Chosen by UNESCO!
Turkish cuisine is known for its diversity far beyond the country's borders. Within the country, however, one city stands out especially for its culinary delights. Gaziantep!
The historic cuisine of Gaziantep includes not only meat-heavy dishes like many different kebabs, but also many vegetarian dishes such as leek soup (Şiveydiz) or lentil patties (Mercimekli Köfte).
Even though Gaziantep hadn't previously earned the international recognition it deserved, that changed at the latest in 2015. UNESCO named Gaziantep the "World Gastronomy City 2015," crowning the city, its chefs and its culture alike!
The fame that came with it, and the resulting increase in tourism, hasn't always been met with enthusiasm among the local population. "Since the UNESCO designation, the prices for baklava have gone up so much that you can no longer afford to bring a kilo of baklava home after work in the evening," a taxi driver told me. "Wealthy people can afford to fly into Istanbul in the morning just to eat in Gaziantep and fly back in the evening. And we can't even keep up a small piece of our everyday evening culture anymore!" he added.
This, of course, is a textbook example of the gap between social classes and a symbol of today's globalized world.
But this example also shows the special significance of food culture in Gaziantep. For locals, baklava isn't a tourist attraction but a firm part of everyday life. At almost every family celebration and special occasion, baklava is served to guests. At religious holidays or weddings, baklava as a dessert is simply indispensable. And if a groom-to-be asks for his future bride's hand without a large tray of pistachio baklava as a gift for the bride's parents, he might as well turn around and go straight back home!
Preparing, or rather making, baklava is a very elaborate process, and in Gaziantep that's left to the professionals. In many parts of Turkey, baklava is also baked at home by housewives. In Gaziantep, however, people know to appreciate the perfection of a so-called "Usta" and wouldn't even dream of challenging his position. Usta translates to master, and "Baklava Usta" is a profession that takes several years to learn. A tray of baklava usually requires 40 layers of paper-thin dough. This dough has to be thin enough to see through, yet must not tear. Almost every corner of Gaziantep has a baklava bakery, so why go to all that trouble for hours when it can be easier and better!
With that, until next time…