Gaziantep dishes in American menu

Gaziantep - Anatolia News Agency

US chef Mark McDonald (R), who will serve Gaziantep dishes at his place, received a certificate from the GAUN Rector Professor Yavuz Coşkun. AA Photo

Cuisine from the southeastern province of Gaziantep is finding its way to American tables thanks to a new culinary food project undertaken by Gaziantep University (GAUN).

The university launched a new project titled “Tastes of Gaziantep Cuisine” to introduce 90 dishes from the region’s rich culinary heritage to 35 chefs, 21 of whom were Turks while the other 14 were foreigners.
 
One of the chefs, Mark McDonald of California, ultimately incorporated four Gaziantep dishes – “yoğurtlu çorba” (yoghurt soup), “kıyma kebabı” (mince meat kebab), humus and spinach beet stuffed with bulgur, as well as “fıstıklı kadayıf” (oven-baked shredded pastry with pistachio) – into the menu of his
café-restaurant in Costa Mesa, California.

İlkay Gök, the project’s coordinator, said the two-year undertaking had been accorded a large budget and that it had been supported by the Silk Road Development Agency.

“Thirty-five foreign and national chefs from Mexico, Malaysia, Italy, France, Azerbaijan, Albania, Chile, Britain, the U.S., Greece and various Turkish provinces were given education; dishes were taught to them in applied classes. After the training, McDonald put the dishes on his menu when he returned to his country,” Gök said.

Further information about the project can be obtained in Turkish and English at www.gaziantepgastronomi.com.