I’ve tried some pretty interesting dishes in my travels. Chicken pudding is up there in uniqueness, and yumminess.
Taking advice from a PM I received from Adventurous Kate, I searched out Kismet Muhallebecisi, northwest of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. In her post, Kate had recommended the chicken soup and chicken gibbets, followed by the chicken pudding.
The chicken soup was just as good as she said it was, and also filled me up after all the free Turkish Delight I had acquired in the bazaar. So I skipped the gibbets and went straight to dessert.
I would have never picked chicken pudding if it hadn’t been recommended by a good friend, but it was definitely worth it. And surprisingly delicious. It is a rice pudding with bits of chicken mixed in. It’s a unique taste, both sweet and, well, it tastes like chicken. Mine was also garnished with chocolate and cinnamon.
Update: I’ve since learned that this Turkish dessert is called Tavuk Göğsü, which actually translates as “chicken breast.” It is made by boiling chicken in water and ripping it apart, and then boiling it further with milk, rice and sugar. Cinnamon is the usual garnish, although mine was also topped with a layer of chocolate powder.
The restaurant, Kismet Muhallebecisi, is a tiny hole-in-the-wall joint at Demirtaş Mh., Demirtaş, 34134 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey. You’ll find it along the waterfront between the Ataturk and Galata bridges. Or you can find it the way I did, wandering the streets after exploring the Grand Bazaar and hoping your off-line Google Maps won’t lead you as astray as some of the locals try to do.
When you make it to Istanbul, I would definitely recommend this restaurant. Finding a local restaurant can be very difficult in a town where the vast majority of the 11,000 restaurants are tourist traps. Kismet Muhallebecisi is anything but touristy. Of course, my favorite part is this place is also budget friendly. Both dishes for under €4.
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