Ege Cuisine Culture

Description

Ege Cuisine Culture is an intensive, practice-oriented culinary training programme exploring the rich food culture of Türkiye’s Ege (Aegean) Region. Combining regional culinary traditions with chef demonstrations and guided kitchen practice, the programme focuses on olive oil cookery, wild herbs, seafood, street food and rural cuisine.

Over five training days, participants explore the culinary heritage of İzmir, Aydın, Muğla and Manisa. Training covers traditional ingredients, olive oil sensory evaluation, herb preparation, seafood techniques, balanced acidity, heat and moisture control, professional plating and regional food presentation. Each day includes the preparation of three representative dishes, followed by tasting, technical feedback and discussion.

The course is aimed at gastronomy and culinary arts instructors, vocational education and training (VET) trainers, professional chefs, restaurant professionals, culinary arts students, gastronomy academics, chef trainers and professionals interested in regional Turkish cuisine, olive oil culture, seafood and culinary heritage. Training includes individual and team-based production, mise-en-place, recipe standardisation and professional kitchen techniques.

The programme takes place from 15 to 19 March 2027 and comprises five training days and 30 instructional hours. The course fee is EUR 400 per participant. Ingredients and standard kitchen equipment are provided. Participants must bring suitable professional kitchen clothing and non-slip footwear. Accommodation, meals and the exact training venue are communicated after registration and course confirmation. Eligible participants may use Erasmus+ mobility funding in accordance with the rules of their approved projects.

Participants receive a Certificate of Participation, a Declaration of Attendance and, where applicable, a Europass Mobility document.

PROGRAM OF THE COURSE
Ege Cuisine Culture
Duration: 5 Training Days / 30 Instructional Hours
Daily Schedule: 10:00–17:00
Training: 6 instructional hours per day, excluding breaks
Breaks: 15-minute coffee break and 45-minute lunch break daily

DAY 1: OLIVE OIL CULTURE
10:00–10:30 | Welcome and introduction to Ege cuisine and olive oil culture.
10:30–11:15 | Olive oil techniques and product evaluation.
11:15–12:15 | Practical Session: Zeytinyağlı Enginar
12:15–12:30 | Coffee Break
12:30–13:45 | Practical Session: Fava
13:45–14:30 | Lunch Break
14:30–16:15 | Practical Session: Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
16:15–17:00 | Tasting session and daily technical evaluation.

DAY 2: WILD HERBS
10:00–10:30 | Introduction to Ege wild herbs.
10:30–11:15 | Herb cleaning, blanching and sautéing techniques.
11:15–12:15 | Practical Session: Radika Salad
12:15–12:30 | Coffee Break
12:30–13:45 | Practical Session: Şevketi Bostan
13:45–14:30 | Lunch Break
14:30–16:15 | Practical Session: Herb Fritters
16:15–17:00 | Tasting session and daily technical evaluation.

DAY 3: SEAFOOD TECHNIQUES
10:00–10:30 | Introduction to Ege seafood culture.
10:30–11:15 | Seafood preparation: heat and moisture control.
11:15–12:15 | Practical Session: Grilled Octopus
12:15–12:30 | Coffee Break
12:30–13:45 | Practical Session: Marinated Sea Bass
13:45–14:30 | Lunch Break
14:30–16:15 | Practical Session: Fried Calamari
16:15–17:00 | Plating, tasting and daily technical evaluation.

DAY 4: EGE STREET & OLIVE OIL CULTURE
10:00–10:30 | Introduction to Ege street food culture.
10:30–11:15 | Olive oil cookery and regional street food techniques.
11:15–12:15 | Practical Session: Zeytinyağlı Börülce
12:15–12:30 | Coffee Break
12:30–13:45 | Practical Session: Kumru
13:45–14:30 | Lunch Break
14:30–16:15 | Practical Session: İzmir Lokma
16:15–17:00 | Tasting session and daily technical evaluation.

DAY 5: INLAND EGE & RURAL CUISINE
10:00–10:30 | Introduction to inland Ege and rural cuisine.
10:30–11:15 | Traditional rural cooking techniques.
11:15–12:15 | Practical Session: Keşkek (Ege Style)
12:15–12:30 | Coffee Break
12:30–13:45 | Practical Session: Manisa Kebabı
13:45–14:30 | Lunch Break
14:30–16:15 | Practical Session: Çalkama
16:15–17:00 | Final tasting, overall practical assessment and certificate ceremony.

IMPORTANT NOTES
Participants are required to wear professional kitchen clothing and non-slip footwear during practical sessions.
All ingredients and standard professional kitchen equipment required for practical training are provided.
Optional local gastronomy or cultural activities may be organised depending on the course schedule. Any additional transportation or entrance costs will be communicated in advance.
Total Programme Duration: 5 Days / 30 Instructional Hours.

Learning objectives

Participants will be able to:

• Describe the key culinary traditions, regional ingredients and food culture of Türkiye’s Ege Region, with reference to İzmir, Aydın, Muğla and Manisa.
• Identify the sensory properties of olive oil and apply appropriate low-heat olive oil cooking techniques.
• Identify, clean, blanch and sauté regional wild herbs using suitable food preparation practices.
• Prepare regional seafood dishes using appropriate temperature, heat and moisture control.
• Balance acidity and flavour using lemon, vinegar, olive oil and herbs in hot and cold preparations.
• Prepare 15 representative dishes across olive oil cookery, wild herbs, seafood, street food and rural cuisine.
• Apply professional mise-en-place, safe practical kitchen routines, teamwork and recipe standardisation.
• Develop contemporary plating, mezze composition, tasting and sensory evaluation skills.
• Adapt regional culinary knowledge and techniques for professional gastronomy and vocational education environments.

Methodology & assessment

The programme follows an intensive, practice-oriented culinary training methodology. Each day begins with a short introduction to the regional product context, followed by ingredient and sensory evaluation, mise-en-place planning and chef-led demonstrations. Participants work individually and in teams on three active practical culinary preparations per day. Training includes olive oil sensory analysis, low-temperature olive oil applications, wild herb identification and preparation, seafood temperature and moisture control, street food and rural recipes, tasting, plating and service composition.

Assessment is continuous and practice-based. Trainers observe participation, preparation techniques, teamwork, food handling, flavour balance and presentation, and provide feedback during practical sessions. Daily tastings, technical reviews and pedagogical discussions support the transfer of regional Ege culinary knowledge to professional kitchen and training environments. The programme concludes with a final tasting, practical review, overall evaluation and certificate ceremony.

Certification details

Participants receive a Certificate of Participation and a Declaration of Attendance. A Europass Mobility document may also be provided where applicable. Completion is based on participation in the scheduled practical training and evaluation activities.

Additional information

Upcoming sessions