Trip to Hatay

Kitchen Friends were in Hatay once again a few days ago. The trip to Hatay—one of Turkey’s leading cities in the field of gastronomy—was organized to support the region following the devastating earthquake of 2023 and to on the ground, the trip—organized with the contributions of association member Elif Ovalı— began with an artichoke harvest at Teofarm and a lunch featuring pairings with Antioche wines made from the region’s Barburi grapes. After the earthquake, the Friends of the Kitchen learned about the Hatay Agriculture Art, Design, and Entrepreneurship Center (HASAT)—which supports development by bringing together the fields of agriculture, art, and entrepreneurship—the Friends of the Kitchen, later visited Ali Mürdün, who was awarded the Golden Spoon Award in the “Traditional Restaurant of the Year” category in 2024. The menu, prepared by Master Ali and featuring dishes found only in homes in Hatay—including sour aşı soup, zucchini borani, öcce, aşur, kaytaz börek, oruk, and spinach börek— , as well as kerebiç served with soapwort cream, left a lasting impression on the palate. Organized to support local businesses and hosting numerous shops, the gastronomy market featured an evening dinner at Altı Kapı—one of Antakya’s leading brands—where guests tasted stuffed grape leaves, hummus, olive salad, and lamb shank prepared with Samandağı peppers and pomegranate molasses appetizer made with Samandağı peppers, as well as sac oruğu and firik pilaf. The künefe was provided by Master Yusuf at Çınar altı Künefe. During their Antakya tour, the Friends of the Kitchen visited the Necmi Asfuroğlu Archaeology Museum, located within the Necmi Asfuroğlu Archaeology Museum, where they saw the world’s largest single-piece floor mosaic; they also visited the Aççana Mound on the Antakya-Reyhanlı highway for the first time. Thanks to a presentation by Excavation Director Prof. Murat Akar, we gained comprehensive insights , the mound contains not only the remains of the city of Alalah but also, according to tablets found during the excavation, unique findings related to olive and olive oil culture, as well as 4,300-year-old charred olive pits. During the tour of the ancient city, Hatay Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Abdullah Dinç also accompanied our group and provided explanations regarding the progress of the excavation work. The Friends of the Kitchen’s Antakya tour concluded at Tugay Kasap, which had opened in a new location following the earthquake, the tour continued with visits to merchants in the culture and arts market, spice shopping, and visits to the Habibi Neccar Mosque and St. Peter’s Church on Kurtuluş Street, which is currently undergoing renovation. Members of the Friends of the Kitchen Association expressed their feelings of solidarity with the people of Antakya, local merchants, artisans, and business owners, and agreed to return to Hatay soon.