From Geographical Indication to Fusion Flavor
Students of the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department at Burhaniye Faculty of Applied Sciences (BUBFA) transformed Balıkesir’s geographically indicated products into unique dishes using modern culinary techniques.
The students carried out a project aimed at promoting the region’s rich gastronomic heritage. The project, titled “With BUBFA, the Taste of Geographical Indication: A Bridge of Flavor from Balıkesir to the World,” was held at the BUBYO Hotel Restaurant. Prepared with the motto “Rooted in the past, flavored for the future,” the project aimed to reinterpret geographically indicated products specific to Balıkesir through modern gastronomic techniques.
In the first stage of the project, products such as Ayvalık lor cheese, Ayvalık basket cheese, Edremit scratched olives, Erdek Kapıdağ purple onion, and Höşmerim dessert were selected.
Using these geographically indicated products, the students created a special fusion menu consisting of dishes such as Lor Tempura, Basket Dim Sum, Olive and Herb Taco, Lamb Sushi, Höşmerim Cannelloni, and Mandarin Hibiscus plates. The dishes included in the menu were prepared in the Balıkesir Training Kitchen within the faculty and presented to invited guests.
The project was carried out under the supervision of Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. M. Oğuzhan İlban by 3rd-year Gastronomy and Culinary Arts students Gonca Macar, Fatma Tilim, Esmanur Uzun, Erkan Muhammed Erbeyin, and Necati Bora Dağteke.
The prepared dishes were tasted and evaluated by Faculty Dean and Department Head Prof. Dr. M. Oğuzhan İlban, Vice Dean and Deputy Head of Department Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özkan Demir, faculty members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Solunoğlu, Lecturer Nihat Kaya Pekbay, Research Assistant Setenay Melek Yurttabir, as well as BUBYO Hotel Manager Nurettin Bölükbaş and Kitchen Chef Cihat Yılmaz.
