Top Turkey Cooking Classes

We thoroughly enjoyed our Turkish delight workshop. Our hosts were so welcoming and enthusiastic. We learned how to make Turkish delight the traditional way, but also enjoyed the wonderful location and relaxing atmosphere. Our hosts took the time to tell us the history of the mosque and gave us a tour after our workshop had finished. We were also given some lovely gifts of lavender essential oil and hand made soaps. Would highly recommend this experience. The only thing that could improve the experience would be to provide a printed copy of the recipe with step by step instructions instead of the written ones which are not very detailed and you may not remember all the steps at a later date. Overall, we had a fabulous time.

This experience was the most fun! We started the day with a visit to a local Farmer Market where we sampled foods, smelled delicious spices and fresh herbs, while our guide explained all the items that we were going to use in our cooking class later. After about a 30 minute ride to a beautiful vineyard, we took our spots under a wisteria vine arbor and commenced helping to prep the items for the meal. Chef Asli explained all about Turkish cooking customs as we prepped and made the class interactive and fun. The actual dishes were cooked inside of the winery kitchen so we were more of the prep squad. While we waited, we were treated to 2 different tastings of wines that were made at the vineyard and invited to wander the beautiful grounds. The table was transformed from prep stations to a beautiful outdoor eatery, and the finished dishes were brought out for us to dine on. Delicious food, excellent experience and a wonderful way to spend the day learning a little about Turkish culture.

Wonderful traditional Turkish breakfast that we helped prepare. Didn’t know there was such a variety of food. My favorite was honeycomb with homemade yogurt on bread, delicious! Hosts even made sure my wife had her needed gluten bread.😄 Our host Nuran and her some Baver were the best. Even had her other son and his wife join us for a truly Turkish family breakfast. Baver offered great suggestions on sights in the city. It is well worth it👍

I’ll be honest, I had never tried Turkish coffee before this, so I went in with zero expectations. The small-group setup ended up being just me and the instructor after the rest of my group canceled last minute, and honestly? It made the whole thing even better. It felt like a private lesson rather than a group tour, and the instructor was so patient and genuinely excited to share the tradition with someone experiencing it for the first time. The sand brewing process is mesmerizing to watch and even more satisfying to actually do yourself. There’s something almost meditative about the slow, gentle heat working through the cezve. I ground some coffee (as a demonstration, but used pre-ground coffee beans), controlled the brew, and ended up with a cup I made completely from scratch. For a first-time Turkish coffee drinker, it was such a cool way to be introduced to it. What surprised me most was how much history and cultural context was woven in throughout. This isn’t just a coffee demo. It’s a real look into how Turkish coffee has shaped social rituals, hospitality, and romance (yes, there’s a whole tradition around it!) over the centuries. After spending the morning exploring Cappadocia’s cave churches and fairy chimneys in a hot air balloon, it felt like the perfect way to slow down and connect with the region on a more personal level. If you’re a coffee lover, a culture nerd, or just someone who wants more than sightseeing while being here, do this one. Even if you’ve never had Turkish coffee before, that just makes it more fun.

Hamza and Ilker run a great workshop highly recommend doing when coming to Istanbul. I was unable to make the first session and they were able to make a special exception for my wife and I to rebook. The class itself was extremely enjoyable and well worth the money. You go away with a hand made souvenir to remember your trip with and a deep appreciation for turkish handmade carpets.

We had a lovely evening hosted by Ozge in her her. More than the cooking class and the food was the conversation and hospitality of being welcomed into a local's home and hearing about the culture and daily life in Istanbul. A wonderful, priceless experience that we would do again!

The food was amazing the experience was even better! Our guide Kadir was very informative and knowledgable on so many topics so conversation was very easy! Lots of fun making traditional Turkish food, dancing in the kitchen and drinking wine. Overall a terrific opportunity to get closer to the real culture of Cappadocia!