Wives of foreign envoys to Turkey try Black Sea cuisine

By Sena Guler

ANKARA (AA) - The wives of ambassadors in Turkey on Tuesday took a cooking class that introduced them to Black Sea cuisine.

The event was hosted in the capital Ankara in cooperation with Fulya Saglik, president of International Health Association, and Zeki Acikgoz, head of Turkey’s Cooks and Chefs Federation.

Saglik noted that last week they organized a similar event in southeastern Gaziantep province, which was added to UNESCO’s list of The Creative Cities Network on gastronomy in 2015.

During the event the wives of the ambassadors of Brazil, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Latvia, Luxembourg, Serbia, Kazakhstan, and Czech Republic entered the kitchen and learned how to make kuymak, rice with anchovies, stuffed and fried anchovies.

Kuymak is mostly consumed during breakfast and made with butter, corn starch and two types of cheese.

The participants ate the food they cooked at the end of the class.

Saglik said with the event they introduced Turkish cuisine to the world, adding they will continue to hold such events.

She also noted that the event was also a farewell party for the wife of Brazilian ambassador to Turkey Diva Cristina Gradilone.

Speaking at the event, Gradilone said: “I’ll miss you and all of you. I had a great time together. I wish I would stay longer and longer in Turkey. But duty calls.”

- Black Sea food

Speaking about the food, wife of Pakistani ambassador to Turkey Shaza Syrus said: “It is very nice. Very tasty and interesting.”

She added that they also have the small fish in their country but they consume it in a different way.

“This is my new dish for the kids,” she said.

Anta Spunde, wife of Latvian ambassador, said: “I loved it. Actually I like hamsi (anchovy) in all dishes. It is one of my favorite fish.”

Pauline Mulumba, wife of ambassador of Democratic Republic of Congo, said she already likes the fish.

“I’ll try to do it at home. It is very interesting to put the fish and rice together,” Mulumba added.

- Anadolu Agency Photos of Year contest

Also voting in Anadolu Agency's Photos of the Year competition for this year, Gradilone picked Turkish Soldiers Get Kids to Smile in Ras al-Ayn by Behcet Alkan in the news category.

The photo taken in Syria’s Ras al-Ayn shows a Turkish soldier giving a candy to a girl after their village was cleared of terrorists by Turkey.

“Because it shows love, it is a very human [emotion]. It shows sentiment,” she explained her reason for choosing the photo.

In the life category, Gradilone voted for Winter in Turkey’s Igdir by Huseyin Yildiz who caught on camera two girls walking in snow covered road.

“This shows resilient children, enduring the cold because they have to go to school. And education is the first most important thing in one’s life,” she said.

In the sports category, she voted for the photo of Beytullah Eroglu taken by Erhan Elaldi. The photo shows the Turkish Paralympic swimmer Eroglu while he was training in Istanbul.

Eroglu came sixth in the men's 50-meter backstroke at the World Para Swimming Championships 2019.

Calling the photo impressive, Gradilone said she was also a swimmer during her school times.

“I know how hard it is. It is hard for us with four limbs,” she said and added: “Hats off to them.”

Mulumba also voted in the contest and chose Protests against PKK’s Child Abduction by Hasan Namli in the news category.

The image shows families holding their children’s portrait to protest against PKK’s child abduction in southeastern Diyarbakir province.

The protest started on Sept. 3 in Diyarbakir when a mother, Fevziye Cetinkaya, said her underage son had been forcibly recruited by YPG/PKK terrorists with the help of members of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

“I’m a mother too. It is very difficult for a mother seeing that her child is in a bad situation,” Mulumba said.

She picked Congenital Amputee Child of Syrian Family in the life category, a photo taken by Cem Genco depicting 3-year-old Mustafa Nezzen playing with his father Munzir Nezzen in southern Hatay province of Turkey on Aug. 29.

“Very emotional to see a father who maybe came from war and he is amputee but he is still playing with his child,” she said.

Mulumba voted for France vs Turkey: EURO 2020 qualifier Group H photo by Mustafa Yalcin, who captured Turkish national team players while they made a formal salute after scoring a goal during the match between Turkey and France.

“I chose this one because we have to honor our soldiers because they do a lot for the country,” she said.

The first contest of the agency was held in 2012. This year, 50 images with Turkish and English captions, selected from over 750,000 photographs and shot all over the globe, were put to a vote in news, life, and sports categories.

Last year, 223,000 people took part in the voting.

This year's voting will continue through Dec. 31 at Anadolu Agency's website (aa.com.tr).