Event: Turkey

Mengen Cookery Festival

When:	Sep 2007 (annual)
Where:	Mengen

Ten tips for top aubergines? Fifty ways to stuff a pepper? Mengen, in the southwest Marmara region of Turkey, devotes an annual festival to these and other such pressing questions. If you've ever fancied improving your Mediterranean cooking, this is the place to come.

Mengen produces some of Turkey's finest cooks, and many are on hand to share their art. With such glorious national dishes as Imam Bayuldi (which translates as "the Imam fainted", owing to the stunning fragrance of the dish), a melting concoction of stuffed aubergines stewed in lemon juice, tomato and olive oil, the Turks have plenty to be proud of in the culinary department.