Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, this spot is no longer open.
We’ve written previously about Turkey’s passionate love affair with liver, one that can turn downright obsessive in some parts of the country. Edirne, an old Ottoman capital city about two hours out of Istanbul, is one of those places. Filled with restaurants selling the dish and nothing but, Edirne is perhaps ground zero for Turkish liver lovers. If the city’s countless liver restaurateurs had their way, Edirne’s official symbol would probably be the organ, with a giant, quivering liver sculpture greeting hungry travelers at the entrance to town. Of course, that kind of boosterism is unnecessary; for many Turks, the name Edirne is simply synonymous with liver.
We visited Edirne several years ago and had what was a very fine plate of liver done in the local style. Although we’re not liver-mad enough to make the drive to Edirne just to eat the stuff (as some Istanbulites do), we were very happy a few months later to discover Can Ciğer, a small spot in the Besiktaş neighborhood that is one of the few places in Istanbul serving up Edirne-style liver.
The formula for making the dish is simple: extremely fresh cow’s liver is sliced into very thin, almost bite-size pieces, coated with flour and then deep-fried until crisp and approaching something that could be described as Liver McNuggets. On the plate, the liver is served with nothing more than a hunk of raw onion, which complements the fried slices of meat perfectly; a few slices of tomato; and a hot pepper that has also been deep-fried. As at most Edirne liver restaurants, the main feature of Can Ciğer is the frying station at the front, where the Edirne-born fry master stands in front of a deep pan of oil that he tends to carefully, constantly adjusting the flame below.
The attention he pays to the oil shows off in the liver. On a recent visit, the meat was perfectly fried and – perhaps because of its thinness and crispy coating – had none of the “livery” taste we usually associate with the dish. Sitting around us, meanwhile, were local liver freaks, some who had even ordered a double portion of the crispy nuggets, clearly happy that instead of having to go to Edirne to get their fix, Edirne had come to them.
January 11, 2024 Al Fresco: A Fresh Start
Upon entering Al Fresco in the Ballarò neighborhood, we are struck by both the kind […] Posted in Palermo
January 29, 2014 Adega Pérola
Ricardo Manuel Pires Martins likes to brag about the popularity of his bar among […] Posted in Rio
December 19, 2013 Best Bites of 2013
Editor’s note: This post is the fourth installment of “Best Bites of 2013,” a roundup of […] Posted in Mexico City
Published on October 24, 2013
Related stories
January 11, 2024
Palermo | By Francesco Cipriano
PalermoUpon entering Al Fresco in the Ballarò neighborhood, we are struck by both the kind welcome and the special location – the restaurant is set in a garden enclosed within the walls of Casa San Francesco, a former 17th-century convent, lit by strings of lights dangling between plants and saplings. There is an immediate sense…
January 29, 2014
RioRicardo Manuel Pires Martins likes to brag about the popularity of his bar among Japanese tourists. We don’t begrudge him that, because if you’re in the market for seafood, particularly the less-cooked kind, as these tourists evidently are, Adega Pérola is your bar. Tucked on a commercial lane a few blocks behind the Art Deco…
December 19, 2013
Mexico CityEditor’s note: This post is the fourth installment of “Best Bites of 2013,” a roundup of our top culinary experiences over the last year. Stay tuned for “Best Bites” from all of the cities Culinary Backstreets covers. Hilaria Gastrobar We visited this restaurant on revitalized Madero Street downtown just a few months after it opened,…
