MUSIAD Focuses on the Commercialization of Turkish Culinary Arts

Abdurrahman Kaan, Chairman of the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD), made a written statement on the export of cuisine as a product of the cultural economy and the commercialization of Turkish Culinary Arts.

Abdurrahman Kaan, who said that while the effects of the pandemic process are experienced in order for our country to get a higher share in the kitchen exports, in terms of preparation for the period at the end of the process, Abdurrahman Kaan stated the following in his statement;

The world is going through a period in which information and related culture are constantly changing at the point it has reached today. It is not only knowledge but also cultural components that act between societies and people. Today, the sector where cultural economies show the most permeability is known as cinema and music. American dominance in this area has recently been on the offensive with the influence of Far Asian countries, especially on the young generation. It's not just a movie or a music or a book that is transported from one country to another with a cultural product; life style, traditions, history, in short, the cultural codes of that country. However, while we take the main items of this export in the culture industry as "audiovisual arts", we actually ignore one very important item: Culinary arts and products.

Of course, the share of the cinema industry in the transfer of eating and drinking habits from one country to another cannot be denied. Because the kitchen industry, which is displayed visually, arouses curiosity in another country or at least causes a convergence. The same cuisine reduces alienation when it moves to your country. We see this frequently in the American and European film and TV series industry. Our use of this method, especially through the series we export, will serve as a preliminary preparation for our kitchen exports in the future.

Under the heading of kitchen export, it is necessary not to scatter too much and to move on a certain line. Especially while the effects of the pandemic process are experienced, it will be beneficial to start working now in terms of preparation for the period at the end of the process. Issue items;

1. Food export 2. Presentation export 3. Classifying the origin under product export will guide us in the commercialization of our culinary arts.

The amount you pay to the food you eat in a French restaurant, described in terms of imports from Turkey, France and then processed as described in terms of exports. Likewise, the amount you pay for a Turkish meal in France is recorded as a recipe export for us and a recipe import for them. For this reason, while promoting our cuisine, we must protect our recipes at every stage, from the menus of restaurants in foreign countries to independent Turkish Cuisine restaurants, and register them in accordance with a certain standard.

First of all, we should classify the kitchens in our country and classify the recipes of these kitchens in accordance with a certain standard. In this way, it is possible to clearly explain which local cuisine is the product of the recipe to be exported and determine the standards at the beginning.

The main kitchens that our country has and will be exported can be listed as follows:

Istanbul Palace Cuisine, Eastern Black Sea Cuisine, Eastern Anatolian Cuisine, Aegean Cuisine, Mediterranean Cuisine, Gaziantep Cuisine, Şanlıurfa Cuisine, Erzurum Cuisine, Afyon Cuisine, Kayseri Cuisine, Konya Cuisine, Kastamonu Cuisine, Samsun Cuisine, Tekirdağ Cuisine, Bursa Cuisine, Sivas Cuisine , Tokat Cuisine, Maraş Cuisine.

This application is a serious investment in Turkish Culinary Culture. We culled the original dishes of all cities in Turkey in 2007 as MUSIAD, "Trip to Local Tastes" We have published a book entitled. At that time, I was the Chairman of the Food and Agriculture Sector Board and I was expressing the importance of this issue on every occasion. For years, I struggled for Turkish Culinary Culture to reach standards and commercialize it. Today, as the President of MUSIAD, we established a committee solely to work in this field, especially during our Refreshing process; “Gastro-Economy and Turkish Culinary Arts Committee”. Ramazan Bingöl is the chairman of this committee. Our 1st International Turkish Culinary Culture Symposium, designed by our Committee and planned to be held under the auspices of the Presidency, was unfortunately postponed due to the Pandemic. However, within the scope of this symposium, not only would our culinary culture be introduced, but also culinary arts as a cultural component would be discussed with an international participation and workshops would be established in practice. However, we are planning to do this study after the pandemic.

We should attach importance to the export of recipes and especially the representation of Turkish cuisine abroad with different dishes and flavors. Because the few dishes that come to mind when Turkish cuisine is mentioned are actually an indication that such a wide food culture cannot find the value it deserves in the world.

As the second export item, we see presentation export. The kitchen doesn't just consist of recipes. At the same time, each dish has a way of cooking and presentation of its own and its region. For example, if the recipe for "test kebab" is exported, its jug should also be the subject of presentation and trade. Similarly, copper bowls, special containers for drinking sherbet and ayran, special cooking equipment; In short, the export of the products of Turkish culinary art is in question here. In addition, kitchen consumables can be exported in forms that reflect Turkish culture.

The third export item is the export of origin or originating product. Good marketing of the recipes of some dishes, especially the products of a region, will increase the demand for those products and support the cultivation and cultivation of products in those regions. As the same product is cultivated in our provinces with almost the same climatic conditions, the earnings of our farmers from high value-added products will also increase. Marketing it well that the dishes should be cooked with for example nut oil or rubbing beans will increase the demand for those products.

All these are activities that support production and investment; this will enable the kitchen to be commercialized with three export items. Establishment can even be achieved by establishing micro SMEs for the production of some products. Especially encouraging the female workforce to work on products that can be produced and marketed comfortably such as noodles, tarhana and sweet snacks would be a good start for investment. I believe that Turkish Food Production will expand its own market with its positive perception in the world, if the products are launched by underlining that the production is made naturally after setting a certain standard.

What will our investment in Turkish Culinary Art provide for us?

First of all, it develops human training and employment opportunities. Supports the export of kitchen supplies. It opens a new door to the furniture sector that makes up the kitchen and diversifies their export areas.

The space itself appears as the most important investment item. However, here, after all the conditions have been determined, there is an essential stage for us: Certification. The process after the compilation, registration and classification of recipes and cuisines should be completed with the certification phase. At this point, we, as MUSIAD, initiate the promotion and commercialization of our kitchen with a very comprehensive project and breakthrough with all our branches in 81 provinces and our branches and representative offices abroad. Because we see the export of our Turkish Culinary Arts only as a movement that such a widespread organization will find and support at every stage.

At this stage, we can plan events that will promote Turkish Cuisine in every country, especially abroad, with a serious marketing activity. So much so that this commercialization and export movement that we have started in our country can only find a ground abroad and arouse the expected interest and curiosity. I believe that MUSIAD will be active in the field as a strong partner in this project. I find it appropriate to consider such a long-term and planned movement as a preliminary preparation for the rise of the services sector, which will be re-energized with the end of the pandemic, with the cooperation with our relevant ministries, TSE, TPE and TÜRKAK.

Bagel and pastry were added to kebab, doner, baklava.

Turkey's 18 million 676 thousand dollars of exports is probably kebab, doner, baklava and consists of bagels and donuts pen pass on the rise in recent years. In fact, these are direct product exports rather than recipes. This shows that as a result of the branding of our kitchen, thousands of Turkish origin products with high added value have the potential to be opened to world markets.

Country	Export	Imports	Trade balance
Italy	176.219	17.945	158.274
China	114.822	110.351	4.471
Japonya	91.447	47.564	43.883
Hindi Stan	46.607	50.841	-4.234
France	40.353	21.391	18.962
Meksika	29.251	12.276	16.975
Tayland	21.409	10.309	11.100
Spain	21.358	41.649	-20.291
Turkey	18.676	2.021	16.655
Güney Kore	18.048	32.739	-14.691