Van Gastronomy Festival Has Ended

The 1st Gastronomy Festival, organized by the Van Metropolitan Municipality for the first time this year, ended with intense participation. While approximately 3 thousand people visited the festival in 20 days, approximately 10 thousand people were served food.

The 1st Gastronomy Festival, which started with the cooperation of the Metropolitan Municipality, the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the Eastern Anatolian Development Agency, the Eastern Anatolian Cooks and Pastries Federation and the Van Cooks and Pastries Association, witnessed colorful scenes for 3 days in order to revive the city's gastronomy, food and culinary culture.

Nearly 70 cooks from different provinces of Turkey as well as Greece, Tunisia, Lebanon, Iran and Kyrgyzstan participated in the festival held in the Van Museum area of ​​İpekyolu District. In the festival, where food races and interviews were held, meals specific to Van and the region were served to the citizens.

Local and foreign chefs participating in the festival went to Gürpınar Norduz plateau, watched the sheep milking, and received information about the production stages of herbed cheese. On the last day of the festival, the cooks visited the island of Akdamar.

While approximately 3 thousand people visited the festival in 20 days, 10 thousand people were served food.

Stating that the festival was very colorful, the writer Sahrap Soysal said, “I visited almost all the cities of Anatolia, I saw and experienced it. Like all the cities of Anatolia, Van is a very beautiful city. It is very important to organize such a festival in Van. It's a must have. I hope that this festival will gradually develop and move to the international arena. Because Van is a city with very strong good food. I am very happy to be here. I congratulate the Metropolitan Municipality for their efforts," he said.

Haldun Tüzel, Lecturer in the Ottoman Palace Cuisine at Istinye University Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department, said, “Van food has always been in my position. I love and know Van food very much. It also gave me great pleasure to cook these dishes on site with natural ingredients again here. I am very happy that I came to the festival.