Mengen District; is a quiet, rural town and district in Bolu City in the Black Sea region of western Turkey, 58 km. to Bolu City.
Mengen's famous for its cooks and its annual cookery festival; chefs trained in Mengen can be found in the best hotels all over Turkey. There're a number of reason for this: 1. the province of Bolu sits on the main road from Istanbul to Ankara and for centuries travellers have stopped for food on their journey. 2. there's a cookery school here which has traditionally trained chefs for the president in Ankara and other high government officials.
Mengen's an attractive forested district, the largest plain in this mountainous area, a rural area where the traditional lifestyle has persisted. Mengen for example is one place in Turkey where you can still see the kocek at village weddings, they also perform at the food festival in August. Mengen's only 180 km. to Ankara and is a popular weekend retreat for the people of the city. Mengen's a place to walk, to relax, or go hunting in the forest. In summer there're popular walks in the high country above the town.
The town is not shy about the cookery tradition and there are billboards and statues of smiling chefs all over Mengen. Dinner here is typically grilled meats and pilav rice served with lashings of Turkish raki, the traditional aniseed drink. However it must be said that this is a small town that trains and exports chefs, there are not that many restaurants in Mengen itself.