The pickle shops of Turkey fascinate me. Colourful window displays of jars of pickled fruits and vegetables tempt me inside. Pickles (turşu in turkish) grace the table with many turkish meals so these shops and the pickle stalls at the markets are very popular.
In Cihangir, Asri Turşucu is one such shop. They have been selling pickles since 1913 but they have only been in this shop since 1938. They grow their own vegetables in Bursa using spring water from the area as well as lemon juice and salt to pickle the vegetables. The quality of the pickles is important so the shop closes over the summer months from June to the beginning of September.
Wonderful square shaped glass boxes in the counter hold an interesting selection of pickles such as beetroot, gherkins, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and cabbage and the not so usual pickled broccoli and green plums called erik. Anything that can be pickled, will be! There is no escaping the scent of pickle that fills the air.
Kelek are unripe melons with not a lot of sweetness but you would never guess this when trying them pickled. We also tried pickled green beans, beetroots and stuffed eggplants. It was here I was introduced to turÅŸu suyu or pickle juice, a drink I might have to get used to! It’s supposed to be very good for you but….
There are other goodies for sale at Asri TurÅŸucu. Bottles of olive oil decorate the counter. We’re told that the salça, a home made tomato puree is very popular and judging by the large vats of vine leaves dotted around the shop, these are a top seller as well.
I’m interested to know if you have tried pickle juice…did you like it?Â
Asri TurÅŸucu|
Ağa Hamam Caddesi 9/a
Cihangir
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I love the shop stacked full of pickles. I am surprised they have them up against the glass because usually you keep them out of the sun. They look so beautiful. Can’t wait to taste them. Beautiful clear photos.
Thanks Jan. They’re closed over the summer months so I suppose that is when the sun would be the harshest but I know what you mean about keeping them away from the window and the sunlight. They’ve been doing it very successfully for a long time! You’ll find pickle shops dotted all over the city!
Ahhh, how we love the turÅŸu of Istanbul. Shop heaven for us when we go into them! 🙂 Our favourite one is Petek in BeyoÄŸlu – floor to ceiling jars of pickled allsorts.
Julia
I think I’m addicted too Julia! Can’t wait to get back to Istanbul and check out Petek!
You made my mouth water thinking of all those delicious pickles! Nice post!
Thanks April. They are fabulous shops aren’t htey. I’m looking forward to being back in Istanbul to find a few more!
I have not tried pickle juice. But my mother-in-law – who is a terrible cook – has used pickle juice from a dill pickle jar, mixed it with mayonnaise and called it a salad dressing.
Your photos are mouthwatering.
I have a feeling that pickle juice is an acquired taste Leigh! It’s certainly not something I’m rushing to try again. That’s a new salad dressing recipe…yuk…I’m assuming you don’t go around to mother in laws for dinner often!
Wow, a pickle heaven indeed! I love the colorful store shelves and windows. The tasting plate looks delectable. I haven’t tried pickle juice, but now that you mentioned I’m curious to try it.
The shops are so colourful and enticing Marisol. The pickles are made with a brine and not vinegar and taste very different to what we are used to here. Good luck with the pickle juice!
Oh what a sight, all those pickles! We never saw pickle shops on our visit (though we probably weren’t looking). Good excuse to return to Istanbul! (as if one needs one – Istanbul is so fascinating). You may be interested to see our travel post on “Three Top Hotels in Istanbul: from hip to historic” http://www.sandinmysuitcase.com/top-boutique-hotels-in-istanbul/. Anyway, fun story!
Great that you now have an excuse to return to Istanbul. I think that once you start looking for pickle shops you will see them everywhere. Thanks for the link.
I have never seen so many pickles!!! 🙂 I’ve adored pickles since I was a little girl. When my friends would spend the night, we used to steal jars of pickles from my Mum’s pantry instead of candy. 🙂
Now that’s different Krista…pickles instead of candy!I have this image of two little girls sitting on the floor of the pantry, pickle jar in front of them….
What a terrific shop to spend some time in. I can just imagine the smell.
They’re pretty amazing shops Karen. We have nothing like them here so I was captivated…and I like the pickles!
I don’t think my palate is developed enough for pickle juice … but some of the other varieties sound SO worth a try!! BUT … what happens if I want the jar at the bottom?!?!?!
Only you would want the jar on the bottom Red! The pickle juice didn’t grab me either but the pickles were great…there was nothing remotely similar to our pickled gherkins!!
OMG, I didn’t know that you can pickle pretty much anything.
Seems as though you can Jill…and they do! It was a new experience for me to see a whole shop just for pickles. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Facinating! I love this article about… pickles! And the photos are amazing as always!
I know…pickles! I was surprised that you could have a shop dedicated to pickles too but as they are such a big part of Turkish cuisine, I can now understand it. I can’t wait to go back to Istanbul and try some more varieties!
Wow look at all those pickles! How crazy! Hoping to get to turkey in the near future! Will have to find this shop in instanbul!
They’re fun shops aren’t they Jessica. You’ll see pickle shops all through Istanbul…and in the markets. Hope you get to Turkey soon..it’s fabulous!