Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality will promote Diyarbakır’s cuisine at the 7th Mesopotamia Gourmet Fair, to be held from 18 to 23 November.

The Department of Culture and Social Affairs has prepared a full programme for the 7th Mesopotamia Gourmet Fair. At the Municipality’s stand, chefs, gastronomy experts, academics and researchers will introduce visitors to Diyarbakır’s rich culinary heritage.

18 November – Opening day

On the first day of the fair, Mesopotamian Chefs will gather at 13:00 at the Metropolitan Municipality stand. This will be followed by a presentation of Danuk and geographically indicated dishes. At 14:00, gastronomist Alaaddin Kılıç will give a food presentation with tastings. At 15:00, Kılıç will also meet visitors with a talk and live demonstration entitled “Zero Waste Kitchen”. The final event of the day will feature Şükran Güneş, who will speak about the place of Karacadağ rice in cultural heritage.

19–20 November programme

Activities on 19 and 20 November will again begin with Danuk tastings. On 19 November at 15:00, researcher-writer İsa Tekin and gastronomist Alaaddin Kılıç will present a performance on “Parhraç Culture”.

On 20 November, Cüneyt Ateş will give a talk on Diyarbakır’s geographically indicated products. At 15:00, Chef Şeymus Doğan will deliver a performance presentation under the title “Nardan Aşı Culture”.

21 November – Panels and talks

The 21 November programme will continue after a 13:00 Danuk tasting with a presentation of geographically indicated dishes. At 14:00, a panel will be held on the production characteristics of Karacadağ rice, with contributions from Ergül Kanik, Osman Keskin and vocational cookery teachers. At 16:00, “Çiğköfteci” Hasan Eski will talk about Diyarbakır’s restaurant tradition.

22–23 November – Showcasing local specialities

On 22 November, Chef Ayten Ekinci and Chef Lale Uzar will present a live demonstration of the production of Diyarbakır’s famous braided cheese (örgü peyniri).

On 23 November, gastronomy writer Filiz Parlak will both give a talk on Diyarbakır cuisine and perform a live demonstration on “Curing Black and Green Olives”.