TURKISH AGRI.NEWS

Turkey's retail food and drink industry reached a worth of TL 110 billion in 2019, according to the chairman of the Turkish Restaurant and Entertainment Association (TURYİD). "Annual growth for 2019 was just below $19 billion," Kaya Demirer said at the Tourism Investors Forum 2020 (TIF 2020) in Istanbul. Supported by the Presidency Investment Office, TIF 2020 hosted a panel called "New Creative Economy and Investment Opportunities of Gastronomy Tourism." Demirer was one of the guest speakers at the panel. Demirer remarked that Turkey has a solid stance compared to other countries. He said the food and drink industry is worth $900 billion in the U.S., $120 billion in the U.K., $100 billion in Italy and $53 billion in Spain. Demirer is also confident about the industry's capacity to create jobs. "The food and drink industry might be the ultimate solution to low employment rates in Turkey," he said, adding that Turkey's young population is employ...

A central Anatolian province in Turkey is looking to be included in the world's top gastronomy destinations with its local food culture, which includes well-known Turkish delicacies. "One needs to taste Kayseri cuisine to know it. The cuisine of our area, which has hosted many civilizations, carries traces of those civilizations," Memduh Büyükkılıç, metropolitan mayor of Kayseri province, told Anadolu Agency (AA). "In order to promote Kayseri cuisine and share our values, we will hold a gastronomy workshop on Nov. 16-17," he said, adding that they plan to hold the workshop in winter so people coming to the city to enjoy Mt. Erciyes could also have an opportunity to attend the event. He said mantı - small dumplings filled with minced meat and served with yogurt and garlic sauce — is the first dish that comes to mind in rich Kayseri cuisine. Kayseri dumplings are famous for their extremely small size; in fact, as many as 40 of them can fit in one spoonful. ...