Local dishes introduced in Turkish Cuisine Week

ISTANBUL

Turkey has started to promote local dishes to the globe in a series of events held across the country and all of Turkey’s missions worldwide during the “Turkish Cuisine Week,” which is being held for the first time this year between May 21 and 27.

The “Turkish Cuisine Week” started in the northwestern province of Balıkesir on May 21, with the attendance of first lady Emine Erdoğan.

“The effect of gastronomy is increasing day by day,” the first lady said in her opening speech in Balıkesir.

Saying that many words such as “gastro-culture,” “gastro-tourism” and “gastro-diplomacy” have been invented, Emine Erdoğan said, “All these show how ‘kitchen’ has become a dominant power.”

The “Turkish Cuisine Week” is conducted under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency in cooperation with the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), an affiliate of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

“Gastronomy is surely one of the most important aspects of tourism,” Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said in Balıkesir.

Stating that some 80 percent of the global tourists see food and beverage as the first criteria for choosing a holiday destination, Ersoy said, “The Turkish Cuisine Week is a project we have actualized due to this reality.”

The ministry has also formed an official website with the same name, publishing columns of academics and prominent food bloggers and recipes by famous Turkish chefs.

“Turkish Cuisine Week aims to showcase Turkish dishes with all their original qualities as the crown of our tables,” the official website said.

According to the first lady, “national cuisine is a mirror of society.”

Reminding that the number of gastronomy cities is rising rapidly worldwide, the first lady reminded those who know the delicacy of Turkish cuisine could be a “gastro-diplomacy ambassador of Turkey.”

A second prominent event was held in the southeastern province of Mardin on May 22.

Chefs introduced local tastes to local and international tourists in the Cumhuriyet Square of the Artuklu district.

“Mardin is a city that hosted many civilizations. That’s why, we want to introduce the city’s rich cuisine to the visitors,” Mahmut Demirtaş, the local governor of Mardin, told reporters while wandering around the booths showing local tastes.

Within the scope of the week’s events, some 300 kilos of fried liver with onions were shelled out to locals and tourists in the northwestern province of Edirne, famous for its unique fried liver.

“All those fried liver were consumed in just three minutes,” Bahri Dinar, the head of Fried Liver Quality Control Association, told İhlas News Agency.

The country’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has also been participating in the events.

“THY will present Turkish cuisine samples in lounges at Istanbul, Miami, Nairobi, Moscow and Bangkok airports,” Demirören News Agency reported on May 22.