Türkiye holds events abroad to promote culinary heritage during annual event

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - As part of Turkish Cuisine Week, a series of events are being organized in several European and African countries to introduce and promote Turkish cuisine.

The annual gastronomic event is being held for the second time under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency and with the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry on May 21-27.

Turkish Cuisine Week, which features presentations by the country’s leading chefs, is hosting various events abroad, including in Croatia’s capital Zagreb, where Türkiye’s award-winning chef Yunus Emre Akkor cooked the delicacies of the 11 Turkish provinces hit by devastating earthquakes on Feb. 6.

The culinary event aims to draw attention to Turkish cuisine from a waste-free, ecological and sustainable perspective.

Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan in a tweet on Monday hailed the special week, saying: "The gate that opens to a country's cuisine also opens to a geography, civilization, ecology, tradition, mores and belief."

- Europe

Türkiye's ambassador to Croatia, Yavuz Selim Kiran, hailed Turkish cuisine for its varieties, which he said is "enriched with the interaction of different civilizations and cultures through centuries."

"Our quake-hit cities are well-known for their cuisine," Kiran told the event in Zagreb. "Today's menu contains special dishes from Hatay and 10 other quake-hit cities."

An event was also held at NATO headquarters in Brussels, hosted by Türkiye's Permanent representative to the military alliance, Levent Gumrukcu.

The representatives of other member states, diplomats, and military and civilian staff of NATO participated in the event.

"When it comes to Turkish cuisine I do not think I need to be modest," Gumrukcu said.

- Events in Africa

Turkish cuisine was also promoted in Burkina Faso, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Türkiye's ambassador to Burkina Faso, Nilgun Erdem Ari, held a dinner to host many guests, including Foreign Minister Olivia Rouamba of the West African country.

Also, Türkiye's ambassador to Egypt, Salih Mutlu Sen, told Anadolu: "Organizing an event to promote Turkish cuisine in Egypt can also be considered as an important contribution to the close ties between the two brotherly countries."

Turkish ambassador to Nigeria, Hidayet Bayraktar, hosted his guests in a hotel in Abuja to introduce Turkish cuisine.