Bursa Metropolitan Municipality has taken an important step to introduce the city’s rich cultural heritage that has been going on for centuries and its unique flavors that leave unforgettable tastes on the palate to the world. Aiming to increase the city’s tourism potential through gastronomy, the Metropolitan Municipality has launched a comprehensive “Bursa Gastronomy Map” study for this purpose. This project aims to deeply examine Bursa’s culinary culture, evaluate and certify businesses that offer unique flavors within the framework of certain criteria, and thus create a flavor route.
In order to implement this important project, a comprehensive board was formed under the leadership of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality with the participation of all important stakeholders of the city. The board aims to maximize the city's gastronomy potential by acting with the slogan "What and where to eat the best in Bursa?". Within the scope of the project, it is planned to give a certificate of reliability to businesses that produce traditional flavors specific to Bursa in accordance with their authentic recipes and that can increase the brand value of these products. Thanks to this flavor map to be created, local and foreign tourists will be able to easily reach the best flavor spots of Bursa.
As the first step of the project, a consultation meeting with broad participation was held at the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Service Building. The meeting was attended by the Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Mehmet Yıldız, Head of the Department of External Relations Pınar Işıkyıldız, as well as representatives of public institutions and well-established universities in Bursa, managers of the city's dynamic chambers of commerce and tradesmen, presidents of relevant professional chambers and valuable representatives of civil society organizations. This broadly participated meeting set forth the goal of shaping the project with common sense and achieving the most efficient result with the contribution of all stakeholders.
Making important statements at the meeting, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Mehmet Yıldız emphasized that Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey attaches great importance to Bursa reaching the respected position it deserves in gastronomy tourism. Yıldız stated that they aim to update the city's rich gastronomy and integrate it more effectively into tourism. Recalling that the Bursa Gastronomy Festival held last year was visited by approximately 500-600 thousand people, Yıldız stated that they aim to permanently integrate this great potential into tourism and increase the length of stay in the city.
Mehmet Yıldız said, “We want to showcase Bursa’s unique flavors, which have almost been forgotten and have been passed down from generation to generation, and its valuable products that have received geographical indications, on more visible and accessible platforms. We want people who come to Bursa to fully experience that there is a deep-rooted and rich food culture in these lands. In this context, we aim for our businesses to highlight their original recipes, use local and natural equipment as much as possible, and make their kitchens attractive like a touristic showcase. We believe that every local product should have its own unique story and will become much more valuable when presented with these stories. We believe that we need to work hand in hand and act with a common mind to achieve all these goals. We believe that with the Bursa Gastronomy Map we will create, businesses that have certain standards and are certified will set an example for other businesses. Our greatest desire is to introduce Bursa’s unique flavors and the valuable products of these fertile lands not only to Türkiye but to the entire world with these meticulous efforts.”
Metropolitan Municipality External Relations Department Head Pınar Işıkyıldız stated in her presentation at the meeting that they had determined a roadmap in line with the comprehensive surveys they had previously conducted. Işıkyıldız announced that they would be publishing a booklet that would reveal Bursa’s traditional and cultural dishes while also including innovative and original recipes. She also announced that a special web page would be created under the name Bursa Gastronomy and that certified businesses would be introduced in detail on this platform. Işıkyıldız stated that a special Gastronomy Center would also be established where authentic presentations of local products specific to Bursa would be made, and that they thought this center would make a significant contribution to the city’s gastronomic identity.
Pınar Işıkyıldız said, “As a result of detailed consultations with all relevant institutions within the scope of our geographical indication studies, we have identified 35 new products specific to Bursa. We plan to make the necessary applications regarding these valuable products as soon as possible. Our aim is to ensure that Bursa’s unique flavors and local products are presented in the quality they deserve. In this direction, we will create a comprehensive flavor map introducing unique gastronomy products and meticulously identify businesses that produce all products in our city in accordance with the determined quality standards and present them to local and foreign tourists through this map.” With these studies, it is aimed for Bursa to stand out as a tourism destination not only with its historical and natural beauties but also with its rich culinary culture.
