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For perhaps a century,
fishermen brought their catch from
the Bosphorus and the Sea
of Marmara to Istanbul's Galata
Bridge for sale.
A few enterprising boatmen had an
idea: why not cook the fish
right on the boat and offer it for sale ready-to-eat?
They built grills and fryers
right in their boats, built fires in them,
grilled fish fillets, stuffed them
in half a loaf of bread, and handed
from the boat to thousands of hungry,
thrifty Istanbullus every day.
Balik ekmek! Balik ekmek! They
shouted. (Fish in bread! Fish in bread!)
For as long as I've been visiting
Turkey, which is now 40 years,
there have always been fish
sandwiches for
sale at the mouth of the Golden Horn.
I loved the weirdness of
seeing a cooking fire raging in a boat,
I loved the flavor of the fresh
fish,
and I loved the price—cheap!
And I never got sick from eating one.
Then came Turkey's aspiration to join
the European Union,
and such old-fashioned, romantic, but
perhaps unsanitary practices were discouraged.
Istanbul's nespapers were filled with
requiems for the Galata
Bridge fish
sandwich, paeans to its flavor, nutritional
value, cheapness, and tradition. A
part of Istanbul's age-old culture
died.
Or did it?
I'm happy to report that the
Istanbul fish sandwich lives!
Istanbul fish
sandwiches are still being served daily at
little restaurants beneath
the Galata
Bridge, and also in the traditional
boats tied to the quay.
Just go to Eminönü,
then to the western (Golden
Horn) side
of the Galata
Bridge. On the bridge's
lower level you'll find several
small restaurants with low tables and
chairs. Waiters will cajole you in
with shouts of Balik ekmek! and Buyrun!
("Come on in! Help
yourself!")
Sit at a table and a waiter will bring
you balik-ekmek,
a grilled fish fillet inserted in a
half-loaf of bread along with a scoop
of salata (lettuce, tomatoes
and onions).
Order a drink—the
traditional accompaniment is a weirdness
called salgam (SHAL-gahm,
pickle juice!)—and
enjoy. You can order water or a soft
drink instead. (No alcohol served.)
The boats congregate between the bridge
and the TurYol ferry docks. Similar
fish, similar price, but you stand
to eat.
If you're there in
the evening, you'll have a sunset
view of the Golden
Horn,
and a good, cheap dinner:
the bill should ebe less than YTL5
per person.
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