Just when you thought you couldn’t cram any more events into your diary, a new food festival breezes into town.
On October 21 and 22, will be filling Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour with more Turkish food than you could poke a kebab at. Speaking of, while this will be the perfect opportunity to taste a real one, the street food staple is only the beginning, tells the festival’s culinary director, .
“There’s so much more to Turkish cuisine than the notorious late-night doner kebab!” Sivrioglu, who runs Efendy and Anason restaurants, says. “Come down and we’ll show you how amazing a REAL Turkish kebab is.”
As well as charry Adana-style lamb kebabs and cheesy gozleme, expect syrup-soaked doughnuts, dondurma (traditional Turkish stretchy ice-cream), meze and more from artisans including , and of course, Sivrioglu’s and .
Charry kebabs and Turkish meze are just some of what to expect. Source: Taste of Turkey
“Taste of Turkey is the ultimate Turkish feast,” says Sivrioglu. “The best of Australia’s Turkish chefs and producers will be here in one place, where everyone is welcome.”
Organised by the Australian Turkish Mutual Alliance, the event hopes to celebrate the contribution of 150,000 Australians of Turkish descent to the diversity of Australia.
Food may be the cornerstone of the festival but there’s also a Mini-Grand Bazaar of market stalls where you can nab handcrafted Turkish towels, blankets, robes, ceramics by Kremahouse, plus one-off clothes and jewellery.
All this to a backdrop of Turkish tunes by band Ekol before NIDA rocks the stage with Anatolia’s music on Saturday afternoon.
“We all love our food. That’s why we wanted to theme this culture festival around the Turkish kitchen,” says ATMA spokesperson, Asli Kilavuz Wong. “Taste of Turkey wants to bring our big multicultural family together at Tumbalong Park while we display the best of Turkish culture and cuisine.”
21-22 October
Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour NSW
