Special Interest from Gastronomy Students to Sındırgı
Sındırgı sets an example not only in the field of tourism but also with its gastronomy culture. In recent years, the district, which has attracted great interest from visitors, has also become a favorite of academics. Especially tourism and gastronomy students prefer Sındırgı, known as a natural city, for practical training and field trips. In addition to many visits by academics and students, students from the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department of Balıkesir University Burhaniye School of Applied Sciences also came to Sındırgı in recent days for a practical gastronomy training and tourism field study trip covering local flavors. The students, who came to the district with School Director and Head of the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department Prof. Dr. Mehmet Oğuzhan İlban, toured tourism areas under the guidance of Sındırgı Mayor Ekrem Yavaş. Practical training was also provided to the students in cooperation with local residents in Pürsünler rural neighborhood, which is known as the producer of greens of Sındırgı and Balıkesir and where local delicacies are prepared using traditional methods. The students examined the process from the preparation to the cooking of local dishes and also contributed practically themselves. Another dimension of gastronomy, how dried vegetables and fruits are produced, was explained to the students during the visit to the Balkuru Geothermal Vegetable and Fruit Drying Facility. Stating that they were very pleased with the visit to Sındırgı, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Solunoğlu, a faculty member of the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department, said, “We are very happy to have recognized the gastronomic villages and local touristic elements of Sındırgı. We gained very nice and different knowledge and experiences both for our students and for those who will come here.” Stating that Sındırgı, with its natural city identity and cultural heritage, has an important place for Gastronomy and Culinary Arts students, Burhaniye School of Applied Sciences Director Prof. Dr. Mehmet Oğuzhan İlban said, “We came to our distinguished city Sındırgı together with the students of our School’s Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department. Since Sındırgı is a natural city, it also has an important place within the gastronomy route. Therefore, we organized such a technical trip for our Gastronomy and Culinary Arts students so that they could gain knowledge, experience and insights here. Our district mayor Mr. Ekrem Yavaş is hosting us very warmly. At the same time, he is introducing us to the special products of Sındırgı. One of the gastronomically valuable products is herb pide, also known among the public as ‘otlu’. Our students are currently learning how these foods are prepared. They are learning the details of how this food is produced in daily village life directly from the people who prepare it.” Sındırgı Mayor Ekrem Yavaş, who develops projects to preserve the district’s naturalness, culture and gastronomy in accordance with their original forms while being open to innovations in tourism, said: “The work carried out in Natural City Sındırgı and our determined efforts in tourism continue to attract attention and visitors. Nearly 150 people from different parts of Turkey, and even from Cameroon and Nigeria, come here to see these tourism and agriculture projects in Sındırgı on site. Today our guests were students of the Gastronomy Department of Balıkesir University Burhaniye School of Applied Sciences. We toured the field with them and saw the works carried out in Sındırgı. We went to Pürsünler, the place that produces the most herbs in Sındırgı, where they rolled dough and tasted pastries prepared by our local women. They also visited the Balkuru factory and saw how dried fruits produced there can be used in gastronomy. At the Akpınar Life Center, they observed on site the employment of 600 women and the production of various items ranging from souvenirs to other tourism-related products. Experiencing these things directly in the field is a wonderful opportunity. I congratulate the school director and all the instructors for their interest and efforts. Education is much more effective when it takes place in the field, and Sındırgı is a great example of this.” Stating that the practical training and field trip were very beneficial, Burhaniye School of Applied Sciences Gastronomy student Melisa Selen Kunt said: “I am a Gastronomy student. We came here with our class to learn about the local culture of Balıkesir. Especially in Sındırgı, we saw that the trip was truly worthwhile for us students. We learned new recipes, new places and several things that can improve us in our field. It was very important for us. That’s why we are all excited and happy. The field trip was truly very beneficial for us. We would like to thank everyone who helped us during this trip.” Another gastronomy student, Berkay Bahadır, said: “I study at BUBYO in the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department. Today we are in Sındırgı Pürsünler village. We made herb pastry (otlu çörek) today. It was a bit different from the pastries and fried dough dishes I had eaten before. It was a pastry made mostly with local and seasonal vegetables. It was really nice and something I liked very much. I would like to try making it again in the future.” Previously, Sındırgı had also hosted tourism and guiding students for practical training. It was stated that practical trainings will continue in different periods with different departments.Sındırgı Has an Important Place on the Gastronomy Route
Education Becomes More Efficient in the Field; Sındırgı Is a Unique Place for Education
