13.11.2025 21:01
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Tourism Department and Sarıyer Municipality are organizing "Gastronomy Diaries" on November 15-16, 2025, at Sarıyer Square. The event, themed "One City, One Table, A Thousand Stories," will highlight Istanbul's dining culture and production stories through panels, gastro shows, and local producer stands.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Tourism Directorate, in collaboration with the Sarıyer Municipality, is organizing the "Gastronomy Diaries" event on November 15-16, 2025, at Sarıyer Square. The organization, themed "One City, One Table, A Thousand Stories," will bring together the city's rich table culture, food enthusiasts, and local producers.
Throughout the two-day event, panels, gastro shows, discussions, children's workshops, and local producer stands will welcome visitors. The event aims to highlight Istanbul's gastronomic heritage and the production stories behind this heritage.
"Sarıyer is the memory of this heritage"
IMM Tourism Director Hüseyin Gazi Coşan emphasized the purpose of the event by stating, "Gastronomy Diaries considers Istanbul's culinary culture not just as a matter of taste but as a living heritage. Sarıyer is the memory of this heritage... It brings together the salt of the Bosphorus, the abundance of village markets, and the warmth of neighborhood bakeries in the same pot."
A two-day journey of flavors
The program, which will start on Saturday, November 15, with the participation of Sarıyer Mayor Mustafa Oktay Aksu, will address Sarıyer's connection to the sea and the flavors of the Bosphorus.
Highlights of the Saturday program:
• "The Legacy of Lakerda from Father to Daughter"
• "Two Stories of a Pastry: Branding Taste, Lost Heritage"
• "From Unity to the Table – Cooperative Stories" sessions
• GastroShows where the secrets of making Kavak lakerda, stuffed mussels, and jams will be shared
On Sunday, the route turns to coastal villages:
• In the "Rural Istanbul – The Meeting of Production and the City" panel, producers from Gümüşdere, Demirciköy, and Bahçeköy will speak.
• In the "Sarıyer's Table – Migrations, Flavors, Memories" session, the district's multicultural culinary heritage will be discussed.
Direct Stories from Producer to Consumer
At the stands to be set up in the event area, the jams, pastries, fish products, and handmade foods of Sarıyer producers will be showcased. Visitors will have the opportunity to taste the products while also listening to the production stories directly from the producers themselves.