Food safety in Istanbul

[emilee]

Hello, We are from Canada. I know not to drink the water unless it is bottled and my drink of choice is wine so no need to worry about ice :-) but can you eat salad etc. in restaurants? How do you know if it is o.k. to eat salad or fruit in a restaurant. What about pressed juices? I have heard that they are tasty but I am guessing they probably are not washing everything with filtered water? We are staying at the Sirkeci Konak - do the hotels usually use filtered water? I can ask them but I am curious to hear from those of you who have been to Istanbul in the past. Thank you.

[texancruzer]

We have been to Istanbul twice (two overnight stays on cruise - so 4 days total) and have eaten in quite a few restaurants in Istanbul. We prefer to eat onshore while in port even if the food is already paid for on the ship....:roll eyes: as that is a big part of travel for us.

 

We have never had a problem, eating a salad or anything else. That said, we don't eat from street vendors only restaurants. As for the water, most restaurants will pour from a bottle of water. Mainly because the water is over-chlorinated there and varies from one place to another due to different sources.

 

The food is wonderful. Very flavorful since they use lots of spices (not hot ones) like curry, cinnamon, and much more. A visit to the Spice Bazaar will show you what I mean :D ENJOY ISTANBUL... it is one of our favorite cities.

[cruisemom42]

Are you confusing Turkey with Egypt? :confused:

 

There is no problem eating food in Turkey just as you would anywhere in Europe. In fact, I highly encourage you to do so, as I think the food there is very delicious and fresh.

 

I've been to Turkey on 4 cruises plus a 2-week land trip. Everywhere I went I've eaten fresh salads and other food -- fresh fish, kebaps, kofte (meatballs), pide, mezzes, yoghurt, you name it. I haven't gotten sick yet and had some of the best meals anywhere.

 

Water in Turkey is not unsafe to drink. As someone else said, it may be different from your own local water (and I guess for some this causes issues, but I've never experienced any). But there's nothing unsafe about it.

[aquilegia]

I can't imagine why the hotel would need to use filtered water to wash salads.

[texancruzer]

Cruisermom is right...... somehow you have mixed up Egypt with Turkey.

 

When we visited Egypt in Nov 2010 we were told not to even brush our teeth with tap water. We were told not to drink any drinks with ice in them or eat a salad or fruits unless we could peel them.

 

Even being super duper careful, 8 out of the 11 people on our tour got "Mummy Tummy" A little Antinal took care of it quickly so mostly a nuisance.......

[emilee]

Thank you all for your responses. I wasn't confusing it with Egypt. I read Rick Steve's Istanbul book, the newest version, which said that the water was bad, to brush your teeth with bottled water, be careful showering etc. Also, not to eat fruits and vegetables unless washed in filtered water, peeled or cooked which I thought was a real shame because I am so looking forward to trying different foods. I love to cook and eat (sometimes too much!) so I thought that was a shame. I then checked the travel advisory sites which said the same thing so I thought to post as I always get good advice from others! Thanks, Emilee

[cruisemom42]

Thank you all for your responses. I wasn't confusing it with Egypt. I read Rick Steve's Istanbul book, the newest version, which said that the water was bad, to brush your teeth with bottled water, be careful showering etc. Also, not to eat fruits and vegetables unless washed in filtered water, peeled or cooked which I thought was a real shame because I am so looking forward to trying different foods. I love to cook and eat (sometimes too much!) so I thought that was a shame. I then checked the travel advisory sites which said the same thing so I thought to post as I always get good advice from others! Thanks, Emilee

 

Interesting. I have Rick's 2009 edition of this book (which I've used extensively) and there is absolutely no mention of any safety issues regarding the drinking water.

 

Shame on you, Rick. :cool:

[scarlett81]

Wow, shocking to read this about the water and Rick's book. I have to research this more. Never heard of it being a problem in Istanbul.

 

Now Egypt, yes...oh boy. My poor hubby got Mummy Tummy, on day 5 of our 14 day trip. A combo of e.coli and salmonella. It landed him in the hospital after we got home.

[aquilegia]

Rick Steves' Europe Tours website makes no mention of any problems with the water on the Istanbul webpage. He also mentions buying a 'fishwich' (which I presume to be a fish sandwich) direct from a local fisherman, so he seems to be giving out mixed messages.

[H2Otstr]

I just received my 2012 Rick Steves' book and it does say to avoid drinking the water, keeping one's mouth closed while showering and to be careful when shaving !!! That is WAY over the top. The book makes it sound like the water is pure sewage :eek:.

[iancal]

We have travelled throughout Turkey on several occasions. We never experienced any issues. We did drink bottled water, we tend not to frequent street food vendors-except those who sell that wonderful fresh squeezed orange or pomagranite juice.

 

Our typical regime is to split a large salad for lunch everyday-doused with olive oil and feta.

 

This fish sandwiches referred to are most likely the ones sold by the fishermen beside the Galata bridge where the ferries dock.

[texancruzer]

Wow, shocking to read this about the water and Rick's book. I have to research this more. Never heard of it being a problem in Istanbul.

 

Now Egypt, yes...oh boy. My poor hubby got Mummy Tummy, on day 5 of our 14 day trip. A combo of e.coli and salmonella. It landed him in the hospital after we got home.

 

 

That sounds like a whole lot more than the normal case of Mummy Tummy....... which is usually diarrhea from e coli OR salmonella. It is easily controlled with Antinal (or Cipro is the American version) I got it the day after we landed..... started on Antinal the same day and was fine. Did have to keep taking it for almost the whole trip (we were there 15 days) to be sure since we were on excursions both morning, afternoon and most nights ....... more of a nuisance than anything. Luckily a box was only $4.00 and dh and I went thru almost 2 boxes and I still have some in the medicine cabinet.

[scarlett81]

That sounds like a whole lot more than the normal case of Mummy Tummy....... which is usually diarrhea from e coli OR salmonella. It is easily controlled with Antinal (or Cipro is the American version) I got it the day after we landed..... started on Antinal the same day and was fine. Did have to keep taking it for almost the whole trip (we were there 15 days) to be sure since we were on excursions both morning, afternoon and most nights ....... more of a nuisance than anything. Luckily a box was only $4.00 and dh and I went thru almost 2 boxes and I still have some in the medicine cabinet.

 

My DH does not have a spleen. This is why something like traveler's diarrhea would hit him hard. And yes, it was from BOTH e.coli and salmonella. It was an ordeal. Infectious disease was studying him for a while, he was miserable However, I always travel on abx due to chronic health problems and I wasn't affected by it at all, despite us eating the same things the whole time.

 

I've been reading every travel book I have on Istanbul and none of them mention any problems with water or food. Crazy.

[nyyhoneybee]

I just received my 2012 Rick Steves' book and it does say to avoid drinking the water, keeping one's mouth closed while showering and to be careful when shaving !!! That is WAY over the top. The book makes it sound like the water is pure sewage :eek:.

 

Yup I leave in a week for Istanbul and got nervous when I read that!