From Pera to Smyrna: A Cultural Journey Through Ottoman Levantine Tables

This time the table runs from Istanbul to Izmir, from Pera to Smyrna, following the shared culinary culture that took shape in the cosmopolitan port cities of the 19th century.

In the Ottoman port cities of the 1800s, Levantines, Sephardic Jews, Greeks, Armenians and Muslim communities met in the same markets, neighbourhoods and dining rooms, and built a many-layered urban culture together. On this evening we taste that shared culinary memory through Taste Pavilion's approach: every plate brings the ingredients, techniques and table traditions of a different community to the table.

We look at 19th-century cosmopolitan city life through the communal dining culture of the Ottoman ports, and gather around a culinary memory that runs from the past to today. Join us at Nadir Gastronomy Platform for an evening interpreted by Taste Pavilion.

THE MENU

Aperitif in Pera — Levantine social life and aperitif culture. The journey begins in the social world of 19th-century Pera, among its patisseries, hotels, theatres and wine houses. The European aperitif tradition meets Istanbul's fish, olives, bitter oranges and small meze.

The Bosphorus' Shared Memory: Stuffed Mackerel — where Istanbul's Greek, Armenian and Ottoman kitchens meet. Bosphorus mackerel joins the Ottoman dolma tradition, filled with pine nuts, currants, onion and spices. A plate that belongs not to one community but to Istanbul's multicultural culinary memory.

Gardens of Smyrna — multicultural Izmir through artichokes, broad beans and Aegean greens. Artichokes, broad beans, Aegean herbs, olive oil and citrus were shared across the Sephardic, Greek, Levantine and Muslim tables of Izmir. The plate tells the story of Smyrna's fertile gardens and seasonal table culture.

Pera-Style Beef Cheek — European cooking techniques meet Ottoman flavours. Long, slow cooking, a reduced stock and a refined sauce meet allspice, smoky notes, grapes and the tradition of cooking meat with fruit. Not a copy of a historical recipe, but a contemporary take inspired by Pera's cultural encounters.

A Last Evening at Markiz — Pera's patisserie, salon and city-leisure culture. The journey ends with a dessert inspired by Pera's elegant patisserie salons, where European pastry techniques are reinterpreted with Istanbul's coffee, sour cherries, almonds and citrus.