Street Hawker’s Stuffed Mussels

If you wander through the Istanbul suburb called Beyoğlu, you’ll soon encounter men carrying circular aluminium trays full of mussels stuffed with spiced rice. Give the first man you see a lira and you’ll get three or four mussels and a slice of lemon on a paper plate. You’ll then become addicted, and feel compelled to go to the street called Nevizade where, with any luck, you’ll find a meyhane that will serve you mussel dolmas sitting down.

When I came to Sy