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Culinary / Cooking in Istanbul
The two-continent city where Ottoman palace cuisine meets Anatolian regional depth: spice-bazaar mornings and hands-on kitchens in Sultanahmet.
Why here
Istanbul's food is an empire's archive, Ottoman palace dishes layered over the regional depth of all Anatolia, and the city has taught it hands-on for a generation: Cooking Alaturka opened in 2002 as Istanbul's first dedicated cooking school and still runs daily classes building a five-course Turkish and Ottoman menu in groups of two to ten, while Turkish Flavours, founded by an Istanbul native in 2004, walks the spice bazaar and back-street markets before the aprons go on. The curriculum is unfakeable elsewhere: mezes in their birthplace, the bazaar as the pantry, and tea culture between courses.
Best months
Year-round; April to June and September to November are the pleasant city seasons and the best market months. Classes run small and book days to weeks ahead.
Getting there & around
Fly to Istanbul (IST or SAW). The schools sit around Sultanahmet and the bazaar quarter; book ahead for spring and autumn.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Cooking Alaturka
SchoolCooking Alaturka opened in 2002 as Istanbul's first Turkish cooking school and works from Akbiyik Caddesi 72a in Sultanahmet, amid the city's major sights. Classes teach a balanced five-course menu in groups of 2 to 10, with participants preparing five recipes and then eating them for lunch or dinner in the attached restaurant with a glass of local wine. Classes have run daily, with menus drawing on Turkish and Ottoman cooking.
Turkish Flavours
SchoolTurkish Flavours has run food tours and cooking classes in Istanbul since 2006, when it says it pioneered the idea of food tours in Turkey, founded by a born and bred Istanbulite. Tours take in the Spice Market and the Kadikoy market, with a market-and-home cooking class in Istanbul and a further class offered in Cappadocia. Tour logistics run through Argeus Travel and Events, TURSAB member number 2554, and the company displays a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice award.
Also good for culinary / cooking in September:
Torn between Istanbul and Shanagarry for September?
A plan settles it for your skill and budget, same-day.