Michelin-starred chef serves Turkish cuisine at NATO gala

Two-Michelin-starred Turkish chef Fatih Tutak curated the menu for the official gala dinner hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Complex, showcasing Anatolian regional ingredients and sustainable sourcing to leaders attending the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit. The dinner, prepared over several weeks, combined traditional flavors with contemporary techniques to present Türkiye's culinary heritage to the alliance's 32 member states and invited guests.

Menu highlights regional producers

The menu highlighted seasonality and collaborations with producers across Türkiye, featuring stone-baked pide served with Trabzon butter and Hizan honey, sebze bayildi with charred Denizli yogurt, and sea bass with tarama. Dishes also included Urla mastic artichokes with Tokat grape leaves, firik bulgur with morel mushrooms, slow-cooked beef ribs with charred Trabzon butter and eggplant, and manti with smoked Ayas tomato paste, concluding with a dessert of milk baklava, pistachio foam, bergamot and Maras ice cream.

"It was a great honor for us to represent Turkish cuisine at such a special table. Through this menu, we wanted to present products from different regions of Türkiye, the dedication of local producers and our culinary heritage through a contemporary approach," Tutak said.

World leaders attend Ankara gathering

Among the leaders seated for the dinner were US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to a statement from the presidency. The summit marked a significant gathering of NATO leadership with delegations from all member states and invited heads of state attending the high-profile event.