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The China–Türkiye Gastronomy Festival opened at a hotel in Ankara, showcasing hallmark dishes from Chinese cuisine and drawing senior officials and diplomats who underlined how food can bring societies closer together. The event featured a written message from First Lady Emine Erdogan and speeches that linked culinary traditions to health, ethics, and centuries of exchange.
Attendees included Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Gokhan Yazgi and China’s Ambassador to Ankara Ciang Suebing. Yazgi said he was pleased to see culinary traditions from both ends of the Silk Road—an ancient network of trade routes connecting East Asia to the Mediterranean—presented side by side. He noted that in Chinese culture, food intertwines with health, philosophy, and morality, and he added that each ingredient and cooking method carries a certain refinement.
Yazgi stressed that the same understanding runs through the Turkish culinary tradition, where eating is viewed through balance and healing. He described Turkish and Chinese cuisines as “two different flavors of the same philosophy” that grew in different geographies. He also pointed out that the Silk Road carried not only commerce but also culture, knowledge, and taste, expressing confidence that cooperation rooted in mutual respect and shared values would grow stronger.
A message from First Lady Emine Erdogan was read at the opening. “I was very pleased that the China–Türkiye Gastronomy Festival was organized,” she said, describing China and Anatolia as two friendly lands with deep culinary heritage.
She highlighted “healing recipes,” environmentally sensitive, waste-preventing cooking techniques, and generous tables as symbols of compassion—elements that place both cuisines among the world’s most respected gastronomic traditions. She said she believed the festival would deepen cultural interaction and strengthen mutual understanding and friendship, and she warmly congratulated all contributors.
Ambassador Ciang Suebing said the festival was organized in the wake of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to China in September 2025, noting that both sides decided to advance the consensus reached by their leaders through cultural exchanges. He described China and Türkiye as ancient civilizations with rich traditional cultures, and he underlined that culinary heritage forms an integral part of these cultures.
According to the ambassador, Chinese cuisine—shaped over thousands of years and reflecting different regions—has gained worldwide recognition, while Turkish cuisine is well known for its kebabs and a wide range of desserts. He said gastronomic exchange is not only about flavors but also a dialogue between civilizations.
Guests sampled hallmark Chinese dishes such as Peking duck, spring rolls, Kung Pao chicken, shrimp cooked with Longjing tea, and jiaozi (Chinese dumplings). Yazgi and Ciang toured the stands where the dishes and ingredients were introduced. The festival concludes today.
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