Gastronomy high schools across Türkiye have begun putting “mother recipes,” traditional home-cooked dishes passed down within families, into practice as part of a broader effort to preserve culinary heritage.
Education Minister Yusuf Tekin announced the move at a large-scale student gastronomy event and competition, which brought together 1,221 students from vocational high schools from the country’s 81 provinces. Held in Istanbul, the competition highlighted a multidimensional approach that combined technical culinary skills with cultural memory, discipline, aesthetics, tradition and innovation within a single framework.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Tekin stressed ongoing efforts to enhance the attractiveness of vocational and technical education while reinforcing students’ connection to national and moral values.
He underlined that culinary arts constitute a key channel of cultural transmission, encompassing not only cooking techniques but also presentation, table etiquette, preparation practices and hospitality traditions.
Tekin added that gastronomy high schools are actively documenting regional “mother recipes” and integrating local culinary knowledge into their curricula, enabling students to transform cultural heritage into tangible culinary production shared with the public.
Competition results saw Bolu İzzet Baysal Abant Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School win the Türkiye national final with dishes including crispy pumpkin, traditional “mother’s meatballs” and vine leaf rolls. In the international category, Kuşadası Güvercinada Tourism Vocational High School secured first place with a menu featuring apricot and dried aubergine stuffed rolls, spinach-bed beef fillet with bitter sauce, and caramelised pear tart.
