Mussels on the streets of Turkey are small, tender morsels that are big on flavour and easy on your pocket

The small blackish, calcified shells are hardly appealing at first glance but are a must-try while eating out in Istanbul. Pack them in tightly with nuts, spiced rice and the steamed mussels show some real muscle (especially when rounded off with a generous squeeze of sweet lime). It’s difficult to describe the precise flavour of this street delicacy found on every corner of Istanbul. Let's just say it falls at the intersection of sweet, salty and heavenly.


A late-night bite for clubbers or a satisfying evening snack for the weary working class, steamed mussels and rice are to Turkey what fish and chips are to England. And as the popular refrain goes, no one can eat just one. Newbies may ask the vendor for a single serving, typically a couple of shells. Even as you scoop, the vendor will already be cracking open the next round, confident of a re-order. And despite your best efforts, a second round will be ordered.

Locals say that the recipe for mussels and rice reached Istanbul with the migration of Kurds from the interiors of Anatolia. Today thousands of vendors earn their livelihood by collecting, preparing and selling stuffed mussels each day.

Some might dismiss mussels as the ‘poor man’s seafood’. And so it is, since it's cheaper than most other bottom-feeders. But cheap and delicious are not mutually exclusive so grab your stuffed mussels and get busy stuffing your face.