Pakistan: Karachi locals flock to Turkish food fest

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Taste, color, and entertainment are currently coming together at a Turkish food festival in Pakistan’s lively port city of Karachi, attracting legions of food lovers.

The festival, a week-long affair, has been organized by Avari Towers, one of Pakistan’s largest hotel chains, and will last through Jan. 29, organizers said.

Dozens of diplomats, top corporate executives, and media representatives along with local foodies attended the festival’s launch, led by Turkish Consul in Karachi Murat M. Onart.

“I am proud to have hosted this event with a special menu to welcome the guests to experience authentic Turkish cuisine,” Emmanuel Riggi, the chief festival organizer, told reporters.

“We look forward to welcoming guests for Turkish cuisine every day through Jan. 29,” he said.

Imran Ahmad, the Avari Towers’ executive chef, said, “Turkish cuisine is always a pleasant surprise for food lovers. It is always exciting to prepare a new cuisine to enrich the culinary experience of local visitors.”

- Unique tastes

Visitors praised the taste of Turkish cuisine as “unique” and “mouth-watering”.

“Everything is simply good. I especially ordered my favorites shish kebab and kofte, which I tasted for the first time a couple of years ago in Istanbul,” local businessman Tahir Iqbal, enjoying food with his family, told Anadolu Agency.

“Since then, I never miss an occasion where Turkish food is available”.

“It’s too good. Not only the food, but the whole atmosphere is terrific,” Sadia Mahmood, another food lover, told Anadolu Agency.

“This is first time I’ve tried Turkish food. It’s unique in taste and of course mouth-watering,” she added.

“For dessert, Baklava is unmatchable,” she said, adding that the chefs had done pretty well.

Madiha Awais, a co-organizer, described the response of Karachi residents to the Turkish food festival as “overwhelming.”

“It’s beyond our expectations. Hundreds have visited the festival in the last few days, and we expect the same numbers in the days to come,” she told Anadolu Agency.