Top 7 biggest shopping malls in Asia

If you like to shop when you travel, the world’s biggest shopping capitals are probably top of your travel bucket list. New York, Paris, Milan, London and Hong Kong are all world-renowned for their shopping facilities and huge numbers of tourists flock to each city year-on-year, credit cards at the ready.

Whether it is shoes, bags, clothes or jewellery, everyone has their weakness, the thing they make a beeline for when spending. These record-breaking shopping malls cater to all of them. Here is a look at some of the largest, most famous shopping centres around Asia.

Central World, Thailand

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Opened in 1990, the eight-story Central World in Bangkok is the largest shopping mall in Thailand. It marketed itself as a middle class shopping center, opposed to the upper class-marketed Siam Paragon. Central World was one of the many properties set on fire by anti-government protestors. The fire raged for two days and the Zen department store collapsed in the fire.

Mid Valley Megamall, Malaysia

The Mid Valley Mall is one of Malaysia’s largest shopping centre, with 5 floors of shops and a parking area that can house up to 11,000 vehicles. The complex comprises of the shopping mall, an office tower and two hotels. This mall is also the first to house the four major anchor tenants- Carrefour, Golden Screen Cinemas, AEON and Metrojaya. With all the fashion houses and luxury brands the mall is a treat for whoever visits it.

Istanbul Cevahir, Turkey

Located on the European side of Istanbul in Turkey, the Cevahir Shopping and Entertainment Centre opened its doors in 2005. It is the largest shopping mall in Europe. There are 343 shops, 34 fast food restaurants and 14 exclusive restaurants in the shopping centre. Other facilities include a large stage for events, 12 cinemas, a bowling hall, a small roller coaster and several other entertainment facilities.

Berjaya Times Square, Malaysia

Covering 7.5 million square feet of floor area, Berjaya Times Square is the fifth largest building in the world. The Kuala Lumpur mall has over 1,000 shops, 65 eateries and a huge offering of entertainment attractions, including Asia’s largest indoor theme park, Cosmo’s World, and Malaysia’s first-ever IMAX 2D & 3D theatre.

SM Mall of Asia, Philippines

The SM Mall of Asia in Metro Manila, the Philippines, opened in 2006, consists of four buildings interconnected by walkways. It features a 20-seater tram which takes shoppers around the mall grounds. One of the mall’s main attractions is an IMAX theater with one of the world’s biggest 3D screens. The mall also features an Olympic-sized ice skating rink. It can accommodate both recreational and competitive figure skating, as well as ice hockey.

Read more: Top best shopping malls in Manila, Philippines

Golden Resources Mall, China

Nicknamed the “Great Mall of China,” the Golden Resources Mall covers an area of 6 million square feet. It is located near Fourth Ring Road in Beijing, China. The mall is 1.5 times bigger than the famous Mall of America which is the second largest in North America. In spite of the large size of the Golden Resources Mall, its major drawback is its location. It is inaccessible to most foreign visitors. Furthermore, the goods sold at the shopping centers are too expensive for the Chinese to buy.

Dubai Mall, UAE

This sprawling mall in the glamour capital of the world is easy to get lost in. At over 12 million square feet (equivalent to more than 50 soccer fields), the Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in the world based on total area. The mall contains more than 1,200 shops, an ice rink, a SEGA game centre, a five-star hotel, 22 cinema screens and 120 restaurants and cafes. It also boasts the largest indoor aquarium in the world and it is the gateway to the Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the world. Yeah, Dubai likes to break records!

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The best desserts you could find in Turkey

Turkey may be synonymous with baklava, however, the country’s rich cuisine has many more amazing desserts with origins in all its various regions. From milk desserts to deep fried and extremely sweet snacks, here are some excellent desserts you definitely need to try out.

Tavuk Göğsü

This thick pudding has very thin slices of chicken breast and is often served with maraş ice cream and cinnamon. If chicken is not your thing, you can try kazandibi, which is the same thick pudding except with a burnt caramel top.

Şekerpare

Ridiculously sweet, these little cakes are made with an almond-based dough and then soaked with a hot sugar syrup. By the time they’re cold, Şekerpare is a bit hard and crumbly but melts in your mouth to reveal the sweet syrup.

Muhallebi

Another one of Turkey’s most popular milk desserts, muhallebi is a pudding that’s made with mastic and often covered with grated pistachios. Of course, you can always ask for a scoop of maraş ice cream as well.

Künefe

A specialty of the Antakya region, künefe is composed of two layers of crunch kadayıf (shredded pastry) with a thick layer of melted cheese in between and soaked with sugar syrup. The melted cheese and the sweet syrup go together perfectly, while the crunch of the kadayıf (always topped with grated pistachio) is divine.

Pişmaniye

The closest thing you can get to cotton candy in Turkey, pişmaniye is made by blending flour roasted in butter, which is then pulled into fine strands. In some regions, you can get pişmaniye covered in milk chocolate, which is extremely sweet and glorious.

Ayva Tatlısı

A wintertime favorite, ayva tatlısı is made by boiling quince with cloves and sweet syrup and then filling them with kaymak (clotted cream) and walnuts. The same dessert is also made with pumpkin and is just as heavenly.

Aşure

One of the only Turkish desserts with no animal products, aşure is a type of pudding made with grains, fruits, dried fruits, and nuts. You’ll see Turks enjoying this dessert in large quantities during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.

Revani

Also known as Basbousa in Egypt, the Turkish revani dessert is made from a semolina cake that’s soaked in simple syrup. Some revani recipes also add an extra touch, such as rose water, to the syrup to make the dessert even more fragrant.

Cevizli Sucuk

Sucuk is usually known as Turkey’s fermented sausage with many herbs, however, cevizli sucuk is an entirely different creation. Made by dipping a string with walnuts into a grape molasses mixture, the sweet sucuk is then hung out to dry and cut into pieces and enjoyed as a gummi-like dessert.

Tulumba Tatlısı

This very sweet dessert is made by deep frying unleavened dough balls and then soaking them in syrup while they’re still hot. Tulumba is always crunchy on the outside and soft and very sweet on the inside and is sometimes even served with chocolate sauce.

See more: Where to go shopping in Istanbul, Turkey

Source: theculturetrip

6 things about Turkish coffee you may not know

Turkish coffee has become famous all around the world. But there’s much more to Turkish coffee’s story apart from its delicious taste.

History of Turkish Coffee

Coffee was first brought to Istanbul in 1555 by two Syrian traders, and by the mid-17th century it became an essential part of the Ottoman Court’s elaborate ceremonies. The sultan was served ceremoniously served coffee by his coffee makers, and this coffee ritual also played a role in marriage customs to an extent that women in the harem received thorough training regarding how the perfect brew was to be prepared. As such, potential husbands would judge a woman by her Turkish coffee-making skills. Even today, when a prospective husband’s family asks for the girl’s parents for her hand in marriage, Turkish coffee is served by the bride-to-be.

The Famous Coffeehouses

First opened in the Tahtakale neighborhood in Eminönü almost five centuries ago, coffeehouses became the main source of social life for men. They were also the main place for the dissemination of the oral culture of the Ottoman Empire and exhibition places for folk literature (such as the shadow plays of Karaköz and Hacivat). Today, the coffeehouses continue to be a place where men gather to socialize, talk politics, and play backgammon over cups of tea and coffee.

How to Cook Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is prepared in a cezve, a special small pot with a long handle that is traditionally made of copper. For one cup of Turkish coffee, combine one cup of water (the size of the coffee cup) and two full teaspoons of coffee. Since sugar is never added after the coffee is cooked you have to add sugar into the cezve (two sugar cubes for very sweet, one for medium sweetness, and none for the ones that like it bitter). Once the coffee comes to a boil, let the foam rise and take it off the heat right before it’s about to spill, and this will guarantee that your coffee will have lots of foam. Traditionally, Turkish coffee without foam is simply unacceptable. Serving the coffee with a glass of water (and something sweet, preferably Turkish Delight) is also part of the ritual.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List

Turkish coffee’s special preparation, brewing techniques, and rich communal culture made it worthy of being inscribed in 2013 into UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The tradition itself has also been recognized as a symbol of hospitality and friendship, with locals meeting at coffeehouses to converse over coffee, or coffee being offered to visitors as a welcoming gesture. The beverage’s importance in social occasions was also an important factor in its inscription, with coffee being served during holidays and engagement ceremonies.

Best Place to Buy or Drink Turkish Coffee

Turkey’s most popular purveyor of Turkish coffee is Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, whose products can be found in every supermarket or its flagship store in Eminönü where coffee is ground fresh on a daily basis. Nuri Toplar (also in Eminönü and open since 1890) is another excellent choice and a bit of an insider’s tip. If you’d rather someone prepare and serve you coffee, drop by Mandabatmaz in Taksim or Ethem Tezçakar (who only uses coffee from Nuri Toplar) in the Grand Bazaar for traditionally prepared and excellent Turkish coffee.

Turkish Coffee and Fortune Telling

Turkish coffee cup-reading is a very popular method of fortune telling in Turkey, where the shapes left by the coffee grounds represent the past and future of the drinker. You’ll know when you’re done drinking your coffee, because a thick layer of grounds will appear at the bottom; when this happens, close the cup with the saucer, make a wish, and turn it over. Once the cup has cooled, the shapes it leaves on the side of the cup can be read, usually at a Falcı (fortune teller), many of which can be found all around the city (some better than others).

See more: 9 best coffee shops in Taipei

Source: theculturetrip