From pickle stores to Michelin stars: Exploring Istanbul through its rich and unique food

The breakfast spread at Olden 1772 in Istanbul - (Josephine Price)

“This is how we do breakfast,” Oznur, my guide, explains proudly.

We’re starting our first day in Istanbul where any exploration of the city should begin: at the table. This is a city that knows how to put on a culinary show and the table is the stage. Set in the middle of the former caravanserai in the Fatih neighbourhood, the historical heart of Istanbul, breakfast is served. Colours dance across the table in a kaleidoscope of flavours. Smoky murhamma, unctuous menemen (scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers), kaymak cream and honey, sesame-crusted simit bread and the rich red of the Turkish sausage. It’s a plated performance of tangled hands swapping, tasting and exhaling.