Istanbul: Seafood
Photos & Words: Salina Christmas

"Turkish food is not all about kebab," Ö Faruk Boyacî, the owner of the Sirkeçi Group Hotels, told me as I waited for our Turkish lesson at one of his hotels, the Sirkeçi Konak.

"This city is a melting pot of cultures across the Ottoman Empire — imagine the diversity of foods we have here."

But we in Western Europe are only familiar with kebabs and meze plates, I said. Maybe the tourism office should do a Turkish food promotion in London.

"I have a fish restaurant here," said Boyacî. "You should give our seafood a try."