Eat Like a Local: Istanbul Food and Culture Tour with Dinner at Local Family Home

Meet your guide in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul, and then stroll through the streets to visit a local family, learn about traditional customs and, most importantly, sample some of their home-cooked cuisine.

Dinner is ready and waiting, so after meeting your hosts, tuck straight into the food. Ingredients vary, but expect a 3-course meal featuring tasty dinnertime staples that are cooked in many Turkish homes. Classic dishes include a thin soup called çorba (often made with lentils) or a main meal featuring minced meat and eggplant with rice and salad. Turks are known for having a sweet tooth, so expect sugary pastries paired with mint tea for dessert.

While enjoying your food, chat with your friendly hosts about life in Istanbul, hearing about the city, its culture and cuisine. While little English is spoken in the household, your bilingual guide will help translate, letting you experience the famous Turkish hospitality first hand.

Bid your hosts a fond farewell, and work off your food with a stroll through the backstreets, away from the main tourist sites. Have your camera ready to capture photos of picturesque wooden houses, and learn about the city’s different residents and the sub-cultures that exist. Often called the city of a thousand faces, Istanbul is as cosmopolitan as cities come, populated by Turks, Greeks and Armenians, among others.

Visit a popular local hangout to enjoy views of the Marmara Sea and get to know the friendly locals. The area is a popular spot for football matches and backgammon games, so join in with them if you wish! Finish your tour by enjoying two of the country’s favorite pastimes: tea drinking (own expense) and shisha-pipe smoking. If you need directions back to your Istanbul hotel, simply let your guide know.