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Benoit Hanquet

Benoit Hanquet

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Originally from Belgium, Benoit (a.k.a. Selim) has been living in the heart of Istanbul for more than twenty years. Though he was in the textile business for many years, he now focuses on guiding in Istanbul’s backstreets and on long distance hikes throughout Turkey. His favorite dish is ‘patlıcan dolması’ (eggplant stuffed with rice and spices served as a cold starter), a typical dish of southwestern Turkey.

Food tours given by Benoit Hanquet

September 3, 2018

Summer Breakfasts in Istanbul

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Istanbul -- Fall may be on its way, but some vendors in the Bazaar quarter are stretching out the last days of summer with their breakfast of watermelon. Of course their kahvaltı spread features many of the usual suspects – tomatoes, cucumbers, white cheese, olives, tea – but the watermelon is the true star of this morning meal.
April 7, 2018

A Meeting of Religions in Karaköy

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Istanbul -- At this simit bakery in the Istanbul neighborhood of Karaköy, mastic-flavored Greek Orthodox Easter bread is sold alongside sesame-covered kandil simidi, which will be eaten as part of the Miraç Kandili on Friday, April 13, a holy night that celebrates Prophet Muhammad’s miraculous journey to Jerusalem.

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