“Turkish Cuisine Week” is held in Turkey and abroad under the patronage of the wife of the President of the Republic, Emine Erdogan. This year the events are organized from 21 to 27 May. As part of the Week, the Presidential Complex in Ankara will host the exhibition “Meeting point of centuries-old tastes: Turkish cuisine in seven regions.”

“Turkey values its deep-rooted culinary culture, which brings together every group of our society at the table, as well as the people of the many countries it has influenced throughout history. Turkish cuisine is the name of a miracle that occurs when labor and patience are combined. This is the common work of all skilled hands that plow the field, scatter seeds, plant seedlings, harvest crops, knead the dough, open the yufka,” the wife of the Turkish leader said at the opening ceremony of the event.

“As Turkey, we know the value of a deeply rooted culinary culture that brings all groups of our society to the table along with the people of the many countries it has influenced throughout history, and we believe that access to clean, healthy, local and authentic food is the right of all humanity,” Emine Erdogan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

She added that Anatolia is literally a knowledge bank of humanity, civilization and cultural development. This is the land of ancient dishes that have been prepared according to the same recipe under the same skies for thousands of years and continue to be prepared today.

Despite the fact that Turkish cuisine is among the most famous cuisines in the world, very few delicious Turkish cuisine recipes are available to the world.

“The goal of presenting our cuisine to the world as it deserves and passing it on to future generations while preserving its cultural richness has brought us together with academics and chefs here in 2021. And the publication of the book “Turkish Cuisine with Centuries-Old Recipes” made it possible not only to present our culinary culture, but also to offer waste-free and environmentally friendly recipes for the benefit of our people and all humanity,” the wife of the Turkish President said.

She expressed the hope that, with the support of all relevant institutions and the public, this week will become a traditional meeting uniting people of all countries around the common table.

Erdogan emphasized the importance of preserving local cuisine in the context of globalization. As domestic production loses out to global food systems, not only are original crops destroyed, but eating and drinking turns into pleasure-oriented, wasteful consumption and people gradually lose their health, the wife of the Turkish leader said.

According to her, the loss of naturalness of food causes both moral and physical harm to a person.

“As meals are replaced by quick snacks, emotions dry up and nations lose their identity and begin to become similar. Traditional tables nourish the heart. A house where food is prepared becomes a home, the smell of fresh bread gives confidence. The smoke of the hearth is the basis of peace and order,” Emine Erdogan emphasized.

Microplastics are now even found in breast milk, and the right to access clean food is more important than ever.

In this regard, it is very valuable to choose “Aegean Cuisine”, known as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world, to celebrate “Turkish Cuisine Week” abroad.

“I hope that all humanity will benefit from products that are genetically intact, do not poison the soil, are grown using organic fertilizers, reach our tables without being contaminated with chemicals and are properly re-forgotten through healthy recipes,” Erdogan said. Emine Erdogan also conveyed her wishes that all people could meet at the same table in peace and tranquility, preserving their differences.

Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, ambassadors and their spouses, gastronomy teachers and students also attended the event, which featured a video presentation on the traditional, healthy and waste-free cultural heritage of Turkish cuisine and the richness of Turkish cuisine.

The exhibition presents the cultural heritage and culinary culture of 7 regions of Turkey.

Before the start of the program, Emine Erdogan, together with Presidential Communications Director Altun and Minister of Culture and Tourism Ersoy, visited the exhibition and digital experience zone organized by the Presidential Communications Office, which showcases Turkey's natural and cultural beauties, climate and geographical diversity, and the heritage of ancient civilizations through culinary culture of 7 regions.

In the exhibition hall of the presidential complex, Emine Erdogan viewed the products of the exhibition, representing the natural and cultural heritage and agricultural diversity of various geographical regions from the Aegean Sea to Eastern Anatolia, from the Black Sea to Central Anatolia, and received information from government officials.

The exhibition can be visited for a month.

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