Expat foodies: The best Turkish food blogs

No one can argue that one of the perks of being in Turkey is its diverse cuisine. Many an expat in Turkey has taken a stab at conquering the country's cuisine in their kitchens.

There are a number however, who have embraced Turkish food with passion, which shows in their own cooking inspired by the country they now call home as well as in a series of successful and engaging blogs that are rightly gathering mass followers among foreigners and Turkey's expat crowd.

Turkish expats alike have also established a number of successful blog ventures introducing their native cuisine and infusing flavors from their own experience in a foreign land they now call home.

The following is a list of the best Turkish-oriented expat food blogs, based in Turkey and beyond, that anyone who loves good food will highly enjoy. '

'Delicious Istanbul'

Russian-born Olga Irez is an Istanbul- based food blogger who, in addition to offering a vast array of recipes including classic Turkish and fusion twists, also runs food tours, cooking classes and a monthly breakfast club in Istanbul as well as culinary workshops in Sapanca.

Having quit a high-profile career to move to Turkey over three years ago, Olga shares her culinary knowledge and research with international food lovers on her popular blog "Delicious Istanbul." She navigates fellow foodies through the bustling markets of Istanbul to sample local delights and offers Turkish home cooking classes that also start off at the market. Her culinary tours, the most recent of which combined Turkish food and travel photography, are held at her family estate in Sapanca, the Zelis Ciftligi, which has a culinary legacy in its own right. Olga also hosts a monthly breakfast club held at her home in Kadıköy where she offers a Turkish style breakfast with top-notch ingredients for 14 guests. The next Istanbul Breakfast Club will be held on June 22. To be a part of this unique experience you need visit deliciousistanbul. com and act quick as the slots always sell out. '

Seasonal Cook in Turkey' "

Seasonal Cook in Turkey" is a beautiful blog by the glowing Claudia Turgut, a U.K. native that has been in Turkey for over 30 years and spends her time between Istanbul and her family's stone house in the ancient village of Assos. A former English teacher, Claudia first visited Turkey in the 1970s when her father was stationed at the U.K. Embassy in Ankara and decided to make the move to Turkey when she met her future husband.

Now, she is an expert in Turkish cuisine and a food photography aficionado. Her colorfully vibrant website offers up delicious Turkishstyle recipes, captivating commentary and impressive photography. seasonalcookinturkey.blogspot.com.tr '

Eat with Me Istanbul'

Originally from Korea, Namie spent her 20's in Australia and later studied food and wine in France. She has called Turkey home for two and a half years now after arriving on a vacation, which she describes as nothing other than "fate." Based in Istanbul, Namie presents recipes that span from Turkish cuisine to flavors from across the world using a wide variety of fresh and seasonal products in her spirited blog "Eat with Me Istanbul." Her focus is on how to cook smart, efficiently and healthy with the beautiful ingredients Turkey has to offer. eatwithmeistanbul.com '

Ozlem's Turkish Table'

Özlem Warren is a Turkish expat currently living in England. Her blog, "Ozlem's Turkish Table," is filled with detailed healthy and practical Turkish recipes. Özlem has been teaching foodies how to cook Turkish cuisine in cookery courses offered at the Istanbul Culinary Institute, the Central Market Cooking Schools in Texas and offers a variety of courses in England. ozlemsturkishtable.com '

Almost Turkish'

In her blog "Almost Turkish" Turkish food enthusiast Burcu, who grew up in Turkey but now lives in Palo Alto, California, presents a lively list of traditional Turkish and "almost" Turkish recipes. almostturkish.blogspot.com.tr '

Binnur's Turkish Cookbook'

Binnur Tomay is a Turkish homemaker and mother who has been living in Canada since 1995. Her blog, Binnur's Turkish Cookbook, offers an extensive array of easy-toprepare classic Turkish and Ottoman dishes.

Binnur has also published a cookbook of over 110 recipes from her popular website turkishcookbook.com. '

Café Fernando'

Last but certainly not least is "Café Fernando," an exquisite blog combining a medley of recipes, with an emphasis on the sweet stuff, with eloquent culinary adventure pieces. Turkish "repat" Cenk Sönmezsoy, a writer, photographer, food stylist and selfadmitted chocoholic hailing from Istanbul, shares the influence of his expat experience in San Francisco, where he received an MBA, on his highly popular cafefernando. com. His site, which also offers iPhone and iPad applications, was named "Best Culinary Travel Blog" by Saveur in 2010 and received awards for having the "Best Original Baking and Desserts Recipe" and " Best Piece of Culinary Writing" the following two years, respectively. The London Times listed Café Fernando as one of the 50 best food blogs in the world and it has also gotten mentions in Gourmet, The New York Times, The Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post to name just a few. Cenk's highly awaited cookbook Café Fernando hit the shelves in Turkey nationwide on June 13.