Rayiha Spice Museum Hosts Academic Studies

Rayiha Spice Museum, where 132 kinds of spices are exhibited in Gaziantep, also hosts academic studies. The history and samples of 132 different spice varieties are exhibited on the ground floor of the Rayiha Spice Museum, which was put into service by Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, while the laboratory section offers the opportunity for academics to work on spices.

There are 14 thematic hotel rooms in the museum, which also offers accommodation to visitors during the scientific studies on gastronomy. The rooms, which have been prepared in accordance with the museum concept and each with a different scent and color, bear the names of 14 different spices.

Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Culinary Arts Center President Fikret Tural, in his speech, stated that 'Rayiha' has a meaning that encompasses all features such as the smell, taste, shape and color of a plant or spice.

Underlining that Gaziantep has been a city where spice trade has been carried out for centuries on the Spice and Silk Road and where caravans were stationed, Tural said, “We should see Gaziantep not only with its food, but also as a trade center where the raw materials of the dishes are sold and produced. Besides, the fact that Gaziantep is brought from the Far East or from different countries and traded with caravans makes this city even more important.” said.

“Laboratory work will not be interrupted thanks to the hotel section of the museum”

Stating that the museum also allows scientific studies under the umbrella of gastronomy, Tural said:

“We are investigating everything that is curious about spice. Our food engineer friends are doing research. In this study, we examine the content of spices and extract the essence of spices. We designed the museum to ensure that when academics and students come and do research, they are in an environment that can meet all their needs. In this way, visitors will be able to work until late and stay in their rooms.”

Stating that there is an exhibition area and the history of spice on the ground floor of the museum, Tural said, “Visitors will be able to see 132 spice varieties in the museum. Of course, this figure will constantly change seasonally and periodically. Since it will change constantly, it would not be correct to give this figure for each period. Currently, our 132 spice varieties are in our exhibition area.” used the phrase.

“Visitors learn everything about spice in this museum”

Emphasizing that Gaziantep should have a spice museum, Tural said, “People should be able to see the spice in this museum. We created an exhibition space for this. Here, people can see, taste and touch the spice. They can also learn about its history. In this way, visitors can get answers to questions such as the chemicals in spices, what substances these spices consist of, and what the dense substances are. he said.

Stating that there is also a laboratory section in the museum, Tural said, “We are researching everything that is curious about spices. Our food engineer friends are involved in these researches. The study examines the content of spices. We extract spices in the lab. We also have a restaurant. We are testing the products we will use in this restaurant in our laboratory. We better experience the flavor of the spices we extract.” he said.