Gaziantep cuisine among top 10 in the world

GAZİANTEP

Türkiye’s southeastern province of Gaziantep, which has recently ranked ninth among the world's best gastronomy cities as chosen by a world-renowned rating company, continues promoting its dishes internationally.

Registered by UNESCO in 2015 in the field of gastronomy, Gaziantep has made a name for itself with its kebabs, beyran, yuvalama, baklava and katmer, as well as its 99 registered dishes.

Gaziantep cuisine ranked ninth in the world's best food and drink list selected by TasteAtlas, the online travel and gastronomy guide that pioneers the recognition of traditional flavors all over the world.

Chef Doğa Çitçi said that it is a matter of pride for Gaziantep cuisine to be in the top 10 list, and continued:

“Gaziantep is a city that was first registered in the field of gastronomy in Türkiye and is now among the top 10 cities in the world in terms of food and beverage by the world-famous rating company. Of course, since it is a rich cuisine, it is normal for it to be on this list. As a city of gastronomy, it is on this list for its tastes as well as a wide variety of products and food.”

Speaking about Gaziantep cuisine and food culture, Çitçi said that their main goal is to transform Gaziantep dishes to future generations.

“Gaziantep cuisine has a history of nearly 12,000 years. Since it was one of the first cities in the world where people moved to a settled life, it has hosted 21 civilizations. On the other hand, the city’s location on the Silk Road has led to the formation of a food culture in Gaziantep, and there is a food culture that has been passed through generations. Its cuisine is mentioned with the name of the city is Gaziantep.”

Stating that Gaziantep cuisine is not made up of just a few dishes, Çitçi said that the city has more registered dishes than any European country.

“We have 104 geographically indicated products in the name of Gaziantep and 99 of them are related to food and drink. There is no Turkish city with such diversity. We express this all the time. We have many endemic products. The city is located on very fruitful lands. We have a lot of products; the abundance of these products led the development of food culture and Gaziantep is now at the top of the world cuisines,” he said.

Stating that Gaziantep seems to be the city of lahmacun, kebab and baklava only but after it entered the UNESCO list, it turned out that this was not just about four items and that is a cauldron of many dishes and desserts.

“We currently have over 400 cauldron dishes, over 100 desserts and over 500 dishes. It is not a coincidence that Gaziantep is included in the UNESCO list and among the top 10 cities. These are the lands where the first kebabs and first meals were made. That's why Gaziantep is in a very important position. Therefore, it is now getting what it deserves,” Çitçi said.

Stating that Gaziantep's cuisine contributes greatly to the country's economy, Çitçi said, “The fact that the dishes are exhibited in international arenas and gain an important place also causes foreign tourists to experience these dishes and then want to buy the products. It also contributes to cultural development.”