Turkish cuisine introduced to world to promote culinary heritage

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) - Events marking Turkish Cuisine Week were organized in different countries across the world on Saturday.

Turkish cuisine was introduced on a private television channel in Kyrgyzstan.

A cooking program, called Turkish Tastes, was broadcast on 7 Kanal (Channel 7) with the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency's office in Bishkek.

Also, Turkish flavors were introduced at an event organized by the Turkish Embassy in Djibouti.

Unal Aktas, a chef at the Turkish embassy, presented a special selection of cuisine from Türkiye’s southern Hatay province. The event attracted great interest from locals.

Turkish cuisine was promoted in Argentina with the participation of chef Ali Acikgul for a week, in cooperation with the Turkish Embassy in Buenos Aires, the Yunus Emre Institute, and Turkish Airlines.

The richness of Turkish cuisine was promoted at different points in the capital Buenos Aires through many activities, including academic studies and workshops.

"I liked the food, there were some desserts that we were familiar with, but they were much more delicious. Especially the burnt rice pudding is amazing, the zucchini dessert with lime and tahini is also very crunchy and it tastes great. I like traditional Turkish desserts,” said Argentinian chef Santiago Giorgini.

Chef Pamela Villar said she had the chance to travel to Türkiye two years ago. “The food fascinated me. When they invited me here, I came without thinking. I love Turkish food, desserts, and combinations."

Turkish cuisine was also presented in Cameroon as part of a program organized by the Turkish Embassy in Yaounde.

Politicians, foreign diplomats, and Cameroonian and Turkish guests tasted the delicacies that make up the "Ancient and Sustainable Turkish Cuisine" Hatay menu, including pepper bread, olive salad, hummus, stuffed peppers, tray kebab, and kadayif dessert.

The Chinese search and rescue team, Blue Sky, which supported search and rescue efforts after the devastating earthquakes on Feb. 6 in southern and southeastern Türkiye, met with the flavors of Turkish cuisine in their country.

“The Blue Sky team did very well in the earthquake zone. Today, as part of the Turkish Cuisine Week, we wanted to come together with them to commemorate those we lost in the earthquake and to thank them once again on behalf of our country,” said Kurtulus Aykan, the Turkish consul general in Guangzhou.

The Turkish Embassy in Russia organized a "Turkish Street Tastes in Moscow" event to promote flavors unique to Hatay cuisine.

"The menu is based on Hatay gastronomy ... I hope that Russian citizens will enjoy the food," Mehmet Samsar, the Turkish ambassador to Moscow, told Anadolu.

Also, a special program was held at the Turkish Embassy in Baku to introduce the Hatay cuisine. Leyla Bagci, the spouse of the Turkish ambassador in Baku, said that they prepared the meal based on the "Zero Waste Project," an initiative launched by Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan in 2017.

Türkiye promoted its local dishes at a series of events held across the country and around the world during Turkish Cuisine Week that took place on May 21-27.

The events introduce Türkiye's rich gastronomic culture to a broad audience at home and abroad through the representations of the Republic of Türkiye.

Meals prepared with creative presentations by Turkiye’s world-famous cooks were offered to visitors in various countries.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar