Stuffing vine leaves at Turkish cooking lesson

Gourmet Istanbul

19 - 23 November 2012

With the recent rapid interest in the cuisine of Turkey, the huge improvement in the wines and the many lures of Istanbul, this is another A&C wine and gourmet tour first. On this unescorted Turkey cooking holiday we stay in a traditional boutique hotel in the heart of the Sultanahmet, the Kensington of Istanbul. Sitting on their roof terrace you can see the nearby Bosphorus, St Sophia, and the Blue Mosque, which are all a very short stroll away. We have planned a unique insight into the country, as we always do, via its food culture and its wine.

Istanbul, being partly in the European continent and partly in Asia, is a fascinating city of contrasts. It has a rich and compelling history, and was once the capital of successive Christian and Islamic empires, bequeathing the city with a staggering number of attractions. Sultanahmet, where we stay, is home to Istanbul’s main sightseeing attractions and is a charming area with its beautiful architecture, attractive parks and gardens, and street side cafes. The streets are also mainly traffic free thanks to a new tramline, which makes seeing the city on foot all the more enjoyable.

Over the course of this holiday you’ll experience much of the Turkish cuisine and culinary culture. At its finest, this is ranked among the best in the world alongside French and Chinese, with many dishes descended from Ottoman palace cuisine. To introduce this aspect of Turkish cuisine, we’ll recommend one of the best fish restaurants in the city for the first evening meal, to be accompanied by some modern style Turkish white wines. Turkish wines are really starting to be recognised internationally and there’s a new boutique wine-making culture, in what vies with our friends in Georgia to lay claim to the world’s oldest wine producing country. According to Jancis Robinson, Turkey in general will be producing seriously world class wines very soon!

On the first morning in Istanbul, it’s a short stroll to the cookery school nearby, which is where your food exploration will truly begin. Your host is Dutch, but has lived in Istanbul for many years, and therefore is in the perfect position to help you understand the eastern cooking philosophy in a way that will easily translate into your home entertaining on your return.

Spend the morning cooking and learning these classic Turkish dishes, and then enjoy them for lunch. Including:

• Yoghurt Soup with Dried Mint
• Lamb stew in tomato sauce on smoky eggplant puree
• Walnut stuffed figs stewed in clove syrup
• Classic stuffed vine leaves in olive oil
• Oven baked hummus with cured beef
• Syrupy sponge cakes with Hazelnuts
• Zucchini pancakes with white cheese and herbs, served with Garlic and Yoghurt

Next morning, you’ll set off for a walking culinary exploration of this sophisticated and vibrant city, deviating from the tourist trail to the lesser-explored market streets. The morning starts with a light traditional Turkish breakfast accompanied by what we are assured is the definitive Turkish coffee – bound to wake you up! Continuing into the Faith district, you’ll visit one of the most highly rated Turkish Delight confectioners, where this exotic rose scented sweet has been made by the same family for the past four generations. The gourmet trail continues with a shop where traditional desserts are made and you’ll also visit a secret tea garden. At the end of a morning’s gentle walking, you’ll be rewarded with a lunch of pit-roasted lamb prepared in a proudly run family restaurant next to the Byzantine aqueducts.

Next morning, there’s time to go to the souk, or explore your own personal interests. If you would like to arrange a guided tour to any of the sites that are of particular interest to you , the hotel will be pleased to assist.

In any case, we must recommend the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art (which is immediately next door to the hotel and so a good one to leave until the last morning) and the Mosaic Museum to see many early examples of tiles and carpets whose designs still look so fresh now.