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Dondurma: The Turkish ice cream eaten with a knife and fork

Dondurma isn't like any other ice cream you'll find, and the epicentre of its production is still reeling from the powerful earthquakes that decimated the nation.

When I arrived at the shop's neon-lit exterior and approached its expansive counter to ask for dondurma, Vanlı brought out two hulking cylindrical slabs the size of my forearm from a box, sliced three hefty pieces with a giantbutcher's knife and topped them with a sprinkle of pistachio dust. Outside his shop was a cooler with several dozen flavours of traditional, ice cream, while inside there was a refrigerator full of products made by Marasta, a 30-year-old company from which Vanlı sources all of his dondurma. As any true local Istanbul resident would tell you, these places are tourist traps to be avoided, and those in search of Turkey's best ice cream would be advised to head to Vanlı's shop for the real deal.

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