Turkish Herbal Remedies – Brand new Spice Market article , Feb. 2010! :)

This is not the regular turkish delight, henna, safran , coffee article , that is over-saturatedly and boringly repeated almost in any source.Yes info on these items is also juicy, but it is a shame there is lack of information on other interesting items as well as these .

My first introduction is a delicious herbal tea mixture : Green Tea, cinnamon sticks and cloves. This may well replace antibiotics (just  google and see some scientific research result on  how powerfull cloves against microps, germs, fungi, etc )  .  This mixture is especially great for those who suffer allergy with postnasal flow ( which may also cause   sinusitis) ,  those who are addicted to antihistamine pills. At least for me,  and for  the 80 or 90 other repeated Spice market shoppers ( who were advised by one of the Spice Market vendors , encouraged by me )  it worked .

Here is how to prepare it :

( Well you better also buy  an inexpensive  turkish tea set , which is a kettle with a smaller pot   sitting on the kettle; small pot allowing to brew tea better while being warmed up as  the water in  kettle boils, the small sets  run for about  20 -30 lira = 14 – 20$ US   As you walk straight through the market , at the end that is straight ahead  step outside and take a right turn. That is the market place for glasses , tea sets, coffee pots etc )

Boil the cinnamon stick in the kettle, ( after the water boils lower the temperature until the water turns red from cinnamon . You should be able to smell the cinnamon in the kitchen, in the hallway.  8 cloves in the upper pot with just enough water to cover them will also heat up meanwhile. By now you need to be able to smell cloves as well.  Well , approx by then you need to put two tablespoonful green tea to the upper pot and 3 min or so later fill this pot up with the cinnamon water from the kettle.

Allergy and this herbal tea :

Give this a  try  especaially if you are  suffering from allergy symptoms, you may get rid of the antihistamine pills. Also if you will take a flight , be exposed to places where clean air  lacks , contagious diseases are more likely to spread around. So, in those cases this is also your drink.My name is Oguz Kosebalaban and I put my name to this drink.  It works.  This is my dedicated effort to contribute to your health. This drink saved my  life from being partly and continuously dependent  on  antihistamine pills, and so  I am indebted. Now is the time to pay back.

More spice market specials will be here, at my store, check back 🙂

( Of course you can make this tea anywhere in the world , but it will taste better while in Istanbul, with the sinergy of your new experiences :))

Regular Tea : May the British forgive, but I feel sorry for them ( and the rest of the world ) as they do not know ( read the rest with a British accent please 🙂 how to brew the tea properly :

The tea set I descirbed above is a must. Tea leaves should be used ( never tea bags ) , tea leaves should simmer in the upper pot.

Initially before brewing the tea leaves you should wash the tea leaves ( or moisturise ) , so that while the water in the kettle warms th pot up, the tea leaves won’t overdry.  I have heard so many of my visitors telling that was the best tea they ever drank.

nearby hamdi restaurant :

Also one of the best pistachio-lamb kebab and baklava + shobiyet ( şöbiyet ) is at the nearby Hamdi Restaurant, should be combined with your Spice MArket visit.

Hey backpacker, you too : this time pay a little bit more than a Burger King and treat yourself with this Kebab ( 14$ Us + two slices of sobiyet 7$ Us approx cost )  ; Visual Istanbul is a great Istanbul , but why not take back home a bit of Istanbul in your stomach or belly   , you can walk and burn it do not worry :))

Also at the same restaurant is Icli kofte ( mistakenly metaphoric word by word translation in some menus elsewhere reads sentimantal meatball, as opposed to stuffed ground meat  paddy. Also Gavurdagi Salatasi ( Gavurdağı salatası ) – Infidel’s mountain Salad : Includes Crushed walnut, pomegranade vinegar , finely chopped cucumber, tomato, onion – preferably red, pepper, fresh mint ( replaced by parsley in most places as well as Hamdi. But if you ask for it you can get mint in it as well. This meal better be accompanied by good Turkish Red wine, a decent one with which you will never  go wrong is Yakut,  and Antik ( this  one’s white is also available, also very good ) For white Çankaya is decent.  These are brand names by the way. The large bottles will sell for about 45$ US , between two a small bottle for a day time to tour afterwards is sufficient.

A wine called Kalecik karası is available by many wineries, a bit more pricy. In a bit more

The balcony of Hamdi is a good place for a photographer overlooking Galata Bridge, Golden Horn , New Mosque,  and partial Bosphorus view, across from Galata Tower. I am not their partner, but a good client : Since they keep my visitors so happy; I end up there a number of times a year.

What to do after spice market:

After a slow lunch if it is 2.20 you are on time to catch a taxi to Military Museum to watch the live performance of the military band – mehteran with a superb 5 minute film on their origin and how thet influenced classical composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Chaikowsky and as a result how the music called Ala Turca was born.

Coming soon  :

Pepper Paste – The best well kept secret of Turkish kitchen for the amazing meals ( hot and not hot pepper paste

Mastic ( may come in Turkish delight )

Mad Honey

Also for a visual guide of Istanbul you may visit my photo pages :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23822697@N02/sets/  some photos there are also from Spica market experiences, that will give you some insight.