Discover Turkey's food, art and culture at week-long event

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IN conjunction with the 88th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, the Turkey Tourism and Information Office in Malaysia is celebrating and commemorating the occasion by hosting the Turkish Culinary and Cultural Week from Oct 28 until Nov 4 at The Royale Chulan Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

With co-sponsors such Etihad Airways and Ravika Olive Oil, the exciting highlights at the Turkish Culinary and Cultural Week will comprise fine samples of Turkish cuisine, Turkish classical music and folk dance performances as well as demonstrations on Turkish marbling art (Ebru) and Turkish calligraphy by the country’s native artists.

Turkish culture has influenced and has been influenced in return by cultures and civilisations from China to Vienna and from the Russian steppes to North Africa for over four millennia.

Turkish culture reflects this distinct cultural richness and diversity and remains mostly shaped by its deep roots in Anatolia, Middle East and Balkans; a region which is the cradle of many civilisations.

Marbling marvel: Marbling artist Mustafa Erkan demonstrating the Turkish art of paper marbling and the finished product (below). Every day during the Turkish Culinary and Cultural Week, an exclusive Ebru art piece will be given away to one lucky guest.

One of the exciting things to look forward to is that every day, an exclusive Ebru art piece will be given away to one lucky guest.

“We have flown in an entourage of 23 people comprising chefs, dancers, musicians and Turkish craftsmen including calligraphists and well-known Ebru or paper marbling expert Mustafa Erkan who will be conducting demonstrations on this intricate and ancient art,” said Tourism and Information Office of the Turkish Embassy in Malaysia Cultural and Tourism Attache Ali Gulen at a press conference.

Also present were The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur public relations manager Datin Suriani Abdul Rahman, Etihad Airways sales manager Camm Mustapha and Turkish Embassy Kuala Lumpur deputy chief of mission Yasin Temizkan.

Every day between 6.30pm and 9pm, guests can enjoy a variety of Turkish dishes at the hotel’s Warisan Cafe.

“Turkish cuisine is an experience by itself and we are proud to be able to bring this event that will allow Malaysians to experience first hand, the gastronomic marvels of our country, beyond just Turkish coffee,” added Gulen.

A Turkish band will play Turkish classical music at the Lanai Lounge.

Chef Giray Yilmaz will serve up about 50 varieties of Turkish delicacies at the buffet.

“The dishes will be from different cities in Turkey,” said Yilmaz.

“This is the first Turkish Culinary and Cultural Week we have organised in Malaysia. Our last one was in Indonesia and was very successful.

“Last year, 30,000 Malaysians visited Turkey. We expect the number to increase to 40,000 for 2011. Also, there were 29 million people worldwide who visited Turkey last year which made Turkey the sixth top destination in the world,” said Gulen.

The anticipation was building up as members of the media participated in a lucky draw to win two return air tickets to Turkey, sponsored by Etihad Airways, and a four-day/three-night accommodation in a four-star hotel in Istanbul, courtesy of the Turkish Tourism and Information Office in Malaysia. The two lucky winners were journalist Cheah Yiing from Oriental Daily and freelance writer Kee Hua Chee.

Later, guests were treated to samples of Turkish ice cream, Turkish coffee as well as demonstrations of Ebru art and Turkish calligraphy.

“The reason we chose The Royale Chulan is because we have had great feedback from our Turkish guests who stayed at the hotel,” said Gulen.