish origin. In the tenth century, when the Turks migrated westward, they adopted Islam as well as the Arabic script, which replaced the old Uyghur alphabet, a Turkic language that is still spoken by about ten million speakers today. Calligraphy was already a significant art by the time the Turks joined the Islamic world; only a few centuries after the Hegira, in 622, the Arabic characters were known to every Muslim. “Arabic” calligraphy over time became more accurately described as “Islamic