Everybody knows that Istanbul is full of history and culture, so what better way to experience it than by tasting your way through both? If you enjoy getting off of the typical tourist routes, seeing some backstreets and tasting some seriously delicious food, then Gourmet Holidays is right up your alley.
Having myself lived in Istanbul for over 13 years, I was curious to see if Gokçen – our friendly, informative and entertaining tour guide – could show me something I hadn’t experienced before. Our group opted for the Beyoğlu tour, a place I have frequented often over the many years that I have been here. I knew that at minimum I would dine on some good food and get to spend time in one of my favorite areas of the city, so I was set for an enjoyable evening out. Well, much to my surprise, all of the stops on the tour were places I had never been to before and I was really impressed by the things I learned as well as the food I ate.
One dish in particular is one that I have seen on menus but never tried: hamsili pilav, which roughly translates to anchovy rice. However, Gokçen’s spiel about the history of the Black Sea and its relationship with the ubiquitous hamsi convinced me to try it. I am glad I did, because it was one of my favorite dishes of the entire evening.
I don’t want to spoil the surprises Gokçen has in store for the food tours, but let’s just say there were plenty of oohs and aahs from our group as well as bellies so full at the end of the night that the delicious kaymak-topped quince dessert was almost a chore to get down – almost.
Our tour finished with a cup of perfectly made Turkish coffee at a spot that has been turning out the heavenly rich brew for years. As we listened to Gokçen’s background information on Turkish coffee, my eyes couldn’t help but wander to the man working at the shop’s small-but-effective kitchen. Equipped with a basic gas range and a small army of proper cezves, cup after tinkling cup of Turkish coffee was boiled and poured with precision and skill. Being the daughter-in-law of a woman who made a mean Turkish coffee, I know proper foam on a cup of Turkish coffee when I see one, and his foam was spot on in each small cup he sent out.
Overall, the tour was a combination of good food, the perfect amount of background info and personal anecdotes sprinkled with equal amounts of good fun. Our group consisted of Istanbul veterans to newbies to tourists, and each of us enjoyed the tour equally and all for different reasons.
To see the variety of tours on offer or to customize a tour for a group of friends, check out Gourmet Holidays’ website at http://www.thegourmetholidays.
Great article, inspiring enough to get you going and book a tour.