GastroAntep gastronomy events continue in Gaziantep as part of the Türkiye Culture Road Festival. (AA Photo)
October 10, 2026 04:42 PM GMT+03:00
Turkish chef Mehmet Yalcinkaya said the southeastern city of Gaziantep, long celebrated for its baklava and katmer pastries, has a far richer food heritage and should now promote its regional products on the international market.
Yalcinkaya spoke on the sidelines of GastroAntep, a series of gastronomy events held in Gaziantep as part of the Türkiye Culture Road Festival, where he discussed the city’s culinary culture, its recent progress and the global potential of its local goods.
GastroAntep gastronomy events continue in Gaziantep as part of the Türkiye Culture Road Festival. (AA Photo)
Spices, cheese and hundreds of products
The chef said he encounters something new in Gaziantep’s food scene every time he visits, and that the city has made significant strides in recent years.
Yalcinkaya noted that Gaziantep’s position on the historic Silk Road made it one of the first places in Türkiye to adopt spices and use them skillfully.
“It would be very unfair to talk about Gaziantep only in terms of its dishes,” he said.
“Gaziantep is one of the first places in Türkiye to encounter spices and use them well. Its dishes are already known. We now need to promote the city through its products. Mayor Fatma Sahin just mentioned Gaziantep cheese. There are hundreds of products like that.”
He described the city’s traditional dishes as an important cultural inheritance and said its cuisine should be seen as a “pantry cuisine,” not a cuisine born of scarcity.
GastroAntep gastronomy events continue in Gaziantep as part of the Türkiye Culture Road Festival. (AA Photo)
Mesopotamia’s agricultural bounty
Yalcinkaya pointed to the region’s agricultural wealth as the reason. Gaziantep lies in Mesopotamia, often called the cradle of agriculture, where wheat, vegetables and fruits were first cultivated.
“This is Mesopotamia, the beginning of everything, where wheat comes from, where vegetables and fruits come from, with great variety,” he said. “Meat, vegetables and bulgur are all easy to find here. That is why it is such a fortunate place.”
He said that when he first came to the city 15 years ago, its gastronomy scene was just taking shape. Today, he said, Gaziantep has become a model for other cities.
“Gaziantep should not be squeezed into baklava and katmer,” he said.
“Baklava is fine, katmer is fine, but I believe we must move on to products and market them internationally so they contribute to the city’s economy.”
Yalcinkaya credited the success of Gaziantep’s gastronomy sector to the support of local institutions and residents. He added that GastroAntep continues to set an example for other events.
October 10, 2026 04:42 PM GMT+03:00
