Çorum has launched the Gastro Çorum Project as part of its efforts to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy, following Hatay, Gaziantep and Afyonkarahisar.
The project, initiated by the Çorum Municipality, was introduced at a meeting held at a hotel in the city. During the event, around 30 geographically registered local products were presented to guests, including İskilip stuffed rice, su böreği, Kışlacık leek, Osmancık lamb stew with quince, Kargı tulum cheese and Hitite bread.
Speaking at the meeting, Mayor Halil İbrahim Aşgın said Çorum was not only an industrial and agricultural city but also a cultural one, noting that cuisine is an essential part of this heritage.
Aşgın said local gastronomic specialties are served at 17 municipal social facilities across the city, while traditional Çorum dishes are taught at five kitchens operating within training centers.
Describing the project as a milestone, Aşgın said the city aimed to become the fourth Turkish city to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in gastronomy. “After Gaziantep, Hatay and Afyonkarahisar, we will add Çorum as the fourth city to the network,” he said, adding that an application to UNESCO is planned for 2027 and the process will be followed closely in cooperation with relevant institutions.
Local food researcher and writer Adnan Şahin, a project advisor, said Çorum cuisine was among the strongest and most original in Türkiye, emphasizing the city’s 8,000-year history and its role as host to multiple civilizations.
Şahin noted that nearly 30 cities are preparing applications to UNESCO, around 20 of them in gastronomy. “Not every city has to be a gastronomy city, but Çorum truly deserves this title,” he said.
Yasemin Türkan Cerit Doğan provided information on the preparation of the UNESCO application file, while culinary culture consultant Filiz Hösükoğlu said she had worked in more than 20 countries and considered Çorum a special city in gastronomic terms.
Following the speeches, guests were served İskilip stuffed rice, one of Çorum’s geographically registered dishes. The meeting was attended by Deputy Governor Yeliz Mercan, Hitit University Rector Professor Ali Osman Öztürk, district governors and mayors.
