Chefs Federation to bring country’s disappearing food to light

HAKKARI

The Eastern Anatolia Region has become the first stop in response to the initiative taken by Türkiye’s Cooks and Chefs Federation to explore and document food in danger of fading away in each of the nation’s seven regions last year.

The officials from the federation paid a visit to the region’s nine provinces, holding talks with people from the gastronomy industry within the scope of the project they initiated to document the country's culinary heritage, which is at risk of being forgotten.

They gathered valuable information on food traditions and nearly extinct delicacies in the provinces.

The head of the federation, Bayram Özrek, provided details about the project, which is estimated to last seven years.

Indicating that the main aim of the project is to enlighten the upcoming generations on the country’s food and culture, Özrek said, “We'll carry out studies in each region separately. We started with the Eastern Anatolia. Since the previous year, we have been touring the East. Our goal is to meticulously document the culture and food, including the forgotten ones, and turn them all into a book.”

Being their 10th stop, the country’s eastern border province of Hakkari captivated the head and the officials of the federation visiting the province as part of the project with its culture and cuisine.

Özrek stated that they had been researching Hakkari’s food culture for days, uncovering the regional gastronomic values of the province.

“Our study was excellent. We actually saw characteristics that differ from several provinces. The food offered during breakfast astonished me the most. We must document all of them,” he said.

Emphasizing that while many provinces have their own gastronomy and cookbooks, Hakkari does not have one, he drew attention to the need for immediate action to publish a cookbook specific to the province.