Turkish Cooking Class in Ankara: Learn at a Local Home

Cook Turkish dishes the way a family does, not the way a restaurant teaches them

A three-hour cooking class in a local home in central Ankara where you prepare traditional Turkish dishes alongside Sercan, a home cook, and his family. You chop, knead, and season together, learning the stories and traditions behind each dish, then share the meal you've cooked with Turkish tea or ayran. The class runs as breakfast or dinner depending on your booking time.

The experience

The class starts in Sercan's home in central Ankara, where you'll cook alongside the family using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. You'll prepare dishes like lahmacun (thin, crispy flatbread with spiced meat), hünkar beğendi (slow-cooked lamb over creamy eggplant purée), karnıyarık (stuffed eggplant), and lentil soup: the same dishes that appear on Turkish family tables. As you work, Sercan shares the stories behind the food and explains how these slow-cooked meals fit into daily life. This is not a demonstration. You're doing the work yourself, learning the techniques by handling the ingredients and the dough.

The timing shapes what you cook. Book at 10am and the class becomes a Turkish breakfast, where you'll learn to prepare the spreads, breads, and accompaniments that make up a proper morning meal. Book at 5pm and you'll cook dinner dishes instead. Either way, the three hours include the cooking and the eating. You finish by sitting down to share the feast with Turkish tea or ayran, just as the family does on an ordinary day.

Sercan guides the class in English, so language is not a barrier. The home is in central Ankara with public transportation options nearby, and if you're traveling with an infant, specialized seats are available.

What’s included

• Three hours of hands-on cooking instruction in English.
• all ingredients and equipment.
• the meal you prepare, served with Turkish tea or ayran.
• stories and cultural context from Sercan about Turkish food traditions and family life.

Before you book

Days and timesSaturday and SundayDeparts at 17:30

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (7 to 95 years) · Infant (under 7): free

GroupUp to 6

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Infant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Lokal Bond

Is this one for you?You do the cooking yourself, not watch it done, so this suits anyone who wants to learn by doing and leave with real techniques they can use at home. The class is shared with Sercan's family, which is the point. You're learning how they cook, not getting private instruction in a teaching kitchen.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 7): free.

What dishes will I actually cook in this class?

You'll prepare lahmacun, hünkar beğendi, karnıyarık, lentil soup, a cold dish, and a Turkish dessert. The exact menu depends on whether you book for breakfast or dinner. Breakfast focuses on Turkish breakfast spreads and breads, while dinner centers on the slow-cooked main dishes.

Do I watch Sercan cook, or do I do the cooking myself?

You do the cooking yourself. You'll chop, knead, and season alongside Sercan and his family, learning the techniques by handling the ingredients and working through each dish from start to finish.

What happens at the end of the three hours?

You sit down together and eat the meal you've cooked, served with Turkish tea or ayran. It's part of the class, not something added on afterward.

Does the time of day change what I'll learn?

Yes. A 10am booking runs as a breakfast class where you learn to prepare Turkish breakfast dishes and spreads. A 5pm booking is a dinner class focused on the main dishes and traditional slow-cooked meals Turkish families make for evening.

Is this class in a restaurant kitchen or a home?

It's in Sercan's home in central Ankara. You're cooking in a family kitchen, not a commercial space, which is why the experience centers on how Turkish families actually cook and eat together.