We choose special category accommodations in each location representing the culture of the area. Our culinary trips include visits to the most interesting local sites whether they are mosques, palaces, rock hewn churches, underground cities, archaeological sites or underwater museums.

EXPLORE CULINARY TURKEY ITINERARY

Departing September 21 and October 19,2010

Day 1  ISTANBUL Tuesday

Welcome dinner will be at a restaurant that serves Imperial Ottoman Cuisine, incorporating Central Asian, Anatolian, Middle Eastern and Balkan flavours, resulting from the intensive research undertaken at three palace kitchens (Dolmabahce, Topkapi and Edirne) . Dinner will be accompanied and commented by our Culinary Experiences Specialist Selin Rozanes. Overnight at a special category hotel.

Day 2  ISTANBUL Wednesday

You will tour the Spice Bazaar with Selin and stop at shops for tastings. The bazaar is often referred to as the "Egyptian Market" due to the fact that spices used to come to the market from India and Southeast Asia via Egypt. Despite the fact that the bazaar is becoming more touristy, there is still plenty to discover for the "foodie." We will stop at shops tasting and discovering some typically Turkish delicacies.

You will then get on board a local ferry and disembark on the Asian side of Istanbul. After visiting some specialty shops walking through the colorful market of Kadiköy –an open air street market, very different from the Spice Market and more in tune with the way most Istanbullus cook and eat. You will walk on to a restaurant where the chef , one of Turkey’s foremost cooks who is devoted in letting the world know about the glorious food of his homeland. The ingredients used in the dishes travel from South Eastern Anatolia to arrive at your plate in Istanbul: aromatic red pepper, pistachios,chickpeas, olive oil and pomegranate molasses.  After lunch and enjoying some very special deserts only available there we will take ferry back to the European side. Dinner on own .Overnight at a special category hotel .

Day 3 ISTANBUL  Thursday

You will visit St. Sophia, the church of the Divine Wisdom, the Blue Mosque, a 17th century mosque that dominates the skyline of Istanbul and the Byzantine Underground Cistern with a professional guide. Lunch will be close to the sightseeing area. 

After lunch you will visit the magnificent Topkapi Palace, the residence of the sultans for almost three centuries. Last, you will continue to explore ninety-two streets of the famous Grand Bazaar.

After your tour you will  proceed to your  Hands on Turkish cooking class at Selin Rozanes’s home. In the evening you will enjoy dinner and taste what you have cooked. You will have dinner at a Turkish home and enjoy wholesome homecooked specialties. A truly unique opportunity to experience Turkish hospitality and local home life. Overnight at a special category Hotel .

Day 4    ISTANBUL Friday

Your guide will pick you up at 9:00 am . We will have typical savory and sweet bakery products on board.

You will enjoy a unique sailing trip past the Prince’s islands aboard our sailing boat “BOLERO” enjoying the view (Weather conditions permitting, or by ferry). Fresh air, islands, seagulls, the Istanbul shoreline at a distance.. You will disembark on the largest of the Princes’ Islands (Principio -Büyükada). Büyükada is a beautiful summer resort with ancient style wooden houses and old summer residences. There are no  museums , no cars even just horses and carriages to get around ( the only alternative is riding a donkey), grand houses and mansions wreathed with wisteria, begonvilla, pine forests, cliffs.

On the island you will stroll through the pier to visit the island's local market and stop at specialty shops. A horse -drawn carriage will drive you throughout the pine woods. A delicious lunch will be served at a restaurant on the pier. After lunch including an assortment of mezes you will cruise back to town. Overnight a special category hotel.

Day 5 ISTANBUL – CAPPADOCIA Saturday

In the morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Cappadocia. Upon arrival to Kayseri Airport you will  transferred  to visit a very interesting local market. In Cappadocia we will focus on the very particular culture and foods of Anatolia.

We’ll begin with a visit to a local market and then join a cooking demonstration in a home with village women They will show us how to make manti, a traditional dish whose heritage stretches back in to the Central Asian origins of modern Turkey. Lunch will be in the home of your hosts .

Then we will introduce you to the lunar landscape of Cappadocia at Dervent Valley, and we head on to Göreme Open Air Museum, which is one of the earliest inhabited and latest abandoned monastic settlements of Cappadocia. Seeing the best examples of the fairy chimneys at Pasabag Fairy Chimneys Valley, we drive further to Avanos. From here you will stop at Avanos, a centre of terracotta art since 2,000 BC, for a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. Then we will try our hands at it under the supervision of a master potter.

Before dinner you will stop at a Winery. This is the biggest and oldest winery (since 1943) of Cappadocia. We will have a detailed tour of the winery while tasting their local wines. The Öküzgözü-Bogazkere combinations (grapes native to Turkey) are quite promising.The family-operated winery is located underground, carved in natural rock. This natural cellar also provides excellent storage conditions for the wine. Overnight in a deluxe cave room.

Day 6  CAPPADOCIA  Sunday

BALOON TRIP - OPTIONAL
Early morning transfer to the balloon launching site to meet the balloon crew. The gentle and stable wind conditions are ideal during the first few hours of the day in Cappadocia. It is also the ideal time for photography,with splendid colours and contrasts. The deep canyons and gentle winds carry you over places that could never be reached except by balloon. After flying over Cappadocia for about one hour, you will land to an awaiting champagne breakfast!

After breakfast our tour begins with a descent towards the centre of the earth, with a trip to the Underground City of Kaymakli; one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements. From here we drive to Ihlara Canyon, walking through the canyon via the Steps of Anatolia to Belisirma village, the ancient Peristrema. Set by the Melendiz River this is known as the “Valley of the Sky”. Churches carved from the rocks form a gallery of early paintings that are remarkable for their accuracy. We lunch in Belisirma at a local restaurant by the river. On the way back to , we visit the beautiful village of Selime.

Today at dinner you will taste the delicious Testi Kebab- Pot Kebab (meat stew cooked in a seamless pot, broken with a hammer upon service) as well as varieties of Turkish meze selections and local Cappadocian wine. Overnight in a deluxe cave room.

Day 7   CAPPADOCIA / IZMIR/ KUSADASI Monday

This morning take flight to Izmir. Drive to an Ecological Organic Farm nearby. Walk around the farm to meet the people who work at the farm and watch the preparation of organic products.Lunch composed of organic products will be at the farm.

After lunch visit Ephesus, one of the most incredible archaeological wonders of the world. Overnight in a boutique hotel in Kusadası.

Day 8 KUSADASI / BODRUM  Tuesday

After breakfast we drive to Tire, a 5000 year old town and one of the largest towns in the area. Its long cultural heritage includes periods under the Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Romans and Byzantines, and developed strong links with the economy during the Ottoman period. The Tuesday Market is a small market where the village people sell the fresh vegetables and fruits which are cultivated and harvested by the people selling to you.

You can find handicrafts such as clogs/pattayas (shoes) and Beledi weaving in the local shops. Enjoy your lunch at a local restaurant and drive to Bodrum. Overnight in Bodrum.

Day 9   BODRUM – ISTANBUL Wednesday

After breakfast you will visit The Bodrum Castle that occupies the tip of the wedge-like peninsula at the center of Bodrum which has a massive conglomeration of courtyards, turrets, galleries and sunken gardens and see the collections of the Museum of Underwater Archeology, located inside the Castle.

Then you will enjoy a cruise in a goulet around the bays of Bodrum with lunch on board. .

Late afternoon you will proceed to learn how to cook samples from the Aegean Turkish Cuisine with lots of olive oil and herbs with chef owner of the restaurant. For your farewell dinner you will taste what you have prepared. Overnight in Bodrum.

Day  10  BODRUM

Day at leisure in Bodrum. After lunch  drive to the airport to take your flight to Istanbul at 17:05pm. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 11 - ISTANBUL You will be transferred to the airport for your departure flight

 

AEGEAN FLAVOURS ITINERARY

 Day 1 ISTANBUL Sunday

Welcome drinks and casual brief on Turkish Cuisine focusing on Ottoman cuisine by a well known food researcher and culinary writer. Then we will enjoy dinner at the Asitane Restaurant.

The Asitane Restaurant serves imperial Ottoman cuisine, incorportating Central Asian, Anatolian, Middle Eastern and Balkan flavours, resulting from the intensive research undertaken at three palace kitchens (Dolmabahce, Topkapi and Edirne) to test and recreate long-forgotten imperial dishes, whose recipes were traditionally kept secret. Some of the rediscovered dishes on the menu, such as veal in apple sauce, were served at the circumcision feast held for two of Suleyman's sons in 1539.

Day 2 İZMİR - EPHESUS Monday

Take flight to Izmir and proceed to visit Ephesus. Visit the antique city of Ephesus then visit the Ephesus Museum. Ephesus, one of the best preserved cities of antiquity, was famous throughout history for its magnificent Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. During its peak, Ephesus was undoubtedly one of the most important cultural centres in the world. Among its impressive structures and broad marble-paved roads you will see the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, the immense Amphitheatre and the Odeon. 

Lunch in a local restaurant near the sites.

After the tour of Ephesus , you will drive to Sirince village . The village is a perfect synthesis of Turkish and Greek culture as of the 1920s. After the Independence War, there was a “people exchange” between the Greeks and Turks and many typical Greek houses, though they kept their original outside characteristics, have been remodeled to local preferences on the inside.

We will have some time to stroll through the village and socialize with locals. Along the narrow streets of the village you will come across women, selling handicrafts of all kinds. Another attraction of Sirince is its home-made fruit wines.

Day 3   SİRİNCE Tuesday

After breakfast, we will drive to Tire and visit a very colorful local market. After lunch in Tire we will visit an Ecological Farm near Selçuk. While you visit, you share and can work with a staff that truly believes in the philosophy of organic agriculture, it promises an unmatched and worthwhile experience. The Organic farm also has an outstanding Olive oil Museum, produces its own olive oil and wine. You will participate in a farm activity based on the season and learn how to make gozleme, the local flat bread. Then, enjoy a   dinner based on ingredients as close to the source as you can get, accompanied by the farm’s own wine. At dinner we will talk about the Slow Food movement in Turkey.

Day 4 PERGAMUM – AYVALIK Wednesday

After breakfast we will depart to the ancient site of Bergama -Pergamum.(180 km 3 hours ) Arrival to Bergama, we drive to Acropolis. The Temple of Dionysus and The Altar of Zeus covered with magnificent friezes depicting the battle between the Olympian gods and their subterranean foes but most of these famous buildings removed to Berlin by the 19th century German excavators. Then we head on to Asclepion where was neither the first nor the only medical & psychological treatment centre.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

Then we will depart for Ayvalık. The Aegean town of Ayvalık is set to tap into the culinary tourism trend: This seaside town offers not only unique eating but also a combination of healthy and mouth-watering cuisine. With consumer focus on healthy eating in modern times, Ayvalık is equipped with the right ingredient for a healthy diet: olive oil. Typical Ayvalık dishes are made of olive oil. This seems only natural as Ayvalık is surrounded by the oldest olive groves in the country. But Ayvalık’s culinary culture also reflects the social texture of the town. Until the early 20th, century the town had a large Greek population. After the retreat of Greek forces who invaded Aegean provinces following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the Greek population had to leave Ayvalık, as Greece and the young republic of Turkey agreed to a mutual population exchange. Most of the new population that replaced the former Greek community was Turks from Lesbos, Crete and Macedonia. Today, most of the olive oil production in Ayvalık is family business run by the third or fourth generation of those subjected to population exchange. This social texture undoubtedly reflects itself in the province’s cuisine, which is a Turkish-Greek synthesis. The name of some typical Ayvalık dishes reflects this synthesis: Akuvadis, kydonia, papules, papucaki. Fish as well as the vegetables grown especially in the Aegean region are the main ingredients of the typical Ayvalık dishes, which have very little if no spice at all.

Dinner and overnight in Ayvalık .

Day 5 AYVALIK Thursday

Today you will visit a most colorful farmers market in Ayvalık. A get together and lunch with a well known olive oil producer at their olive grove will be organized. Then proceed to take the afternoon ferry across to Bozcaada Island at 6pm. Dinner and Overnight in Bozcaada.

Day 6 BOZCAADA Friday

Full day on Bozcaada for wine experience. You will visit the Corvus winery. Lunch will be organized at the Corvus winery. Dinner will be at one of the restaurants by the pier.

Day 7 BOZCAADA- ASSOS – ISTANBUL Saturday

From Bozcaada take ferry back to mainland and proceed to Assos and visit a vineyard.After lunch continue to Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 8 ISTANBUL Sunday

After breakfast visit St. Sophia, the church of the Divine Wisdom. The architectural marvel of all time. It was built during Emperor Justinian reign ( AD 537 ) and it remained the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Sultan Mehmet II who ordered to convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque ,the Blue Mosque, a 17th century mosque that dominates the skyline of Istanbul and the Byzantine Underground Cistern.

Lunch at Sultanahmet Köfteci, which has specialized in köfte since 1920. It is an eatery that has a constant stream of locals and tourists queuing out the door and down the street. It's strictly a fast food-style köfte restaurant. The tasty walnut-sized meatballs are grilled to perfection over a great openflame ocak (grill). Waiters literally run from table to table serving huge helpings of köfte accompanied by crusty bread, crispy green salad, fluffy rice and an excellent white bean salad.

Then you will visit the magnificent Topkapı Palace, the residence of the sultans for almost three centuries. It is located on the promontory jutting out between the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. This setting provides a magnificent view. The construction of the Topkapı Palace was completed between 1465 and 1478. Being the imperial residence of the sultan, his court and harem, the palace was also the seat of government for the Ottoman Empire. In the Treasury section, you will see the 7th biggest diamond in the world, the “Spo onmaker’s Diamond” .

Before dinner get on board and enjoy a comfortable seat in a private boat and a picturesque view of the Bosphorus.

You will disembark in Kadıköy on the Asian side of Istanbul from Eminönü and walk through the Kadıköy market where there is plenty to discover for the "foodie. This market is one of İstanbul's most colorful, vibrant and accessible shopping spots. Many traders have been in business since the early to mid 1900s and the more famous ones really need no introduction.

You will wander to probably Kadıköy's, if not İstanbul's best-known restaurant amongst gourmets ,CİYA .

This restaurant specializes in food from the Southeastern region of Turkey, as well as a wider selection of Mediterranian food. The ingredients used in the dishes travel from the cities of Hatay and Gaziantep to arrive at your plate in Istanbul: aromatic red pepper, pistachios,chickpeas, olive oil and pomegranate molasses. Here we will enjoy a sumptuous meal by the reknown chef Musa Dagdeviren and enjoy a casual lecture about the South Eastern Anatolian Cuisine; Zahter salad, kebab with pistachios, stuffed eggplant, babahannus, and many more. After dinner you will drive back to the European side.

Day 9 ISTANBUL Monday

In the morning you will take a walk to the Spice Bazaar and nearby attractions. This extensive market was built in the 17th century to finance the upkeep of the nearby mosque, Yeni Cami. The bazaar is often referred to as the "Egyptian Market" due to the fact that spices used to come to the market from India and Southeast Asia via Egypt. There is  plenty to discover for the "foodie."

Then you will have the opportunity to watch “Baklava” making at a well known shop famous for their excellent “Baklava” from the city of Gaziantep. You will tour parts of the production and later taste varieties of Borek( feather light Turkish pastry filled with cheese, minced meat or spinach) and Baklava.

Then you will continue to explore ninety-two streets of the famous Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is the largest and oldest covered Bazaar in Turkey with more than 4,000 shops. A variety of Turkish Handicrafts, Oriental carpets, rare jewels and inexpensive souvenirs all sold in small shops next to each other. The streets are named according to the trades, such as gold and silver sellers, carpet sellers, booksellers, etc. 

In the afternoon a visit to the local Pera market you will proceed to experience a Turkish Cooking Class at Selin’s home. Join Selin, a self-trained home cook, for a cooking with her in her Turkish home. We say make yourselves at home and we mean it! Meanwhile, non-cooks can relax with a glass of wine and a book or enjoy the neighborhood until lunch time. Recipes vary according to the season, utilizing only the freshest ingredients available and providing you with a deeply individual Turkish experience. The best part is the conclusion: Dinner will be  tasting your creations!  

Day 10 Tuesday

Transfer to the airport for your departure flights.

A RECENT REVIEW FROM A PARTICIPANT TO ONE OF OUR CULINARY TOURS

A Fabulous Way to Taste and See the Best of Turkey

SUMMARY: A friend and I took the 11 day Culinary Trip through Turkey in May and LOVED it. Although we are both well traveled, neither of us had been to Turkey before, so we balanced our interest in learning about the local cuisine with a desire to see the major sights. We are two women in our mid 50’s, one American and one British. Most of the “food” portion of the program was overseen by Selin R., and the cultural component directed by Faruck B. You couldn’t have nicer or more knowledgeable hosts. Both of us have traveled a wide range of the economic spectrum, and were very impressed with the value offered by this package. On the few meals where we were on our own, we were directed to wonderful restaurants (which we recognized after one unfortunate night at a tourist trap we found on our own) which were beautiful and popular with locals.

FOOD: We toured the markets (old and new), tasting, learning, (buying! Great spice mixes, teas and saffron) and lunching on the way. Selin has many favorite shops and restaurants, but will detour and explain anything which catches the eye. There were lessons at Selin’s home, a village house and one of the hotel restaurants where we could participate as much or as little as we wished. Questions were welcome, even by the village lady who was more enthusiastic an instructor than I could imagine with Faruck rapidly translating. It was a fun party of flour, kids, English, Turkish, pots, pans, and grape leaves. The restaurants were all delicious and several were visually spectacular. The food ranged from casual to quite elegant.

HOTELS: The hotels were mainly the ones on Selin’s initial list, with a couple of substitutions based on availability (staying at the one where we cooked one night) and upgrades. The Blue House is comfortable and fabulously located in the old town. We switched to the Ciragan Palace on our last night to spend some time on the Bosphorous, which while luxurious and lovely was hardly necessary and seemed a poor value later. The most fun was the Yunak Evlari, a cave hotel. These are all solid and comfortable small three to four star hotels.

TOURING: The time apportioned was enough to see the main sights of each area (Istanbul, Cappadocia, and Bodrum on the Aegean) at a reasonable pace. Faruck and Selin are good at helping calculate when to get going and when you can sleep in if that’s how you are so inclined. You could do this tour without any other research and see more than most would see after hitting the guidebooks for months. They were also excellent at advising on the suitability of other sights under consideration for us to tour on our own. We had no problems with taxis and touring on our own in the evenings or on the extra day we added to the tour.

EXCELLENT EXTRA'S (that make all the difference): It was fantastic to be able to eat and visit in private homes. This is something which elevates one from tourist to traveler. All of the hotels had extremely friendly other parties comparing notes at breakfasts. Don’t do room service coffee even if it is your norm. My traveling companion also served up a “nightmare client” double whammy of being unable to eat meat and having a work crisis which often glued her to her blackberry. Selin and Faruck handled it with aplomb; switching out some dishes and letting her work while making sure I didn’t miss out on anything. We had very comfortable vehicles and drivers at our disposal, but also rode on public ferries and trams to get more of a local feel. Selin appears to evaluate people’s comfort with being on their own, and adjusts accordingly. She won’t send you off in a taxi on your own unless you prefer that, which we did. We also did a day on the islands near Istanbul, which gave a great sense of how Turkish people really live. This tour is a well balanced combination of tourism/history, food, culture and modern Turkey. It covers everything but still leaves space for people to pursue other interests. An excellent trip to a gorgeous country!

Lorraine - USA

For more details  please send e mail to selin@turkishflavours.com