The first thing you should know about Turkish cafes and restaurants is that, wherever you are, there is bound to be one nearby. The second thing you should know is that, whatever the time, it’s probably open. For not only are Turkish towns and cities packed with places to eat, but most of them are open from early morning until late at night. Nor will you incur disapproving glances if you choose to eat at odd times. As the author Frederic raphael once observed, “it is never too late for lunch in Turkey until it is not too early for dinner.”

Add to this the fact that the food is wonderfully delicious and woderfully cheap, and you will readily understand why Turkey is regarded as just this side of Paradise by gourmets and gourmands alike.

For breakfast, even if you have already paid for it where you are staying, I would urge you to go out and try one of the

cafes or restaurants serving breakfast (kahvalti). Here you are much more likely to get an authentic Turkish breakfast of fresh warm bread, butter, honey, white sheep’s cheese, black olives, and tea or Turkish coffee. when breakfast is included in the price of your room, it tends to consist of not-quite-so-fresh bread, butter, packaged jam, a wedge of processed cheese, possibly olives, and tea or weak instant coffee. Tasty, but not the real thing.

For lunch, by which I mean anything before it is not too early for dinner, you have an infinite array of choices. If you want to munch on the trot, there are street vendors selling simit (bagel-like bread rings covered with seame seeds), nuts, dried fruits, sweet pastries, börek (hot cigar-shaped pastry rolls usually stuffed with white cheese), sandwiches, and ice cream. and just about anywhere you can get cold beer and soft drinks.

If you want to sit down, but not for long, drop into one of the little cafes specializing in pide (a sort of Turkish pizza: flat

bread topped with ground lamb or cheese or eggs or whatever you like) or döner kebap (a roll of lamb leg sliced from a revolving vertical spit and served either with a bit of flat bread and salad or, if you prefer, as a sandwhich).