Vancouver resident Brenda Farrell is passionate about food, travel and Turkey, the country. A retired qualitative researcher, and Convivium Leader of Slow Food Lions Gate (www.slowfoodlionsgate.ca) she took her first trip to Turkey in 2005 to help a friend decorate her new condominium. On her return, mesmerized by the food and the warmth and friendliness of the Turkish people, she decided that she had to learn more about the connection between the culture and food of Turkey – this time for herself and not on behalf of a client. “After all, cuisine is an expression of culture” says Farrell.
Today, after collecting Turkish cookbooks, hosting Turkish food evenings at her home, reading many books about Islamic culture and, of course, several more visits to Turkey, Farrell has crafted an itinerary for a very unique tour of Turkey which she will host with Renshaw Travel in September 2009.
Designed to coincide with the Turkish harvest and to ‘connect the dots’ between the history, culture and food of Turkey, the tour will be led by an English-speaking Turkish food expert. Brenda says “While preparing this truly unique itinerary, we talked to food experts across Turkey and it became clear that if we were to truly understand the influence of history and culture on Turkish food, we would need to have a regional culinary expert with us throughout the tour.
Farrell, passionate about sharing Turkey with fellow culinary adventurers sums up the tour : “Starting and ending our journey in Istanbul, we will visit those must-see world-famous historic sites and monuments in Istanbul and also those in Troy, Ephesus, Pergamum, and Harran. In addition, and this is where the uniqueness of this itinerary kicks in, we will visit farmers’ markets, participate in cooking classes, sample local foods, including cheeses and olive oils, visit vineyards and taste wines, explore picturesque villages unchanged by time, enjoy lunch with villagers, observe the positive effects of a GAP sustainable development project in a once-barren area, to name a few activities. Of course, there will also be free time to relax or explore alone.” For those wishing to explore other areas of Turkey, Brenda is keen to put her knowledge to work in designing add-on itineraries.
Culinary tourism has always been of interest to chefs and other professionals who travel to learn. Now it is becoming a passion for foodies the world over. And it’s not just about eating. Since the root of culinary tourism is in agriculture, people today want to know more about their food such as, where and how it is grown, and by whom. This is becoming just as important as how it is prepared. Unlike North Americans, who are only just starting to understand the value of eating locally produced foods, Turkish people have always eaten local foods, in season.“
For a complete copy of this or other unique Explore Turkey Tours itineraries, please email brenda@renshawtravel.com or call Brenda at Renshaw Travel at 604.733.1010.
Renshaw Travel is a licensed travel agency registered in the Province of British Columbia. More information about Explore Turkey Tours may be found at www.renshawtravel.com.
