Many are drawn to Safranbolu since it is a UNESCO heritage site. Turks go there, so do the Japanese, and the Germans, and the French. Tourists of all types and nationalities seem to mingle in this lovely little town that certainly did quite well for itself even before it became such a tourist hot spot due to its denizens being heavily involved in harvesting saffron. Let us now see what the big deal about this little town is, with a short article that focuses mostly on the delicacies this region offers.
There are plenty of guides out there telling you exactly what you need to do and see in Safranbolu, this is not one of them. As some of you may already know, my attitude to this whole travel writing gig is a bit different. This is Safranbolu. It is a beautiful small town with an Ottoman architecture that makes you feel like you just teleported to a whole new, but historic, dimension, well, minus the plenty of refrigerators, a few cars, and all the wires. All of its cobblestone streets are filled with wares to buy, food to eat, and history to witness, which is why I would like to think that it has something to offer for anyone.
In many ways, Safranbolu reminded me of Berat in Albania. After all, both were Ottoman towns with highly stylistic architecture. Berat, however, seems to be the better of the two, mostly because its houses nest atop one another, which lets you enjoy them as a whole as you sit down to eat at a café or a restaurant. The situation in Safranbolu is a bit different. It is a hilly town, and you have to go atop the highest hill to get the best view of the city. If you want, you can find out more about this lovely town called Berat by reading my article on that beautiful Albanian treasure here.
To be fair, both towns, though they seem similar at first glance, offer very different options to eat and drink. This alone makes them both worth a visit. While Berat’s cooks obviously focus on Albanian food, Safranbolu dishes out decent examples of Turkish food with a flair, an added aroma from the saffron! Here you can see a tea made just out of saffron, and though it is not my favourite tea (nor saffron product) you should give it a go if you visit this part of Turkey. Moreover, the place I had it, Gizli Cennet, offers an exceptional getaway from the summer heat since it is located in a ravine with a river running alongside it. There is even a small waterfall to enjoy as you sip your tea, it really does not get much better than that!
If you would rather have some coffee, you cannot go wrong with some saffron infused Turkish coffee in Safranbolu. Now I am not so sure if the saffron in it is real or if there is just some aroma of it, but it sure tasted different, and in a good way, and for just 2 USD, that is all that matters to me. The small berry juice and even smaller Turkish delight that came with it were up to the task as well. You can enjoy this delicacy in many spots around Safranbolu, I had my coffee break at Mahra Kahve Evi.
Naturally, I was getting quite hungry as I neared the end of my daytrip. To end on a high note and with a full stomach, I decided to finish my walk around Safranbolu at Tarihi Safranbolu Kadayıfçısı ve Yöresel Ev Yemekleri. This place is everything I wanted and needed from a restaurant at that time. It offers a mix of local and Turkish delicacies, and I went for a local dish consisting of dumplings filled with skim-milk cheese. These were topped with some butter and fresh herbs from the region. It was served with some appetizers on the side, namely some fresh bread, an excellent pepper paste, and some pickled red cabbage. I also got a local berry juice, which was sour in just the right way.
Though I really should not have gotten one due to my ongoing diet, I did end up ordering a mastic gum ice cream by the end of my late lunch. It was all that I could ask for, and more. The flavours in this region are just extra natural, which is what makes this ice cream so special to me. Owners of this fine establishment are some of the nicest people out there as well, so make sure to give this place a go when you visit Safranbolu!
Ultimately, Turkey’s Western Black Sea region offers a variety of destinations for those who want to see a much lesser traveled part of the country. You can enjoy Zonguldak’s industrial heritage, Karadeniz Ereğli’s excellent pide and interesting caves, and Safranbolu’s world class heritage sites and saffron based goodies, which are all found just a few hours away from one another, located in one of the greenest parts of the Anatolian peninsula. Do consider this the next time you wish to visit Turkey, there is much more to it than just Istanbul, Cappadocia, and Antalya.