Turşu: The Pickle Shops of Kadıköy
Why is it significant?
Stop in front of one of the pickle shop windows in these lanes and take it in: jars and barrels of cabbage, cucumbers, green tomatoes, peppers, beans, beetroot and carrots, glowing in shades of green, red and gold. On the counter, a row of glasses waits to be filled with something cloudy and pink.
Key Facts
| Place | Turşu: The Pickle Shops of Kadıköy |
|---|---|
| Address | Güneşlibahçe Sokak (southern end), Caferağa, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye |
| Geo Coordinates | 40.98830, 29.02380 |
| Part of Walk | Fish, Pickles and Sunset Tea: Istanbul's Asian Side from Kadıköy Market to Moda |
| Generated | Generated |
Stop in front of one of the pickle shop windows in these lanes and take it in: jars and barrels of cabbage, cucumbers, green tomatoes, peppers, beans, beetroot and carrots, glowing in shades of green, red and gold. On the counter, a row of glasses waits to be filled with something cloudy and pink. That is pickle juice, and people drink it.
Turşu, pickles, are one of the pillars of the Turkish table. Vegetables go into brine with salt, garlic and sometimes vinegar, and many families add a handful of chickpeas or a crust of stale bread, which, so the old wisdom says, helps the fermentation along. Beetroot gives the brine its deep colour. In the old days, every household made its own in autumn, filling jars to see the family through the winter, when fresh vegetables were scarce.
Turkish even has pickle idioms. If someone says they are turşu gibi, like a pickle, they are completely exhausted. And if someone tells you to go and make a pickle of something, they mean it is useless, so keep it to yourself. Yet pickles are anything but useless. A glass of turşu suyu, the sour, salty juice, is a classic winter drink in Istanbul, and many swear by it after a long night... a pickle-juice cure that predates every sports drink.
There is real craft behind the counter. The pickle maker has to balance salt and acid, keep the jars at the right temperature, and know exactly how many days each vegetable needs. Too little time and the cucumber is still raw; too much and it goes soft. A good pickle should crack between your teeth.
Ask for a small mixed plate, or a glass of the juice if you are brave. Then leave the market behind, cross the main road and head up towards Altıyol, the six-way junction, where a bronze bull has been staring down the traffic for more than half a century.