12.05.2026 10:50
Mersin stands out this year with gastronomy as part of the Türkiye Culture Road Festival. The “Flavor Point” project, implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, designates 46 gastronomy stops across the city, bringing Mersin's rich culinary culture onto the festival route and contributing to both local businesses and gastronomy tourism.
The "Lezzet Noktası" (Taste Point) project, spearheaded by Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, will introduce Mersin's gastronomic heritage to festival visitors. The 46-stop route features city-specific flavors such as tantuni, kebab, cezerye, and kerebiç. It aims to revitalize gastronomy tourism, support local businesses, and promote Mersin's cultural richness to the world.
THE BUSIEST FESTIVAL STOP IN MERSIN COULD BE THE TABLES! A VAST 46-POINT GASTRONOMY ROUTE
This year, Mersin is set to stand out not only with its concerts and exhibitions within the scope of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival, but also with its culinary culture. With the "Lezzet Noktası" project, implemented in line with Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy's approach placing gastronomy at the center of Turkey's tourism strategy, 46 gastronomy stops determined across the city will bring Mersin's multi-layered culinary heritage—from tantuni to kebab, cezerye to kerebiç, street foods to modern restaurants around the marina—to the festival route. The project, which aims to directly connect festival visitors with the city's culture, stands out as a sustainable gastronomy guide model that supports local tradespeople, gastronomy tourism, and the city economy.
This year, the festival atmosphere in Mersin is felt not only in concert halls, exhibition areas, and event centers, but also in the city's bazaars, historic streets, and venues that keep its culinary culture alive.
In line with efforts to make gastronomy an important part of the cultural experience within the scope of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy visited one of the festival's flavor stops. Minister Ersoy made evaluations there regarding gastronomy tourism, local culinary heritage, and the "Lezzet Noktası" project.
GASTRONOMY IS NOW A MAIN TRAVEL MOTIVATION
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, noting that gastronomy has become a standalone travel motivation worldwide, emphasized that people visit a city not only to see it, but also to experience its cuisine, discover local flavors, and feel its story at the table.
Stating that the Ministry and the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency have placed gastronomy at the center of Turkey's tourism strategy, Ersoy said the goal is not merely to increase visitor numbers, but to enhance the visitor experience, encourage longer stays in cities, and provide greater benefits to local tradespeople. Ersoy noted that gastronomy tourism has become one of the important fields bringing together culture, economy, and destination development.
THE "LEZZET NOKTASI" PROJECT MAKES CITIES' HERITAGE VISIBLE
Minister Ersoy, stating that Turkey is an extremely strong country in gastronomy, said each of the 81 provinces has its own unique culinary memory, recipes, products, and traditions.
Noting that there is a multi-layered gastronomic diversity from fine dining restaurants to street food, Ersoy expressed that geographically indicated products are becoming more visible every day.
Ersoy pointed out that the "Lezzet Noktası" project, implemented with this understanding, is one of the most important and most permanent gastronomy initiatives of the Culture Route Festivals, emphasizing that they do not see the project merely as a list of restaurants.
Stating that the project is a destination development model that makes cities' gastronomic memories visible, supports local businesses, and directly connects visitors with the city's culture, Ersoy said that in each city, businesses that best represent the local cuisine are determined through a meticulous evaluation process.
CHEFS, ACADEMICIANS, AND GASTRONOMY PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD
Ersoy stated that advisory boards comprising expert chefs, gastronomy professionals, academicians, and industry representatives work city by city in creating the Lezzet Noktası selections, thus ensuring that both quality standards are maintained and the true gastronomic identity of cities is accurately reflected.
Ersoy conveyed that the selections include not only modern restaurants but also tradesmen's eateries carrying the city's memory, market masters, kebab shops, breakfast places, dessert shops, and street food vendors, expressing that what matters is making visible the venues that keep the city's story, products, and culture alive.
MERSIN'S CULINARY CULTURE IN ALL ASPECTS ON THE FESTIVAL ROUTE
Minister Ersoy stated that this year, 46 restaurants are included in the Lezzet Noktası selection in Mersin, and that strong examples of Mersin cuisine, from street foods like tantuni, kebab, liver, and kuşgözü lahmacun to local desserts such as künefe, kerebiç, and cezerye, are present in the selection.
Ersoy noted that family restaurants, seafood restaurants, modern venues around the marina, and experience-oriented gastronomy facilities are also included in the selection, thus creating a strong gastronomy profile that reflects Mersin's culinary culture in all its aspects.
FAMOUS NAMES ACCOMPANY THE GASTRONOMY PROJECT
This year, the gastronomy project in Mersin is hosted by journalist and writer Ebru Erke, while chefs Claudio Chinali, Burak Zafer Sırmaçekici, and Melih Demirel will promote Mersin's gastronomic experience throughout the festival.
Gastronomy content creator Oğuz Yenihayat and Food & Travel writer Mehmet Tel will also accompany the activities within the festival.
We Will Continue to Tell the Cultural Memory of Our Cities to the World
Minister Ersoy stated that through the Culture Route Festivals, they will continue to more strongly convey the cultural heritage of cities to the world, together with art, gastronomy, and tourism, expressing that gastronomy is one of the most important fields carrying the cultural identity of cities.