Tasting Notes
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi has served grilled meatballs on Divan Yolu, the main street of the old city, since 1920. The family business, also called by the name of its master Selim Usta, keeps a short menu. It does not take reservations, and there is often a queue at lunch and dinner.
Köfte and piyaz
The köfte is made from beef, onion, bread and salt, without the cumin and pepper common in other Turkish meatballs, and is grilled over charcoal. The usual partner is fasulye piyazı, white beans dressed with onion, parsley, olive oil and vinegar; there is also a hot pepper pickle, lentil soup, rice and yoghurt. Lamb şiş is the only other main dish.
Dessert and the dining room
For dessert there is the house semolina halva, kemalpaşa — small cheese dumplings soaked in syrup — and baked rice pudding. The dining room keeps marble-topped tables, and framed newspaper cuttings on the walls tell the story of the shop.
“Arrive just before the lunch or dinner rush to avoid the queue, order köfte with piyaz and ayran, and finish with semolina halva.”
LR Kitchen — field note