Emine Erdoğan, who participated in the official visits of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the Balkan countries between September 6-8, 2022, upon the invitations of his counterparts, attended the launch program of the book "Turkish Cuisine with Centennial Recipes" held at the Yunus Emre Institute in Belgrade.

The promotional program of the book "Turkish Cuisine with Centennial Recipes" was organized by Belgrade Yunus Emre Institute under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey under the leadership of Emine Erdoğan, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey and with the contributions of the Yunus Emre Institute.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's wife Emine Erdoğan and the accompanying delegation, Serbian President's wife Tamara Vucic, President of Yunus Emre Institute Prof. Şeref Ateş, and the accompanying delegation as well as guests attended the program.

In her speech at the program, Emine Erdoğan said, "Kitchen is more than a plate of food; it is like a mirror that reflects our national identity. I would like to thank the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Yunus Emre Institute for their support in presenting this value and translating it into Serbian."

"YUNUS EMRE INSTITUTE HAS TAUGHT TURKISH TO MORE THAN 3 THOUSAND PEOPLE IN SERBIA SINCE 2015"

Erdoğan also said about Yunus Emre Institute’s activities in Serbia: "I am very happy about the increasing interest in Turkish in Serbia. Yunus Emre Institute has taught Turkish to more than 3 thousand people since 2015."

In his speech, Erdoğan stated that there are 8 thousand common words in Serbian and that common words are used in daily life. In her speech, Emine Erdoğan emphasized that Serbia's culinary culture includes Turkish words and that Turkey and Serbia have similar cultural characteristics.

"THIS BOOK INTRODUCES THE SPIRIT OF TURKEY"

In her speech, Tamara Vucic, wife of the President of Serbia, said that Turkish cuisine is one of the richest in the world and expressed the closeness of Turkish cuisine to Serbian cuisine. Vucic gave examples of the flavors in the culinary culture of the two countries and said, "This book introduces the spirit of Turkey. I believe that this book will make an important contribution to strengthening the friendship between the two countries."

"WE ARE FURTHER STRENGTHENING THE TIES BETWEEN THE TURKISH AND SERBIAN PEOPLE"

Yunus Emre Institute President Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş said the following in his speech:

"In the program, we organized today to increase cultural ties between Turkey and Serbia, the book Turkish Cuisine with Centennial Recipes was translated into Serbian. Through this book, which was presented in the public with the presence of the First Lady, another cultural bond between Turkey and Serbia will be established. As Yunus Emre Institute, we are further strengthening the ties between Turkish and Serbian people with the projects carried out as well as the Turkish language teaching activities organized in Serbia. Through the projects, the common ground between the two peoples is emphasized, our historical ties are revived, and Turkey is re-recognized again in Serbia."

The delicacies among the special recipes of the book, which was prepared with the aim of promoting the traditional flavors of Turkish cuisine in the international arena and recording centennial recipes and passing them on to future generations, were prepared by the chefs who contributed to the book and served to the guests. During the program, Emine Erdoğan presented Tamara Vucic, the wife of the President of Serbia, with the book Turkish Cuisine with Centuries-old Recipes, translated into Serbian.