Yunus Emre Institute continues to organize various events to meet the intense interest in Türkiye's rich cultural elements around the world.

Johannesburg Yunus Emre Institute meets the ever-increasing demand for the richness of Turkish cuisine in South Africa with the gastronomy events it organizes.

Turkish cuisine courses, hosted by the Institute, will introduce Turkish culinary culture and dishes for four weeks, and South African trainees will be taught the preparation of special delicacies every week.

In the first week, under the guidance of Chefs Yunus Kılıç and İsmail Dönmez, the trainees were taught the practical preparation of delicacies from Turkish cuisine such as lentil soup, yayla soup, oven kebab, bulgur pilaf, hummus, kunefe, katmer dessert and rice pudding.

Regarding the gastronomy event, Johannesburg Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator Abdülaziz Yiğit used the following expression: “South Africans who are interested in Türkiye's cultural heritage have a special interest in Turkish cuisine. Our trainees love the flavors of Turkish cuisine. Through our courses, our trainees have the opportunity to experience Turkish dishes as well as getting to know the riches of Turkish cuisine closely. In our courses, we also bring together Turkish culture and Turkish and teach Turkish words to our trainees, from the ingredients used in meals to the tools and equipment used in the kitchen.”

Stating that she loves lentil soup from Turkish cuisine, “I attend the Turkish courses of the institute. As soon as I learned that Turkish cooking courses would be held, I wanted to enroll in this course. After learning the recipe for lentil soup in the course, I prepared soup for my daughter as soon as I got home. My daughter really liked the lentil soup,” said 81-year-old Cynthia Gatter, one of the trainees said.

Stating that he started to admire Turkish culture by being impressed by the hospitality of the Turkish nation, Gatter emphasized that he loves Turkish very much and that its grammar rules contribute to making Turkish unique and special among the world languages.

Another trainee, Rehana Farista, stated that Turkish cuisine is very rich in terms of both the preparation of the dishes and the taste they leave on the palate, and she used the following expressions: “No dessert can be as delicious as the desserts in Turkish cuisine. I would like to thank Yunus Emre Institute for providing us with such an opportunity.” 

Talking about his interest in Turkish culture and his dream of visiting Istanbul, Trainee Ziyaad Dockrat stated that he wanted to attend the course to get to know Turkish culture more closely.