Edirne’s fried liver aims to enter UNESCO list

EDİRNE

Local authorities in the northwestern province of Edirne are vying to place their city’s famous fried liver, the signature dish of the province, on UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List.

“Fried liver should be on UNESCO’s list because you cannot find this kind of delicious liver anywhere else in the world,” said Özlem Mekik, a chef and gastronomy writer.

According to Mekik, the flavor of the dish comes from the local animals fed with fresh waters of the province.

Reminding that Edirne was once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, local officials highlight the importance of the “palace cuisine.”

“Fried liver is one of the prominent dishes of the Ottoman palace cuisine. The processes of slicing the liver, cooking and serving are all unique,” said Bahri Dinar, the head of the Fried Liver Quality Control Society in the province.

Kemal Soytürk, provincial director of culture and tourism, told state-run Anadolu Agency that the process to add the cuisine to the list involved meticulous efforts.

“We started projects with Turkey’s leading chefs. We will promote the palace cuisine to the globe. We want to tell all this to UNESCO,” said Soytürk.