Taking a cooking class is a wonderful way to learn about the culture as well as meeting other travelers. After we met our instructor, Oguz, he took us on the side streets of istikal where we visited and learned about spices, seafood, pickled items, fruits, and sweets. We had samples and Oguz also provided us tips on what to look for in quality and price.
Then we continued onto the cooking class. Each station for two were provided along with the recipes for the dishes we would prepare and a pencil so we can write notes. We prepared 5 dishes- hummus, borek, dolma, an eggplant dish, and rice pudding. Recipes were easy to follow and we were given ideas of how to add other items to each recipe to make it our own. For example, you can add yogurt to hummus to make it creamier.
After our food was done cooking we enjoyed the fruits of our labor and learning about our "classmates" and the many wonderful stories of Istanbul and other places they had just visited.
Food taste better when it is shared and even better when prepared together :) read more