26 Apr Van Trip
The Gastronomic Society of Türkiye recently completed its very first gastronomy and culture tour in Van.
The group had the opportunity to explore the vast historical, geographical, and gastronomical richness of the Van region—an ancient cradle of civilizations—through a comprehensive 4-day journey that spanned from the “Sea of Van” and the Nemrut crater lake to the historical town of Ahlat.
Located at a high altitude and known for its robust livestock culture, Van’s cuisine is heavily centered on dairy products. Members of the Society enjoyed the region’s famous and abundant Van breakfast, featuring items such as otlu peynir (herbed cheese), clotted cream, honey, murtuğa, butter, cacık, kavut, rose jam, ilitme, and local pastries.
This region, rich in diverse wild herbs, boasts a unique herb culture that influences everything from its geographically indicated cheeses to its rice and meat dishes.
We received valuable insights about the pearl mullet (inci kefali), a fish that thrives in the soda-rich waters of Lake Van, from Professor Elvan Ocak of Yüzüncü Yıl University. Although this fish is fried fresh in season, it is now being preserved salted due to the ongoing breeding ban.
At Yaban Kolektif, we tasted Erciş Karası, a local wine, and participated in a hands-on workshop where we explored the differences between the Kurdish meatballs of Van and Hakkari.
The culinary adventure continued with a feast of Van breakfast and traditional rice pudding at Metin Usta, followed by a regional lunch at Kuşhane, where we dove deep into Van’s culinary traditions. The next evening featured a rich meat-based dinner at Chef Adem’s establishment and concluded with an elegant evening at Menua restaurant within the Tariria complex, a refreshing new venue for Van’s food scene.
At Kuşhane, everything is slow-cooked over wood fire, just as it should be. Herb use was skillfully elevated, and we tasted an array of regional dishes including zeyturin soup, stuffed dried eggplant and tomatoes, keşkek helise with meat, and lamb sautéed over gari-herbed bulgur.
Tariria offered breathtaking sunset views from its lakeside gardens, along with a refined bar and wine list. At Menua restaurant, we were warmly hosted by an exceptional service team and treated to a special menu of unique dishes such as herbed cheese pide and carpaccio of Van fish.
As a pioneer of gastronomic tourism in Türkiye, the Gastronomic Society of Türkiye returned to Istanbul with the satisfaction of discovering—and helping others discover—yet another treasure of our culinary heritage, under the guidance of our esteemed member and tour leader Müjde Tönbekici. The decision to revisit Van has already been made.
