Eating Turkey
It is often said that Istanbul is a city where east meets west, or Asia meets Europe. It is also a place where eats meet feets, in some fabulous culinary walks around the city.
A city of myriad faces, Istanbul has its Ottoman edges and its Asian coast, its modern European cosmopolitanism and its architectural angle. My favourite, however, is its gastronomic guise. Nowhere have I enjoyed more interesting (and varied) food walks than in this haven of bazaars and street vendors.
Our friends and partners in the city, Istanbul Eats, run some awesome meanders around the markets, lanes and backstreets that would normally elude the first- (or even second- and third-) time visitor. On the “Culinary Secrets of the Old City” excursion you will be led around the lesser explored markets, through hidden historic sites and past family-run haunts among Byzantine aqueducts. Choose “Cosmopolitan Beyoglu” instead, and you will taste Anatolian cheeses, Chechen pastries and of course, Turkish delight. There’s also a late night “Kebab Krawl” on offer, if you’re a fan of skewered meat and night-time strolls.
Our equally foodie-friendly partners, Context Travel, also arrange great exploratory feasting adventures in the city. Enjoy an “Ottoman Feast” in the company of an expert chef for a multi-course tasting extravaganza; who doesn’t want to learn by eating? Context also runs a “Markets of Istanbul” guided perambulate, discussing ingredients and their history and origins—the tour crosses to the Asian side of Istanbul for a different view of the city. Stay tuned for their latest walk (yet to launch), which sounds like a pub crawl for the (slightly) more refined; “Meyhane: The Taverns of Istanbul”.
If after all that gorging on Turkish treats you feel the need for some exercise, we suggest you remain right in the local mindset—belly-dancing classes, anyone?
Anton can be found cycling around his London home-base in quest of kebabs, and is currently training to participate in the annual Glastonbury Majma—his hips don’t lie.
