Istanbul’s Eminönü, the western (Golden Horn) side of the Galata Bridge: You cannot miss three gaudy balık-ekmek boats in the Golden Horn, across Spice Bazaar beneath the shadow of the Süleymaniye Mosque.
For perhaps a century, fishermen brought their catch from the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara to Istanbul’s Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn for sale.
A few enterprising boatmen had an idea: why not cook the fish right on the boat and offer it for sale ready-to-eat?
In the boat, they grill fish fillets, stuff them in half a loaf of bread, and handed the fish sandwiches from the boat to thousands of hungry, thrifty locals and tourists every day. Waiters will cajole you in with shouts of Balıkekmek!and Buyrun! (“Come on in! Help yourself!”).
Sig Nordal 