"Kilis Cuisine from Oylum Höyük (mound) to the Present" event brought together many food enthusiasts to introduce Turkey's gastro-capital Kilis cuisine.
With the support of Silkroad Development Agency (IKA) affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the event was held under the title of Kilis Gastronomy Promotion Day.
Many products from Kilis such as tray (tepsi) kebab, heaven mud (made with shredded wheat, crushed pistachio, and special sheep milk clotted cream), flaky pastry, pure olive oil, and ekşili (sour) kebab have been introduced throughout the event. Under the direction of Kilis Gastronomy Ambassador Chef Yunus Emre Akkor, the guests were given a taste of the famous dishes.
Kilis Governor Recep Soytürk, who stated that Kilis should be at the forefront both in Turkish and world cuisine said: "There are nearly 200 types of food in Kilis. We have both dishes and products for which we receive geographical indications. We want to promote Kilis and our products. We are here to promote the city's historical places as well."
"Kilis has an olive oil for which it has geographical indication. We have been working on for this about three years. We have received a total of 16 awards, both in Turkey and the world. We have changed the way of production, enhanced the quality and the marketing variety. With such events, we promote it to the chefs and buyers. Also, our villagers and factories sell olives. They increase their income," he said.
Another guest of the event, Burhan Akyılmaz, Secretary-General of IKA said that they give importance to the promotion of Kilis.
"We organized a supply meeting to both introduce the geographically indicated regional products and other Kilis made products to ensure that these products enter the Istanbul market. We have established business connections by bringing together buyers and sellers," he said.
"The local dishes of Kilis made with local ingredients and chefs have been offered to the taste of the food writers, chefs, and professionals that we invited this evening. Hopefully, with this promotional work, we aim to see the local dishes of Kilis in the restaurants and hotel kitchens in Istanbul," he added.
