Yalikavak Weekly Market – Food Stalls section:
Each Thursday, Yalikvak hosts their weekly Pazar (market), and it gets my vote as the best market on the Bodrum Peninsula. Yalikavak hosts the quintessential market – It’s not too big, but it’s still expansive.
For our first visit, it was the key destination on our moped outing. We left Bodrum early, and stopped off at Bodrum Golf Course and the three Yalikavak windmills, before descending into Yalikavak town center, and heading straight to the market.
The market starts off gently, with a few stalls scattered along the main route leading to the main hub of the market. Wicker baskets, citrus trees, sewing paraphernalia – random stalls relegated to the outskirts. This random scattering gives way to a highway of fruit and vegetables, interspersed with stalls displaying a satisfying array of cheeses, yogurts, olives, spices, nuts, dried fruits, and of course turkish delight.
There are also a couple of Gözleme stalls, and these are well worth a visit for a cheap, quick, but satisfying breakfast.
After a couple of circuits of the food stalls, you will have received a myriad of tasting samples. My favourite, was a walnut with goat cheese, stuffed into a dried fig. This concoction was created and offered by a stall holder with gnarled hands with fingernails full of dirt. Despite my initial trepidation at accepting the morsel, I was glad I did. These ingredients melded together to create a spiritual union of texture and taste – sweet and sour, crunchy and smooth combined into one little mouthful.
At the far end of the food stalls is a quadrant of textile stalls.
The market clientele are a random mix of locals, holiday makers and expats, with The Locals being the major demographic. Whereas Turgutreis market can be overwhelming, and Bodrum’s interior market can feel confining, Yalikavak market is energetic without being intrusive, and has a beguiling small town vibe. As soon as we left, we couldn’t wait for Thursday to roll around again, to repeat the experience.
7 pings
Yalikavak Weekly Market
April 10, 2011 at 7:29 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
[...] exploring the two lanes of food stalls, venture onto the quadrant at the northern end of the market to stroll around the non-food [...]
Recipe for Dolmasi: Stuffed Grapevine Leaves
April 14, 2011 at 7:24 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
[...] You can buy the grape leaves pre-packed from the Market, or buy them loose from the pazar (the featured image photo is of grape leaves on sale at Yalikavak Market). [...]
Yalikavak, Turkey
July 5, 2011 at 3:39 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
[...] by Roving Jay of Bodrum Peninsula Travel Guide. Tags: Muğla, Nr. Bodrum, Yalikavak, Yalikavak Weekly [...]
Roving Jay’s Top 5 Bodrum Peninsula Picks | Travel Guide for Bodrum Turkey
July 7, 2011 at 6:51 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
[...] Eating Gözleme whilst walking around Yalikavak Thursday Market [...]
Public Beach in Yalikavak, Turkey | Travel Guide for Bodrum Turkey
August 23, 2011 at 7:05 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
[...] not grab some fresh produce from Yalikavak’s weekly market, and then go for a picnic off the beaten track at this Halk [...]
All About Turkish Tea | Bodrum Turkey Travel Guide
October 27, 2011 at 5:37 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
[...] time I was in Yalikavak, I bought a bag of Apple Tea powder from the market. It’s more like drinking hot apple juice than herbal tea. The apples are dried and ground [...]
Cooking Classes in Ortakent | Bodrum Turkey Travel Guide
January 7, 2012 at 7:35 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
[...] Thursdays it’s Yalıkavak Market [...]