The initiative, which will take place from 21 to 27 May 2026 across the globe, celebrates Turkey’s culinary heritage under the slogan “The Heritage Table”.
Turkish cuisine will once again take centre stage on the international scene with a new edition of Turkish Cuisine Week, to be held from 21 to 27 May 2026 both in Türkiye and at various international destinations. The initiative, promoted under the patronage of the First Lady, H.E. Emine Erdoğan, reaches its fifth edition with an approach that goes beyond cuisine to highlight the cultural, social and historical value of shared meals.
Under the slogan “The Heritage Table” (Bir Sofrada Miras), the 2026 edition focuses on what gives gastronomy its true meaning: the stories, traditions and memories passed down from generation to generation. Beyond flavours, the initiative invites us to view cuisine as a space for connection, where identity is forged and heritage is shared.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye has presented this concept as a way of showcasing Turkish cuisine not merely as a collection of recipes, but as a living legacy, forged over centuries through migration, rituals and collective traditions. “The table is the oldest language of togetherness. Food connects people across time”, sums up the central message of this edition.
The programme is structured around three themes: dialogue, as a space for encounter between cultures and generations; transformation, reflecting the evolution of recipes and the transmission of culinary knowledge; and archiving, viewing cuisine as a living repository of unwritten history.
Throughout the week, activities will take place both in Türkiye and at Turkish embassies, consulates and cultural centres around the world, with a programme focused on direct experiences of gastronomic heritage. Highlights include shared dinners at long tables, designed as spaces for people to come together; collaborations between Turkish and international chefs, fostering culinary dialogue; and hands-on workshops, where traditional techniques will be demonstrated, such as making yufka, slow-cooking dishes like keşkek or tandır, or cooking over an open fire.
In addition, initiatives such as Ark of Flavours / Lezzet Arşivi will be launched—a living gastronomic archive in pop-up format that will allow visitors to discover historical recipes, ingredients and traditional techniques through guided tastings—as well as the Living Recipes Field Archive project, which focuses on documenting recipes linked to migration and contemporary regional diversity.
Among the star dishes of this edition are some of the great icons of Turkish cuisine. Keşkek, inscribed on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage, symbolises collective celebration; baklava represents the transmission of artisanal knowledge; mantı evokes migratory routes and movements; dolma reflects diversity within a shared tradition; and helva is associated with shared memory and solidarity.
All event resources, including menus, recipes, technique videos and graphic materials, are available on the official website: turkishcuisineweek.com.
About the TURKEY TOURISM PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (TGA)
TGA works to ensure that Türkiye is a recognised brand in national and international tourism, to promote Türkiye’s tangible and intangible, natural, cultural, biological and man-made heritage, and to engage in short-, medium- and long-term communication and marketing activities, with a view to increasing the contribution of tourism investment to the national economy and improving the quality of service in the tourism sector.
TGA is responsible for carrying out all promotional, marketing and communication activities to help Türkiye achieve its tourism objectives, promote and market existing tourism resources worldwide, and identify, develop and make potential tourism resources available online, in line with the tourism strategies and policies drawn up by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Source: COMUNICACIÓN IBEROAMERICANA