If
I closed my eyes and listened to the market sounds around me, I easily could
have been transported to one of my weekly pazars in Istanbul.
Instead,
we were in the midst of the bustling Friday market day at the Türkischer
Markt in Berlin, Germany. In November, we spent a long weekend
exploring this former divided city for the first time. Visiting this Turkish market
was one of the highlights for me as I still get bouts of homesickness for my
beloved Istanbul.
Here
at the market, I found Turkish
simit and pide, green and
black olives galore, beyaz peynir and
other varieties of cheese, pickled veggies, prepared Turkish mezes, fish mongers, meat sellers,
pomegranates, mandalina and a
plethora of fresh produce.
The
market even had a small section that looked exactly like the backstreets of Eminönü with its bolts
of fabric, thread, yarn, boxes of buttons and çay glasses and
teapots. I saw head-scarved ladies haggling over their purchases just like they
do in Istanbul.
 |
| Even though I know many, many Turks live in Germany, I was still surprised to see so much of "Istanbul" here in Berlin. |
Just
hearing Turkish being spoken made me giddy! And anytime I spoke to one of the
sellers in Turkish, I got surprised reactions that this blonde-haired yabanci could speak Turkish AND that I
was not German. To make the conversation easier, I told the sellers we still
lived in Istanbul and were on holiday.
Buy
why indeed was I buying Turkish olives and cheese if I was on holiday?
As
I’ve mentioned before, I love visiting markets wherever we travel. While
planning this trip, I heard about the Türkischer Markt and couldn’t resist
booking a hotel about 2 km away so we would be close. My husband indulged my
plea to visit this market when he would rather have been exploring historical
sites.
However, husbands everywhere should know that: happy wife = happy life. And I was happy!
If
I had more luggage allowance, I would have smuggled back more Turkish delights.
But I
was content with my few purchases and reveled in each and every bite of my
crispy cheese and spinach gözleme.
 |
| A slightly different version of Turkish gözleme, but still tasty. |
How to get to there:
The
Türkischer Markt is open year-round from 11:30 a.m.-6.30 p.m. on Tuesdays
& Fridays. It runs along the south side of the Landwehrkanal from
Kottbusser Damm. One of the entrances is located at the intersection of Kottbusser Damm and Maybachufer.
Address:
Maybachufer
12047
Berlin (Neukölln)
Transit:
U8 Schönleinstraße
 |
| At another end of the market, local hipsters gathered to listen to live music. |
10 comments:
Looks like you enjoyed Berlin. We're long overdue a revisit - and will definitely hunt out the Turkish areas next time. This market looks fab. :)
@Julia, yes, we loved Berlin! Just a 5-hour train ride from Warsaw. :-) Hope to post some more Berlin photos later this week but am still deep in my Polish classes!
Türkenmarkt is such a great Berlin institution - I always get my Turkish fix there when in Berlin.
we are starting to get more turkish stores here and i am loving it but we have nothing like that markt!
@Barbara, I can certainly see why! We loved the market!
@Joyce, that's interesting to hear! So you can find pomegranate molasses, Turkish spices and such? I'm happy with selection I've been able to find in Warsaw. ;-)
Growing up in Germany is my early years I thought that döner and such were German foods until I started school and learned a bit about geography :) Its everywhere, we love it and for good reason. I'm glad you enjoyed Berlin! Its a wonderful city :)
I think you have well developed Turk yemeği antenna. You seem to be able to find it where ever you are.
@Moe, that's pretty funny! So German food consisted of döner AND sausages? ;-)
Yes, we loved Berlin! And hope to return again...maybe even this year.
@Annie, I think I have too! My antenna has been on the hunt here in Warsaw lately as well. :-)
Hi Joy! We too loved Berlin when we went last year! But we didn't know about this market which looks just like the real thing!
@Claudia, I imagine since you guys live in Turkey, you don't need to go off rushing for Turkish supplies in another country. Glad you enjoyed Berlin as much as we did! Hopefully, we'll see you soon.
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