GAZİANTEP
Ancient dishes discovered during excavations in the ancient city of Dülük in the southeastern province of Gaziantep are being reproduced today.
With the cooperation of the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Germany’s Münster University, excavation works continue in the Dülük ancient city in Şehitkamil district, where written and visual artifacts revealed recipes of bread and dishes prepared during the Roman period.
The recipes of Pompeii Bread, Olivatum (Olive Paste), Libum (Honey Cake), Globuli (Honey Cheese Cake) and Dulcia Piperatta (Honey Cake) have been conveyed to master chefs by Professor Kutalmış Görkay, the coordinator of the excavations, and Associate Professor Tulga Albustanlıoğlu, a gastro-archaeology expert from Başkent University. These ancient flavors have now started to be revived.
The dishes prepared by chefs with the same recipes are being offered to visitors at the GastroAntep Culture Route Festival, organized by the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Şehitkamil Mayor Umut Yılmaz told state-run Anadolu Agency that Gaziantep is a city renowned for its local cuisine and gastronomy.
Stating that they wanted to transfer the recipes revealed during the excavation to modern times, Yılmaz said: “Last week, we presented the breads we prepared, these dishes from the Roman period, to our Culture and Tourism Minister. He found them extraordinarily delicious. God willing, we want to introduce these breads and dishes on Gaziantep-bound flights. We hope that anyone arriving in Gaziantep, from wherever they are flying, can taste these dishes and also get to know Dülük this way.”
Yılmaz emphasized that the flavors of ancient cities should also be included in Gaziantep’s gastronomy.
He noted that Pompeii bread is a flavor not found anywhere else in Türkiye, adding: “These flavors are the tastes of this land. We will include this bread in Gaziantep’s gastronomy. Therefore, everyone who visits here will be able to taste this bread. We will promote it with these dishes and also tell the history of Dülük.”
Ancient flavors to be passed on to future generations
Chef Mutlu Durgun, who recreated these thousands-year-old flavors, said that the dishes were prepared with ingredients suitable for the wartime conditions of that period and that they tried the recipes many times at first.
Durgun said, “Our professors, while carrying out the excavations, gave us the motif patterns of bread and dishes they found both in mosaics and inscriptions. We also prepared the food using those exact recipes. Since there was no sugar in that period, we made the desserts with honey. We tried to follow the original recipes precisely with the guidance of our professors.
After explaining the history of Dülük Ancient City to visitors, we will teach these recipes to locals and begin mass production so that people can taste the breads and desserts of that era before they leave. We want everyone who comes here to try them.”
Dülük ancient city
Located at the crossroads of trade routes stretching from the south, north, east and west in ancient times, Dülük Ancient City was on the Silk Road, extending from Mesopotamia to Cilicia during the Assyrian period and from Antioch and Cilicia to Zeugma during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It dates back thousands of years before Christ and is among the world’s oldest settlements.
In addition to Stone Age remains, artifacts from the Copper Age and the earliest known mathematical operations have also been found in the city, which also bears traces from the Paleolithic era.
The ancient city, which changed hands among the Hittites, Medes, Assyrians, Persians and Alexander’s Empire, conveys the knowledge of many civilizations through its artifacts and structures. During one period, the city was dominated by the Mithras belief and is home to the world’s largest underground Mithras temple ever discovered.
Dining and Cooking