Yunus Emre Institute continues to promote Türkiye's gastronomy richness and bring the flavors of Turkish cuisine to the tables of many countries through gastrodiplomacy activities carried out in its representative offices in different parts of the world.

The second "Turkish Cuisine Workshop" organized by Bucharest Yunus Emre Institute to meet the intense interest in Turkish cuisine in Romania was held. The main menu of the gastronomy event included olive oil dishes of Turkish cuisine.

Chef Remziye Asan shared valuable information about gastronomy, from the traditional ingredients of Turkish cuisine to the food culture of Turkish cuisine. Chef Asan first gave information about the preparation of the lentil soup, which is on the menu, and then started making the soup with the trainees.

In the workshop held under the supervision of Chef Remziye Asan, Romanian trainees could not hide their admiration for the history of the dishes, their preparation and the variety of ingredients used.

After preparing the lentil soup, each trainee cooked the carefully wrapped stuffed grape leaves and stuffed peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and zucchinis by placing them in their own pot. While the smells of the meal filled the kitchen, Turkish coffee and tea were served to the participants.

Students of Osmaniye Düziçi Atatürk Vocational Technical and Anatolian High School Culinary Department, who were in Bucharest within the scope of the Erasmus Project, prepared local shakshouka, hash browns, raw meatballs and salad. Each student explained the procedures he performed to the Romanian trainees, along with tips.

In the last part of the appetizing delicacies, when it was time for dessert, all the trainees listened to their chefs with interest. The trainees prepared rose pudding (güllaç), which is from the Ottoman palace cuisine and an indispensable part of the month of Ramadan, and Ottoman yoghurt kombe.

The meals prepared with the participation of SELEC General Manager Oğuz Serkant Akın,  Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Bucharest Commercial Counselor Naci Akdoğan and his wife Merve Akdoğan were eaten together with conversation.

Romanian Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator Mustafa Yıldız gave information to the trainees in the workshop about Turkish produced olive oil and its usage areas.

Coordinator Yıldız made the following assesments: “Through our gastronomy workshop, we wanted to reveal that every piece of food left over in Turkish cuisine is transformed into a completely different product with zero waste techniques, thus contributing to sustainability, and that knowing the characteristics of Turkish food and consuming it accordingly is a source of healing that preserves the balance between mental and physical health.” 

"Turkish Cuisine Workshop", where the unique elements of Türkiye's culinary culture were introduced, especially the preparation of thousands of years old flavors of Turkish cuisine and conversations about gastronomy, ended with the presentation of their certificates to the trainees.