News

A significant event was held at our university, addressing the themes of sustainability and soup as an important element of Turkish cuisine. Held in our central library with wide range participation, the panel "Soups and Sustainability in Turkish Cuisine" was organized within the framework of the project titled “Development of a Product Called Medeniyet Soup with Zero Waste” (2023-GAP-Turi-0002) conducted by Asst. Prof. Dr. Esra Doğu Baykut. 

During the event, it was discussed how the traditional values of Turkish cuisine can be harmonized with the principles of sustainability. Participants had a comprehensive exchange of ideas on sustainable culinary practices and the preservation and modernization of the cultural heritage of Turkish cuisine.

The program started with the opening speech of Prof. Dr. Adem Baltacı, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism. Prof. Dr. Baltacı emphasized the importance of promoting Turkish cuisine nationally and internationally and the importance of sustainable gastronomy understanding today.

Afterwards, Rector Prof. Dr. Gülfettin Çelik expressed the commitment of our university to sustainability projects and emphasized the value of such projects in carrying Turkish cuisine into the future. Our Rector stated that “Soup is the beginning of a cultural journey” and that the unique cultural richness of Anatolia also manifests itself in soup varieties. Drawing attention to the historical importance of soup, he said, “We won the Battle of Gallipoli with soup; soup has an important place in our history as an element that keeps people alive.”

After the speech of Rector Prof. Dr. Gülfettin Çelik, the panel “Soups and Sustainability in Turkish Cuisine” moderated by Asst. Prof. Dr. Esra Doğu Baykut was held with the participation of Prof. Dr. Selim Karahasanoğlu, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and Chef Türev Uludağ. Prof. Dr. Karahasanoğlu shed light on the historical heritage of Turkish cuisine and emphasized the cultural importance of soups. Chef Uludağ made a comprehensive presentation on zero waste kitchen practices in gastronomy and environmentally friendly modernization of traditional recipes.

After the panel, Rector Prof. Dr. Gülfettin Çelik thanked Prof. Dr. Selim Karahasanoğlu and Chef Türev Uludağ for their contributions to the event and presented their gifts. At the end of the event, the soup was introduced by the students of our Gastronomy Department, who were the winners of the “Medeniyet Soup” competition. In this presentation, information was given about the content of the soup, the preparation process in line with zero waste principles and the ingredients used.

This special soup, developed within the scope of Istanbul Medeniyet University's “Medeniyet Soup with Zero Waste” project, was served to the participants as a product prepared with an environmentally friendly approach and contributing to sustainability.