Desserts definitely come first. What I found most intriguing in Turkey are their variety of sweets that you can all find in one roof at the Spice Bazaar. The shops sell practically the same stuff- colorful myriad of spices, baklava, dried fruits and such, but this is the place to be not only for food lovers but also for shopaholics who'd like to skip the Grand Bazaar, which is nothing special especially to those who have been to bargain markets in China or in any other "tianges".

facade of the Spice Bazaar

There are so many things to choose from, but you can always choose wisely if you come prepared. Here are the list of the MUST buy things in the Spice Bazaar:
1. Spices- saffron and vanilla bean (not pre-packaged please). One shop tried to rip us off by selling a small jar of saffron for more than a $100, but in another shop the price was only about $20 for the same grams.






2. Be a tourist and try the baklava. Find one that still looks moist or better yet kept in a container. Most of the desserts are laid out in the open, but the stuffy air in the bazaar doesn't help in keeping them fresh for a long duration.

Since this is a place where free tasting is encouraged, by all means do so. There are many intriguing desserts you can try, such as the lokum and nougat, but as I said before buy wisely since most of them can be bought in the grocery for a cheaper price. Turkey is also known for its pistachios which explains why they have many pistachio flavored desserts.

samples galore!

If you want to be adventurous, you can also try the the Turkish viagra. Do let me know if it is effective since upon further inspection of some pre-packaged viagra, they were already expired (lol!). Curiosity kills the cat after all :)