TURKEY FOODIES DESTINATIONS
colour Life in
Spice up a Turkey break with a foodie focus @Katie_McGonagle
“S
lice it through the middle and whack each half with
a wooden spoon,” says one local woman, as we tuck into lunch. “Too messy. It’ll look like you’ve
murdered someone in your kitchen,” says another, when I tell her this advice. “Just dip each segment in water and pluck out the seeds one by one.” I had no idea pomegranates
could be such a hot topic for debate, but being in Turkey at the height of the season, when these ruby-red fruits reach optimum ripeness and find their way into just about every dish, it seems everyone has an opinion. Just as the British weather occupies more than its fair share of conversation for us, Turks love talking about food – how to grow it, how to cook it and, best of all, how to eat it. That’s probably because food
is a cornerstone of Turkish culture and a talking point at every turn. Dining on endless streams of mezze is as much a social activity
Head to the Asian side of Istanbul to find tradesmen’s restaurants serving hearty portions
as a meal, and with snacks sold on every street corner and markets teeming with fresh fruit and veg, any holiday to Turkey could be said to have a foodie focus. There are, however, some trips
that take it further, sampling unusual local dishes or getting would-be cooks hands-on with the raw ingredients, so steer your gourmet-loving clients toward the tastiest holidays.
w DINE LIKE A LOCAL It’s a perennial question asked by just about every tourist at some point: where do the locals
eat? So keen are we to escape overpriced, tasteless tourist fare and follow the advice of those in the know that there are entire guidebooks and websites devoted to getting local tips on where to eat. According to Anatolian Sky
Holidays managing director Akin Koc, one of the best ways to get a proper, authentic meal in Istanbul is to skip the tourist traps and hop on a ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side. That’s where to find ‘lokanta’, or tradesmen’s restaurants, which serve hearty portions at a fraction of the price in Sultanahmet. But if clients want that kind of insider advice at every meal, consider recommending an escorted tour, where they’ll have a local tour leader who can take them straight to all the best spots. Intrepid Travel has a 10-day Real Food Adventure to Turkey (from £985), which is all about getting to the heart
28 January 2016
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