Istanbul Culinary Institute Offers Travelers to Turkey Something to Chew On

Travelers in Istanbul Can Now Experience Turkey’s Gastronomic Allure with a Variety of Culinary Tours and Cooking Classes

New York, NY – (November 19, 2009) – Culinary aficionados traveling to Turkey now have the opportunity to experience first-hand the origins of Turkish cuisine at the Istanbul Culinary Institute (IstCI) which now offers an array of culinary tours, cooking classes and other programs available to travelers.  Turkey’s diverse culinary traditions can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire featuring a melting pot of flavors and accents from the Balkans, the Mediterranean, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

A professional training and culinary production center, the Istanbul Culinary Institute was established in 2008, with the aim of researching, teaching and promoting Turkish cuisine to travelers world-wide. They present Turkish cooking with a contemporary orientation by working with a curriculum of familiar, widely consumed dishes that can be prepared simply and tastefully with easily available seasonal ingredients while conforming to today’s cultural, hygienic and aesthetic standards. To facilitate educating audiences world-wide about Turkish cuisine, the Institute offers a variety of specialized culinary programs to fit every traveler’s itinerary needs, ranging from 1 hour guest lectures to 2- 4 day culinary excursions at other destinations. They also provide a training restaurant (Enstitü), coffee and wine bars and a gourmet food store specializing in the products of the institute; a must-see when in Istanbul.

Current programs available at Istanbul Culinary Institute Include:

- Istanbul Culinary Walking Tour & Demo: Experience authentic Turkish street food, the famous Turkish markets and Turkish shopping culture on a culinary walking tour with one of the institute’s culinary guides. The Kadıköy Open Market Tour will allow travelers to experience an authentic, colorful Turkish street market where local cheeses, pickles, coffee, meats and vegetables are sold at specialty shops, many of which have been passed down to family members for many generations. Or, take the Fish Market & Mısır Çarşısı (Spice Market) Tour to visit Istanbul’s  historic Spice Market, dating back to the early 1900’s, situated besides the port which used to receive imported food products and spices from all over the world. Once you enjoy shopping at the markets, return to the Institute for a Turkish cooking demo with products purchased at the market. These tours are available, Monday – Saturday, with prices starting at $90.00 USD/per person.

- Cooking Classes at Istanbul Culinary Institute:  4-hour cooking workshops are taught by one of the Institute’s professional chef faculty members September-June, throughout the year. The calendar of classes include:  Modern Approaches to Turkish Cuisine, Traditional Turkish Cuisine (this is not listed), Turkish Pastry Works, Basic Kitchen Skills with Wüsthof, Cooking without Recipes and Tastes from the Sea. Class prices start at $75.00 USD/per person, limited to at least 4 people per class, or $300.00 USD for a private lesson.

-    Culinary Tours: The Istanbul Culinary Institute also offers exclusive 2-5 day culinary excursions to other destinations in Turkey. For example, a 2-day culinary tour, Annual Olive Harvest in Adatepe, Turkey takes place December 25-27, 2009. Adatepe is an idyllic village perched on the slopes of Kazdağı Mountains in Turkey. The economy of both Adatepe and the entire region is dependent on olive farming, the continuing legacy of a millennial Aegean culture. The tour to Adatepe will include learning about olive trees, olive harvesting and traditional cold press method of olive oil making. Guests will also experience regional flavors by dining at the classic Edremit Cumhuriyet Restaurant and visiting the Adatepe Olive Oil Museum as well as sampling regional dishes prepared by local women. The tour departs from Istanbul and the price starts at $330.00 USD including all accommodations, bus tickets and transfers, sea-bus tickets, 3 lunches and 2 dinners, baskets for harvest and fresh compressed olive oils.

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