{"id":58189,"date":"2012-10-30T08:19:20","date_gmt":"2012-10-30T06:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/?p=58189"},"modified":"2023-04-05T14:14:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T11:14:43","slug":"addictive-quince-dessert-in-istanbuls-balik-pazari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/2012\/10\/30\/addictive-quince-dessert-in-istanbuls-balik-pazari\/","title":{"rendered":"Addictive Quince Dessert in Istanbul’s Balik Pazari"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The arrival of fall always finds us heading instinctively, like salmon swimming towards their ancestral headwaters, to the Bal\u0131k Pazar\u0131, Beyo\u011flu\u2019s historic fish market. Autumn is quince season in Turkey and that means the appearance \u2013 for a limited time only \u2013 of one of our favorite desserts, ayva tatl\u0131s\u0131 (literally meaning \u201cquince dessert,\u201d although \u201cquince in syrup\u201d might be more accurate). Nestled in the fish market is Sakarya Tatl\u0131c\u0131s\u0131, a pastry and sweets shop with old-world charm that is one of our top stops for this dessert.<\/p>\n

The apple-like quince is one of those complicated, mysterious fruits that take on a new life when cooked. Raw, quinces are often astringent and inedible. Cooked \u2013 with a generous amount of sugar \u2013 the fruit assumes a different personality, with a newfound depth of flavor and a seductive perfume. To make ayva tatl\u0131s\u0131, large quinces are halved, stewed and then baked until they turn meltingly soft and are coated in a thick and sticky reddish glaze; the color is the result of a chemical reaction that is yet another of the fruit\u2019s mysteries.<\/p>\n

Once cool, the glazed quince is served with a dollop of kaymak, the heavenly Turkish version of clotted cream. The addition of the kaymak \u2013 whose buttery richness cuts through, yet deliciously complements, the sweetness of the glazed fruit \u2013 takes the dessert to almost sinfully good levels. The guilt eating it evokes is only tempered by the realization that you\u2019re actually eating a fruit \u2013 albeit one glazed with thick, sugary syrup and topped with extremely rich cream. We like to think of it as a highly refined version of the glazed jelly-filled doughnut.<\/p>\n

Like doughnuts, ayva tatl\u0131s\u0131 can become addictive, and Sakarya Tatl\u0131c\u0131s\u0131 \u2013 in business in the Bal\u0131k Pazar\u0131 for more than 50 years \u2013 is a perfect spot to get our fix. At this time of the year, Sakarya Tatl\u0131c\u0131s\u0131\u2019s display case always holds a tray of the glistening quinces, next to the small shop\u2019s usual assortment of (very good) baklava and other traditional pastries and sweets. Many other places around town like to spike their quince dessert with food coloring, turning it radioactive red. At Sakarya, however, the fruit is left to its own devices, achieving an ethereal color that hovers somewhere between rosy pink, ruby red and burnt orange.<\/p>\n

Although most people breeze into the shop and get their dessert to go, we prefer to sit down at one of Sakarya\u2019s two tables, order a tea with our quince and take in the atmosphere of the fish market. We would go there more often but, sadly (or, come to think of it, fortunately), quinces \u2013 unlike doughnuts \u2013 are only available a few months of the year.<\/p>\n

Address: Dudu Odalar\u0131 Sokak 3, Bal\u0131k Pazar\u0131, Beyo\u011flu<\/p>\n

Telephone: +90 212 249 2469<\/p>\n

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 7am-10pm; Sun. 8am-8pm<\/p>\n

(photo by Yigal Schleifer)<\/p>\n

via Addictive Quince Dessert in Istanbul’s Balik Pazari | Culinary Backstreets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The arrival of fall always finds us heading instinctively, like salmon swimming towards their ancestral headwaters, to the Bal\u0131k Pazar\u0131, Beyo\u011flu\u2019s historic fish market. Autumn is quince season in Turkey and that means the appearance \u2013 for a limited time only \u2013 of one of our favorite desserts, ayva tatl\u0131s\u0131 (literally meaning \u201cquince dessert,\u201d although […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":58191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2939],"tags":[5457],"class_list":["post-58189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultureart","tag-turkish-food"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}