The Sultan's Favourite Dishes (3/6)

The Sultan's Favourite Dishes (3/6)

For a long time it was regarded as too elaborate, too difficult and too expensive: the palace cuisine of the Sultans of the Tokapi Seraglio in Istanbul. Only in recent times has it been reappraised, and meanwhile chefs have discovered entire cookery books in the Ottoman archives. The traditional seraglio cuisine is now being served once again in some special restaurants on the Bosporus. This art of cooking absorbed many regional cultures, dishes composed like the pavilions of the Sultan's palace, light and sumptuous at the same time. Many traditions from the era of the Ottoman rulers have also been revived, among them that of the time-honoured custom of musical entertainment in the Sultan's palace. In this programme master chefs reveal some of the secrets of a splendid cuisine.