Ottomania - Food Fit for Sultans (Istanbul)

Shane witnesses the rebirth of Ottoman cuisine and traditions in Istanbul, the exotic city that straddles the continents of Europe and Asia and literally joins East and West. From their gilded palace on Seraglio Point, the Ottoman Sultans ruled an empire that dominated the Mediterranean between 1453 and 1922, and spread their cuisine and culture throughout the Middle East, North Africa and South Eastern Europe. With renewed pride in their Ottoman past, Turkish chefs are rediscovering the ancient recipes that were served to the Sultans, and serving them to eager diners in restored palaces and renovated timber mansions, or konaks. We join Shane to see how he feels about life as a sultan. Then, wanting to see how the other half lived during Ottoman times, he joins the people of Istanbul in a public "Iftar" feast – a modern revival of an Ottoman tradition.