Turkish Markets - The Best Grocery Shopping Experience
Everyone should adore and cherish local Turkish markets! And here's why...
Why We Love Turkish Markets
Once upon a time, there was a town in the Northwest of England called Wigan. Our home town. Wigan was a market town.
It had an outdoor market square and an indoor market. Both sold British, seasonal fruit, fresh vegetables along with clothing and haberdashery, etc.
Fresh Produce
The open-fronted shops that surrounded the indoor arcades all sold a variety of products like fish, eggs, meat, cheese and bread.
Some of these shops had hares, rabbits and pheasants hanging from hooks outside.
The market was always packed with Wigan townsfolk. And there was constant noise and chatter from the vendors; especially at the end of the day.
Bargains galore. And a May Day fairground just for good measure.
No More Market
This fairytale didn't have a happy ending for us as Wiganers.
These are my memories from doing the twice-weekly shop with my nana during the school summer holidays when I was in junior school.
Now? Well, when we left Wigan in the 1990s, it was a medium-sized town (50,000 ish people) with no food market at all.
The last fishmonger of the indoor market would write letters to the local newspaper asking for customer support.
A desperate 'use-it-or-lose-it' plea that ultimately fell on deaf ears.
Enter The Supermarket Chains
There are numerous, sad reasons for the demise of the markets. And, needless to say, supermarkets saw the possibilities and descended on Wigan in their droves.
Wigan was home to the largest store of the biggest supermarket chain in Britain when we left.
This has no doubt since been usurped by larger stores in other towns but that was the case back then as we chose to come to Fethiye.
Shoppers in the centre of Wigan had no choice but to go to the supermarkets for their fruit and veg.
Obviously, there is now also added competition with the growth of online shopping.
It's a wonder markets survive at all.
Turkish Markets - Shop Local, Eat Seasonal
Cue our love of all things Turkish markets! The pazar.
We're both huge fans of the Turkish food markets of the Fethiye area - and of local produce, generally.
So, whenever we can, we always make the effort to use local Turkish markets on a weekly, twice-weekly, sometimes thrice-weekly basis.
Why wouldn't we?
We really enjoy the experience. Markets have their own atmosphere.
Throngs of shoppers, fresh produce, familiar faces of the traders, the colours, aromas, the sounds.
Best Price
Turkish markets are also generally cheaper than local supermarkets when it comes to fresh produce. Good prices that change depending on the season.
High inflation in the 2020s has meant the Turkish Lira is not stretching far for many shoppers. But the local market is still one of the best places to head for to fill the shopping bags.
And it's also taught us how to get the most from the seasonal produce.
We cook loads of creations that we would never have dreamt of cooking in the past; especially Turkish recipes.
Don't get us wrong, we are not completely anti-supermarket. They're useful places for general shopping - but we do try not to rely on them, here.
We're lucky to have two local shops that have quite a wide product range so we try to support those, too.
Confusingly, for British people, small family run Turkish grocery stores are called 'market' in Turkish. If you want to go to a local Turkish produce market, these are called 'pazar' in Turkish.
But the various different markets around Fethiye are our go to places for fruit, vegetables, olives, cheeses, yoghurts, eggs, etc, etc.
Turkish markets are a happy shopping experience.
Much of it is local produce! And of course there is the fact that you're supporting local traders and farmers.
So, this is our 'Love your local market (pazar)' post.
What Are The Best Markets?
We get asked that question quite a lot. And, well, just like everything else in life, it depends what you're looking for, doesn't it?
Turkish markets come in all shapes and sizes; from weekly markets to permanent halls and stands.
Something For Everyone
Here in Fethiye, we pretty much have all bases covered.
Our permanent covered market is also home to the fish market and shops selling various kinds of Turkish foods - charcuteries, turkish coffee kiosks, butchers and a small spice market.
Cash is king, of course, but some of these places will also accept debit/credit card.
We have the weekly neighbourhood markets; many of which also cater to tourists looking to buy souvenirs of Turkish Delight, a wide selection of clothes and jewellery as well as the local produce.
And we have the more intimate Friday villagers' market - our favourite - that is growers selling their local produce and other goods, such as their homemade olive oil and pomegranate molasses.
Elsewhere in the country, there is everything from small village Turkish markets selling the essentials to the covered and open air markets of larger cities.
Istanbul Neighbourhood Turkish Markets
Obviously, in Istanbul, places like the Grand Bazaar and Egyptian Spice Bazaar need no introduction.
These are arguably two of the famous markets in the world and have been serving people since the days of the Ottoman Empire.
There's Karaköy fish market where you can also dine by the Golden Horn; Beşiktaş fish market in the busy pedestrianised streets of Çarşı, the delightful food stalls of Kadıköy. Too many to mention!
But elsewhere in the city, there are scores of weekly neighbourhood markets where you can not only pick up delicious foods and traditional Turkish products; you can also get a real feel of the vibe in that area.
If you're staying in Istanbul and want to soak up the neighbourhood Turkish market atmosphere, this list and map is really handy.
Whether we're travelling around or we're at home, a trip to a Turkish market for us is a must!
Here is a list of the Turkish fruit and veg markets we've visited around Turkey.
Please feel free to add a fruit and vegetable market from your area of Turkey in the comments box below so we can all enjoy the Turkish market experience, wherever we may be.
| Sunday | Çalış market, Göcek market & Alsancak market (Izmir) |
| Monday | Hisarönü market & Köyceğiz market |
| Tuesday | Fethiye market |
| Wednesday | Bostanlı Pazar (Izmir), Selimiye market (Marmaris) |
| Thursday | Çiftlik market |
| Friday | Fethiye farmers' market, Üzümlü market, Kaş market |
| Saturday | Patlangıç, Karaçulha market.Dalyan market |
I fully agree with you & always try to do my shopping at my local markets! I usually do the bulk at Gokova on Saturdays with some topping up at Akyaka market on Wednesdays. The other really interesting & huge one is Muğla - especially when the full market is on on Thursday!
Hi Jen, thanks a lot for your comment. 🙂 Thanks for those market day suggestions and glad you like shopping at the Turkish markets, too. Didn't know about the big Muğla one. Sounds like you're spoilt for choice where you are. 🙂
We are in Gocek and the market is on Sunday
Hi Keith, thanks a lot for your comment. Göcek is one of the Turkish markets we know well - and you've just shown us that we don't have it on oıur lisT Thanks a lot for that! 🙂
Just wondering whereabouts in Wigan you are from and what schools you went to, being a fellow Wiganer!!
Hi Ruth, we're from Standish and Kitt Green. 🙂
Thank you so much for the map with markets in Istanbul!
Hi Rachel, hope you find it useful. We were happy when we came across the map then we can explore some of the markets around the city. 🙂
Don't forget about the more-permanent fruit and veggie stalls around the Fethiye fish market. Same great quality, awesome prices and exceptional and attentive service. We don't have the luxury of visiting the markets in person during the busy tourism season, so rely on specific vendors in the fish market to help keep us provisioned all summer long. They deliver too!
Hi, Sue F
Yes, we use that markey quite a lot and have written blog posts about it and the surrounding shops in the past. This was a very early post about the pop up markets around the area - and other people's areas. We've also written posts on the fish market, too. 🙂 Nice that we have all this choice. 🙂
@ Ozlem's Turkish Table: We love the seaosnality. Some fruits and vegetables shouldn't be available all year round and it's great to be able to look forward to the likes of cherries and pomegranates and enjoy them while they're out. 🙂
@ CD: Thank you. We'll always support Turkish markets. So important for us. 🙂
SO glad you've mentioned this again, all over the world people are fighting to get back their local markets, they didn't know how good they were till they were gone.
Markets have so much life and soul and vibrancy, particularly in Turkey with such a wealth of colour and variety's available and abundantly displayed.
I know I bang on about this but I wish people knew about the greater nutrition benefits of the local Fethiye produce since a lot of it is bio-dynamic/organic because many local farmers have never used chemicals or pesticides. They just grow as the generations before them did so the plants have the benefit of soil that is packed with nutrients that people elsewhere pay an arm and a leg for in capsule form (because modern farming practices have depleted them from our soils).
All that goodness at a fraction of certofied organic prices. Oh how I envy you all, long may it last. Well done for doing so much to support these wonderful markets.
- CD
Such a lovely post, so important to celebrate and support Pazar, Farmers Markets; we make the most of them when we have it in England, but there's nothing like it with the variety ans seasonality of what you can get in Turkey, enjoy it:)
Ozlem
@ Simon: Wow, thanks for this. We're hoping to get more markets around the local area so this list is perfect. I think when we walked through Kumluova market, it was on a Saturday but I can double check that from an old blog post. Thanks again for this. Really appreciated. 🙂
Esenköy (just past Karaçulha) - Mondays
Eşen - Tuesdays and Fridays
Alaçat - Thursdays
Kemer - Fridays
Kınık - Fridays
Kalkan - Thursdays
Akbel - Sundays
Kumluova - Sundays (I think)
I'm addicted to markets the world over. They're a wonderful way to connect to the local (food) culture. And yes, the produce there is usually so much better than what you find in supermarkets. In the US "farmers markets" are gaining more and more popularity, which is a good thing. In my native Holland, there are still weekly markets in many places.
I've not visited Turkey (yet) but would love to see the markets there. Coincidentally I did a post last week about the central market in Chisinau, Moldova, where I now live, and this week a very contrasting story about the main city market in Accra, Ghana, West Africa.
That's great Petra. We knew there was a Turkish store in Manchester but never knew where it was so we've never visited it. Let us know what goodies they sell.
Natalie, thanks a lot for that. I'll add them to the blog post. 🙂
slightly off topic, but I've found a fantastic Turkish food store in Longsight in Manchester. Went yesterday and it was heaven so more Turkish cooking for me yay!
I agree about buying fruit and veg from the local market. I never buy it from the supermarkets as the quality is poor and the price is nearly double. I also want to support local traders rater than big companies.
Didim market - Saturday
Mavisehir market - Every night during the summer.
Akbuk market - Friday
Soke market - Wednesday
Thanks Barbara. And of course, the market will be added. Wouldn't want anyone missing out in the Izmir area, would we?! 🙂
Lovely post! I agree with it all! You can add the Bostanli pazar to your list; it's every Wednesday in Izmir!